Death spiral maneuver air combat series#

The pilot being chased can adjust the depth of the dive to maintain the chase at the speed his plane is best suited for. The spiral dive can be used in two ways, to out-turn your opponent or to force an overshoot.Ī heavier wingloaded plane will be unable to follow a lighter wingloaded plane, in which case the spiral dive is simply being used as a tight turning circle and the dive adds energy into the mix. Thus, it is only employed as a last-ditch defensive effort when nothing else works However, guns-D maneuvering still leaves the defender susceptible to stray bullets and 'lucky shot' hits, and does little to improve the relative positional situation. It consists of arbitrary speed changes, yaws, skids, pitch-ups, and rolls, often referred to as 'jinking', and is very effective at preventing the attacker from achieving a suitable guns solution.

Death spiral maneuver air combat series#

Guns-D is a series of random changes in the defenders flight path, intended to spoil the attacker's aim by presenting a constantly shifting target, and, hopefully, to maneuver out of the bullet stream (hose). Guns defense maneuvering, or 'guns-D', is the last resort for a defender that fails to outmaneuver the attacker. Often a last-ditch option, 'guns defense' is used as a delaying tactic with the only goal of not getting hit by the enemy. The turn rate means you can complete each turn of the scissors quicker, while the better roll rate allows you to switch from one half loop to another quicker. This maneuver flavors a plane with a good turn rate or roll rate. Essentially both fighters are simply trying to turn into each other, forcing both planes to move in a serpentine motion. The scissors is a natural 'dance' that occurs between fighters. The split-S is often used to disengage from a fight, the quick change of direction can throw off a pursuer, and it can be discouraging for an enemy to follow you into a chase at lower altitude where he himself may become an easy target for the disengaging fighter's wingmates. Just like the Immelmann the split S can be turned into whichever direction desired. It can be used if your airspeed is dangerously low for any other type of turn. The split-S is the inverse of the Immelmann turn, a vertical turn going downwards. In an Immelmann turn speed is traded for altitude which can be reconverted back into speed if so desired. It can also however be used to turn into any direction desired by rolling into the desired direction during the pull-up.Ī normal flat turn simply bleeds energy to drag and you end up at the same altitude and usually a lower speed. In it's most basic form the pilot pulls up until he's upside down, then rolls to un-invert the plane. The Immelmann turn is an upwards vertical turn. The barrel roll which rolls into the opposite direction your opponent is turning into allows for a more roundabout but overall tighter turn without needing to sacrifice the speed you've built up. When you are at a higher speed it's difficult to tail a slower aircraft in a turn.

The barrel roll can be used to slow down your movement relative to a slower bandit.