Guidelines for pair fighting
General:
The theory is nice - for profesional fighter pilots.
What we need is a simpler way to preform as a pair. For this purpose
we'll use the following guidelines - the "easy way"...
Setup:
When we are about to go OTR (on the runway), be sure to do
the following:
- Highlight your wingman using the command: .wingman <wingmanID>
This setup will enable you to easily find your wingman in a mass furball
with several of us wearing the squad color. Also, this will help to orientate
you psycologicly to give attention to your wingman in the furball.
note: These actions are not nececery for just 2 guys flying in
the MA. They ARE important when a lot of squad members are flying together.
Leader:
When leading:
- Alway know the relative position of your wingman.
- Give flight orders for every change. Announce direction, altitude
and manifold setting you are using. for this use:
- Squad/Mission channel - if you are formation leader (number1).
- Private/Range channel - if you are section leader (number 3).
- Do not cruise in full throttle, your wingman won't be able to keep
up. use less than full setting - flying at 80% throttle is more then
enough.
- If your wingman is lagging behind and you want him to catch up, DO
NOT slow down. Instead weave (fly zig-zag) to make your flightpath longer
and he'll catch up flying straight.
In the fight:
- Announce the designated target. The default is that
you both try to knock out the same bandit in order to get a quick kill.
In a mass combat, if you devide targets you'll be seperated quickly.
Use voice channel if possible. If not possible (or voice channel is
too busy) use the range channel.
- Watch your wingman's 6. He is not there just to watch yours, he should
be aggressive, so if he is "going guns" on the bandit, set yourself
tacticly for the next pass and watch over him.
- Pay attention to the general tactical situation. It might be wise
to disengage and regroup. If so tell him where he should disengage to.
Wingman:
When in formation:
- Geometry - the best is the "line abreast" formation. Since
this requires a lot of attention to maintain, flying "echelon" (behind
and to the side) is a good compromise. When about to engage, you should
push forward to make the angle betwin the pair as close to "line abreast"
as possible.
- Never stay in your leaders "dead 6" spot. "Directly under" and
"directly above" are just as bad. Always stay a little to the side so
he can see you.
- Spread -
- When cruising, there is no need to fly wingtip-to-wingtip. Fly
casually keeping distance of 300 to 1000 yards.
- When about to engage, open up the spread! this is very
important, it will make the both of you two different threats
to the target. This is a crude way of preforming the "bracket" attack.
Best to preform it by-the-book, but opening the spread and attacking
from different angles guarantee an advantage. When opening for a
merge spread can be from d1.0 to d2.0 (the closer you are to line
abreast, the wider you can open. Also, bad turners need larger seperstion).
- Keep comunicating with your wingleader (using voice, or if too busy
- the private channel). Tell him fuel condition (DT empty, BINGO fuel,
etc...), tell him if he's going too fast and you can't keep up.
- Scan the skies. The leader has other responsibilities and might be
busy with other things (especially if he's formation leader or squad
leader).
In the fight:
- Never loose your leader. At all times be aware of his relative position
and his situation.
- Try to attack the same target as the leader (he should annouce it,
but you should also watch and see). If you have another target of opertunity
- take it! be aggressive. Reducing enemy numbers is first priority providing
you don't go away chasing bandits and loosing your leader. stay in the
same fight.
- Do not go "guns" on the bandit the same time as your leader does.
If he's going for the shot, manuver yourself tacticly (cutting bandits'
escape route, placing yourself in position for BnZ, building E, etc...)
and clear leader's 6 at the same time. The guidline - be a different
threat to the bandit.
- Remember! you are not your leader's 6 watcher. Let him create
the tactical situation and you re-act to it the best you see fit, and
do so AGGRESSIVLY. This is what it means to follow his "lead", not follow
his "flight path"!
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