Air Combat Maneuvering
Glossary
Pigeons: Magnetic bearing and distance of home base (or unit indicated).
Pitchback: Pulling vertically 60 degrees nose-high at 17 units AOA, used to attempt to meet the bandit
head-on with minimum lateral separation in situations where the bandit is less than 1 mile, high above
horizon, or at your dead six.
Plane of Attack: The plane defined by the attacking aircraft as a point and the defender’s velocity
vector at a given moment in time.
Popeye: Call made to indicate that an aircraft is “in the clouds or area of reduced visibility.”
R
Range: Linear distance between two aircraft stated in nm or ft.
Rolling Scissors: Defensive maneuver often used to counter a barrel roll attack.
S
Say State: Call requesting “transmit fuel remaining.”
Shackle: Turn made to redress the section by crossing one member to other side, thus reassuming
proper combat spread position.
Shooter: As applied to section forward-quarter tactics, the fighter pulling for a shot as his wingman
passes close aboard and visually identifies (VIDs) the bandit.
Situational Awareness (SA): Cognizance of all factors in a tactical arena that affect mission success.
Skip It: Call made to indicate “Do not attack” or the “Cease attack/intercept.”
Slice Turn: A radical change in direction with minimal lateral displacement and energy/speed bleedoff
performed by rolling to place the lift vector below the horizon at some oblique angle and applying g.
Snap Guns Exercise: Exercise designed to develop the skill of maneuvering into a snap guns solution
and firing on a bandit.
Snap Guns: A non-tracking guns solution with 60-90 degrees AOT and a range of 1,000 ft to 1/2 mile.
Squawk: Call meaning to “turn IFF/SIF to requested mode/code.”
Steady Up: Call meaning to “Roll out immediately on present heading.”
Steady: Call meaning “I am on prescribed heading.”
Steer: Call meaning to “Fly heading indicated.”
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