Air Combat Maneuvering
Flight Procedures
Overbank the aircraft utilizing aileron and rudder to place your lift vector on the bandit. Your rate of
roll should be sufficient to keep the bandit out of phase. Use aileron and rudder to maintain your lift
vector on the bandit throughout the diving spiral.
To pull out of a spiral, begin 1,500-3,000 ft above the deck, depending on your nose attitude. If the
bandit begins to pull out first, roll your aircraft about your own axis while placing your lift vector
behind the bandit in an attempt to gain the advantage. If the bandit does not pull out early, judge
your own successful pullout to avoid the deck, allowing the bandit to drive himself into the deck. If,
at any time, the bandit overshoots vertically in the spiral, maintain your offensive advantage and be
continuously aware of the deck.
You must be cautious when executing a defensive diving spiral since descent rates in excess of
30,000 fpm may occur. Typically, expect 8,000 plus ft of altitude loss per 360 degrees of turn.
High-g Roll
Another last-ditch maneuver, the high-g roll disrupts the bandit’s guns tracking solution while
attempting to force an overshoot. The bandit will have trouble tracking due both to dramatic changes
in the three axes (pitch, yaw, roll) and to the increase in closure. If executed correctly, this maneu-
ver will spit the bandit outside your turn, resulting in a possible scissors.
High-g roll maneuvers are extremely range critical. Executing a high-g roll when the bandit is outside
1,500 ft will allow the bandit to position himself for an easy shot. Within 1,500 ft, you must continue
to generate as much closure as possible while maneuvering out-of-plane to avoid getting shot.
Determining what direction to maneuver depends on your airspeed and altitude. For airspeeds
above 275 KIAS, execute a nose-high (over-the-top) roll. For airspeed below 275 KIAS, execute a
nose-low (underneath) roll. However, going underneath will require at least 2,000 ft above the deck.
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