Tactical Formation
Flight Procedures
nose-to-tail distance or a rapid roll rate to maintain nose-to-tail. During ACM you will learn how to employ
displacement rolls to accomplish several tactical objectives.
TS - TACF-06X, TACF-07 SOLO
To further prepare you for your future role as a “combat wingman”, TACF-06X and TACF-07 solo
incorporate more advanced maneuvering including comm-out turns, random maneuvering, forced cockpit
loading, and Offensive Combat Spread. Lead may choose to perform Check Turns, Tac Turns, In-Place
Turns or Shackles. By random maneuvering, we mean that Lead may Tac Turn 60 to 120 degrees, he
may In-Place 150-210 degrees, he may Check 10 to 40 degrees, and he may Shackle +/- 0 to 40 degrees.
(Turns will be made only to a 10 degree compass point.) Lead may also do Tac-Turns and In-Place Turns
away without saying a word. The wingman always maintains deconfliction responsibility unless
otherwise declared over the radio.
CHECK TURNS
Lead will perform Check Turns exactly like before but no heading will be mentioned. The wingman needs
to adjust for acute and sucked positions accordingly, work back towards the proper DME, and about .2
DME prior to .8-1.0 DME, aggressively correct back to parallel Lead’s heading. If the wingman notices a
slight opening or closing DME he needs to make smaller adjustments as appropriate to capture Lead’s
heading.
TAC TURNS
Tac Turns will be performed exactly as before. If the turn is into the wingman and is less than 90 degrees
the wingman will end up acute. The wingman should focus on acquiring sight of Lead ASAP, notice
Lead’s early roll-out well before crossing his flight path, and immediately employ an acute correction. If
the turn into the wingman is more than 90 degrees ,the wingman will end up sucked. The wingman should
immediately notice Lead turning past 90 degrees of turn, drop his nose, and immediately correct for a
sucked position.
If the turn is away from the wingman and is less than 90 degrees of turn, the wingman will be behind Lead,
see the early roll-out, then drop his nose and adjust abeam distance as necessary to rapidly acquire
Combat Spread. If the turn is away from the wingman and is more than 90 degrees of turn, the wingman
should initially turn for 90 degrees. At the completion of the turn, the wingman will notice lead continuing
to turn toward him. The wingman should then respond by aggressively continuing the turn for another 30
degrees, go wings level, and reacquire Lead who will be sucked on the wingman. If the wingman notices
an immediate widening of the formation, obviously Lead turned less than 30 degrees past the standard
heading. This observance should be followed by a moderate acute correction. If Lead is paralleling the
wingman’s heading after the 30 degree turn away, Lead has turned the full 30 degree past the standard
heading. This would require an aggressive acute correction to Lead’s abeam position while also
maneuvering to the proper abeam distance.
IN-PLACE TURNS
Lead may call “In-Place right/left” to signify the flight is turning around towards a simulated bogey group
(150-210 degree turn). If the turn is into the wingman and is less than 180 degrees of turn then the
wingman will be acute. The wingman should focus on getting sight of Lead ASAP, notice Lead’s early roll-
out well before crossing his flight path, and immediately employ an acute correction. If more than 180
degrees, the wingman will be sucked initially requiring a sucked correction as soon as the extended turn is
evident.
If the turn is away from the wingman and less than 180 degrees then the wingman will need a sucked
correction. If more than 180 degrees, the wingman will continue to see Lead turning into him after 180
degrees of turn. The wingman should respond by aggressively continuing the turn in the same direction
for another 30 degrees, go wings level, and reacquire Lead who will be sucked on the wingman. If the
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