Flight Procedures
Air Combat Maneuvering
To pull out of a spiral, begin 1,500-3,000 ft above the deck, depending on your nose attitude. If the bogey
begins to pull out first, roll your aircraft about your own axis while placing your lift vector behind the bogey
in an attempt to gain the advantage. If the bogey does not pull out early, judge your own successful pullout
to avoid the deck, allowing the bogey to drive himself into the deck. If at any time the bogey 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 bogey’s guns tracking solution while attempting to
force an overshoot. The bogey 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 maneuver will spit the bogey
outside your turn, resulting in a possible scissors.
4
5
3
3
2
4
5
2
1
Defender
1
Attacker
Figure 24: HIGH-G ROLL OVER THE TOP
High-g roll maneuvers are extremely range critical. Executing a high-g roll when the bogey is outside
1,500 ft will allow the bogey 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.
To execute the high-g roll over the top as in Figure 24, attempt to force an overshoot by increasing back
stick (to buffet, if necessary), reducing power, and extending your speed brakes. Once you have
established an overshoot, apply top rudder while maintaining g to roll the aircraft opposite to the direction
of turn. While inverted, increase your rate of roll by combining back stick, rudder, and aileron to avoid a
nose-low condition. Through 270 degrees of roll, continue to apply top rudder to control your nose, and
check the bogey’s position. Recover nose-high into the bogey, retract your speed brakes, and add
maximum power.
An advantage of the high-g roll over the top is that it usually results in a greater overshoot, possibly
allowing you to gain an offensive position by reversing back toward the bogey as he overshoots. A
T-45C Revision 1
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