The question comes up a lot for new and old pilots alike. How to jink that High enemy, closing on your six oclock. First off, the best defense is don't get into that situation. If your playing to survive, then SA (Situational Awareness) is your key. However, if the situation is forced upon you don't panic, u can survive. I fly 190's and 109's mostly and defense relies on a few important elements. Have enough speed to maneuver. In a 190, if i see i'm going to be jumped (and i always see), i make sure to pick up my speed to about 350 to 400 mph at least. In a 109 300mph will do. Timing is the next step. I have several films where i am jumped by 51's high six, and i time a barrel role just perfectly. In two of the films the 51's try and follow the maneuver and rip off their wings. In the third, i gain the angle and eventually in my 190 gain the edge and shoot him down. If anyone wants' a copy of the films for training, understanding barrel roles, when to time them etc. just email me. I want to make it clear tho, that getting the kill off a defensive maneuver is entirely a secondary interest. I f i'm surrounded by enemies, (i usually don't get myself there), but if i am, i am aware of where the nearest ack cover is, where my friendly fighter support is, what direction i'm going, how fast i'm going, what the location of each enemy, and type of each enemy plane is, what my planes abilities are, and from all this information i develop my options. I usually build up enough speed to make a defensive move, and i know in what direction i need to be facing when i come out of that move. Headed for friendly fighters, diving toward a base, whatever. In real life this was usually enough. Guys weren't gonna risk their lives and the lives of their squad buddies just to score a kill. In the arena, you may just have to run like hell at this point, cus all joe blow wants is your friggen 109. The fact that he's gonna be mauled by 6 of your buddies in about 2 minutes is irrelevant to his immortal ass.
daniko@earthlink.com
