OK...how about a reality check (as in RL). In RL, check 6's are not a gift. It's everyone's responsibility to give not only check 6 calls but to also call "6 is clear", "break right" etc., i.e., it is the wingman's (wingman refers to all friendlies in an engagement) responsibility to make sure the other's six is clear because he has a better view particularly on the deep six where his buddy can't see very well. It's part of the SA that everyone harps on. Yes, each individual is also responsible for checking his own six (usually with a slight weave and belly checks) BUT he must also check his wingman. RL visual lookout doctrine also calls for each fighter to scan predominantly in the direction of his wingman so that he can maintain section integrity and also clear his wingman's six. While the numbers vary according to squadron and service doctrine, typically the guy on the right of the formation would be responsible for scanning from his 3 o'clock counter-clockwise to about 7 o'clock while the guy on the left would scan from 9 o'clock to 5 o'clock. You look "through" your wingman to scan in the distance and he does the same with you. So, you will probably do this scan 2 or 3 times for every time you check your own six. When engaged, the responsibility to check your own six obviously increases because your wingman will also be engaged (probably with another bandit) but heaven help the guy who lets his wingman be cornholed.
OK, that's RL and AH is different so let's relate this to AH. The consequences of poor mutual support are small...your buddy dies and re-ups. No big deal right? Nothing personal but I couldn't care less about a fellow countryman dieing per-se, what does bother me is that I lose mutual support. His death means I have one less friendly around and the odds of successfully achieving the mission decrease. A 1v4 is more than twice as hard as a 2v4 so it's in my best interest to do as much as I can to keep my wingman alive. It's just smart. This is the same complaint I have about kill stealing. I couldn't care less about the points, I always have more than I can spend but 5 guys following a bare flaming fuselage 10k feet to the ground while firing all the way down just wastes ammo and pisses away altitude for no reason. These guys are useless to me from a perspective of mutual support and is "un-smart".
We're never going to eliminate the "un-smart" things that people do but rather than beat someone up some constructive criticism would be more useful. Many new guys don't even realize that what they do impacts everyone else in the engagement. Primarily though, lead by example and always check other's sixes. I've found this serves to remind others to do the same much more effectively that *****ing about it.
Mace
