Ahh, yes MWL said it well. Patience my young padawan. You've only begun your journey to Jedi Knighthood! There is much to learn and it takes time to master each and every maneuver, decision, and tactic.
Resist the temptation of the Dark Side! Do not be fooled! This is not a contest of simply the quickness of your hands and feet, the deftness of your eyes, or knowing how to perform basic fighter maneuvers. This is also a contest of the mind! Yes, my young padawan, a contest of the mind! To succeed your mind must be quicker than your own hands and eyes. Yes, your mind must be even quicker than that of your adversary's mind! The Jedi Dogfighter knows that if you outsmart your opponents then you've outflown them too.
The Jedi Dogfighter does not think in terms of maneuvers. No, maneuvers are only what you see with your eyes. The Jedi Dogfighter thinks in terms of angles and energy. Mastering how to exploit angles and energy against your opponent begins with studying many things. Study you must from the strengths and weakenesses of each plane to things such as when to use a nose-to-nose turn vs. a nose-to-tail turn, and even to the esoteric world of aerodynamics and physics . It is the key to seeing the world in angles and energy and not maneuvers.
For instance Master Hammer has just discussed the nuances of when to use WEP. There is no one size fits all rule. Some people say slowing down means you'll turn inside your opponent, therefore don't use WEP. Let's look at a diagram from Master Badboy:
If I was in a bF109-E4 at 138 mph against a Spitfire Mk I at 80 mph and both of us were turning, the 109 would be turning a smaller circle (~550 ft radius) compared to that of Spitfire Mk I (~800 ft radius). On top of that the 109 also would have a turn rate advantage (~20 degrees per second) vs. the Spit (~10 degress per second). So you see, in this situation the slower plane actually turns worst, not better! So the faster and more quicker turning 109 should win the fight!
Well….not exactly. The 109 might very well lose the fight to the slower Spitfire Mk I if the situation is like the following:
Plane A (RED) represents the 109 (138 mph) in our example while Plane B (BLUE) represents the Spitfire Mk.I (80 mph). Plane A (109) can turn quicker and tighter (smaller turn radius, greater turn rate). Let's assume the 109-E4 and Spit Mk.I start abeam of each other. I've overlaid in light red and blue the turn radius' of both planes to demonstrate that there is a difference in turn circles. At time 1 they turn into each other. At time 2 the 109 reverses the turn to attempt a lead turn because of the angular advantage it has gained thinking "I'm the better turning plane!" while the Spit Mk.I responds in kind in the classic nose-to-nose turn contest. But the Spit Mk.I going at 80 mph even though it has a larger turn radius and slower turn rate compared to 109-E4 somehow ends up with angles on 109-E4 instead at time 4. How did that happen? In this situation the relative difference in speeds with the Spit Mk.I being slower is the deciding factor, not the plane with the better turn radius or the turn rate.
So you see young padawan, this is just small example of what a Jedi Dogfighter needs to be processing through the mind!
Tango, XO
412th FS Braunco Mustangs
