Describe the process for flat scissors

[DoNKeY]

Originally posted by rauchen
If the pilot of the faster plane is good he'll know when to try to run away on you.  But if you're both in a flat scissor you're going to get a shot on him at some point if you don't lose sight.

I managed to get on a C205 in my F4U-1a and knew with flaps and wep that I could hang with him. Into the scissors he went, I started cranking flaps, working the throttle. The sneaky bastage - every time I pullled lead to take a shot on him he dropped his nose and accelerated away when I couldn't see him. After noticing he was getting away I leveled out and was figuring I'd get one good shot at him at about440 -600 yds. Then I got picked by a 450mph LA-7.  

As I watched the film later I discovered:
1. The C205 was Herb - so i was out of my league to start with.
2. I shoulda done a lag turn until I could REALLY nail him.
3. It pays to keep the nme in sight!  I'm gonna try that trick myself - rolling away when the nme loses you under the nose is awesome.  

Don't know how not to get picked yet, but I'm working on that, too.

Could you post the film if you still have it please, I would like to take a look at it as I am having a little trouble visualizing it.

Thank you very much, and no problem if you can't.

donkey

[Gianlupo]

Craig, this thread has a lot of good advices about this classic maneuver. If you want to know a little more about it (and have some pictures to help you visualize it, I think this article can be of help (I do recommend it to everyone, it's a good reading : it also covers the rolling scissors):

Air combat basics: the scissor maneuver

Originally posted by Mace

remember slow races on bikes when you were a kid? The point was to ride as slow as possible so you reach the "finish" line last.

Lol, what kind of strange game do you play on that side of the ocean??? Never done that here.... we run after skirts since very young age!

2bighorn, I didn't know you're Barbossa, when we met in DA... now I know why I always was on the wrong side of the guns' muzzles

[llama]

One more tip to factor into all that has already been said:

When you initiate a flat scissors defense against someone, there will be a few points where you are in that guy's gunsight for just an instant.

Therefore, if your attacker has strong guns, capable of killing with a brief snapshot (i.e., has 2 or 4 cannons or has a spud gun and knows how to aim it properly), you are putting yourself at a greater risk than if all he had was 4 or 6 machine guns.

When suitable, I rarely try a flat scissors defense against Nikis, but I'd almost certainly try it against a P-51B or an FM2.

-Llama