Just to clarify some of the points made earlier in this thread.
Firstly, let's get the terminology squared away. The maneuvers being discussed in this thread are Basic Fighter Maneuvers (BFM), and not aerobatic maneuvers. In the context of an air-to-air engagement, BFM is always flown with respect to an adversary aircraft. However, it is important to understand that all types of fighter maneuvering is ultimately BFM. In the military fighter training schools, both initial and advanced, BFM is taught first. Later, when the student is introduced to ground attack, he is taught how air-to-ground is really just BFM against a fixed target on the ground. Even when a pilot is rejoining on his flight, he is solving BFM problems. Ultimately, all fighter flying is just a matter of getting your airplane pointed in the right direction, with the right speed, at the right time, and with enough maneuvering room to complete the maneuver.
All aircraft can roll, turn, and accelerate. BFM is a blend of these three basic maneuvers to gain an energy and/or positional advantage on another aircraft. The purpose of gaining this advantage is to be able to fire a weapon at the adversary aircraft. The type of weapon and its characteristics will determine how much BFM is needed to employ it.
A significant point to always remember about BFM is that it is not an exact series of maneuvers flown to reach a specific conclusion. Instead, BFM is a combination of complimentary maneuvers that blend into each other, and which require continual reassessment to ensure the desired objective is met. When the pilot begins a BFM maneuver, he also begins a process of observation, prediction, and correction. He first observes the position of his target. He then analyzes target motion to predict where the target’s maneuvering will take it, and finally the pilot will correct his own flight path as necessary to maintain his advantage. That's why BFM is always flown relative to an adversary aircraft. It is important to distinguish between that and aerobatic maneuvers that are flown without an adversary aircraft, and as such, have little or nothing to do with air combat.
The Basic Fighter Maneuvers being discussed are the rolling scissors and the yo-yo maneuvers. Unfortunately, any attempt to describe them in words alone will often create some confusion or misunderstanding. So the diagrams below help to clarify what is happening in the high yo-yo, and then the rolling scissors.
The High Speed Yo-Yo is intended primarily to be used in low aspect and angle off situations where you have excessive closure. It is also useful in solving some moderately high aspect situations where you do not have the lateral turning room to make the corner. In both instances, you are in danger of losing your nose/tail separation. The solution is to rotate your lift vector and maneuver out of the plane of motion of the target. Your objective is to reduce your overtake by increasing the distance you fly relative to the target. You perform the high yo-yo by rolling to point your lift vector behind the target. Then you pull hard to raise your nose out of his plane of motion, the amount that you raise your nose is directly related to how much overtake or aspect you are trying to control. You will know when you have your nose high enough when you see the target starting to move away from you. At this point, you will be high above his plane of turn and close to his six o’clock. Make an unloaded roll to point your lift vector back to a position of lead pursuit, and then pull down into the target.
Common errors in performing the high yo-yo include:
- starting the maneuver too late which results in you overshooting the target
- starting the maneuver too early or yo-yoing too high which allows the target to separate
- burying the nose in your pull down
Your objective is to descend back into the target’s plane of motion with reduced closure. From that position, you should finish your attack.
The rolling scissors shown below often results from a close-in vertical overshoot, or may be a natural progression of the flat or low speed scissors. As the name implies, this type of scissors involves a series of barrel rolls with the axis of the roll in the direction of motion. The rolling scissors is a more efficient defensive manoeuvre than the horizontal scissors due to the utilisation of the three-dimensional maneuver (barrel roll). The rolling scissors may be used in nearly all situations where a horizontal scissors could be used, except when the defender does not have enough speed to roll over the top. It is most effective when the attacker overshoots the defender with a high angle-off below his flight path.
You continue to barrel roll, placing your lift vector on or slightly aft of the bandit. Your goal is to execute the rolling scissors as shown and explained in the diagram above and to capitalize on any mistake the bandit makes. To stay offensive in a rolling scissors, you use the three-dimensional environment to control your energy effectively by:
- Proper lift vector placement
- Pulling to the edge of the stall
- Trading airspeed for altitude to reduce your forward vector
In all this, you are trying to stay behind the bandit. A key factor in winning the rolling scissors is to understand that it is the steepness of your climbs and dives (the helix angle of your flight path) that determines your horizontal movement more than your absolute speed.
Hope that helps...
Badboy
