Test Question for anyone

[mechanic]

What aspect of being attacked from your 6 o'clock is a possitive advantage one holds over the attacker?

[Latrobe]

You know he's not at 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, or 9 o'clock. 

If he's at your low 6 then you hold the alt advantage, and if you're pulling away then you have the E advantage. Though you really want to keep them OFF your 6 don't ya? 

[Motherland]

You decide what happens next, the con has to react to you.

[mechanic]

correct motherland, exactly the answer i was after, word perfect.

In the below diagram two bad evasives and one good can be seen clearly. The green is us and the red is enemy. Each black cross marks a passage of time. Eg. the second back cross on the green path is where our aircraft is at the same time as the enemy's aircraft being at the second cross dividing the red line.Forgive keeping it .bmp it is clearer.

Fig.1 is plan view ie: top down.  A failed flat scissor evasive. The attacker blunders the first shot but as we turn away from him is able to recover and burn some E in persuit. We give everything away too easy and our intentions are never in doubt. Our biggest mistake was turning away from a faster attacker thus increasing his time to turn back onto us. Turning into the enemy would have decreased his time to react.

Fig.2 is from the side elevation. It shows a higher enemy diving on our tail. We have baited the attacker untill he is certain of a kill, spoiled his shot at the last minute and followed through with a basic barrel reversal and accurate kill shot. The element of surprise at the last minute was much more effective than any long winded turning evasives. If you disrupt someone's aim right before they fire they have to adjust in a split second where as breaking at long range gives the enemy a better chance to line up and make the first shot count. Fig.2.1 show the same move from the plan view.

Fig.3 shows the same situation as Fig.2 with a very common rookie mistake by us. We often use the split S to avoid very fast planes and many times the attacker is not able or happy to chase us down. So we break at about fifteen hundred yards into a slow half loop and pull through to throw off this lastest high threat. But this time the attacker is skilled and experienced. We have not noted that the horde is thinning and this guy is actualy going to saddle up and blast us. We told him exactly where we were going and gave him time to set up an easy angle to gain our tail.




all and any critisism welcome.

[uptown]

Surprise. He doesn't know what you're going to do, so you have a split second advantage on him. Fake one way and go the other really works half the time. 


Dang! I should have read the replys first 

[mtnman]

And I'll add that since he's reacting to you, he's also somewhat predictable, which of course is bad (for him).  I know where he's planning to go and what he's planning to do next...  With him on my six, there are really only a few ways he's likely to react to any of my moves, and often I'll use that to "place" him where I want him...  Of course he won't always do what I want him to, but SA will let me know that.

Another advantage I think is valuable is his "mindset".  He thinks he has me right where he wants me, is "aggressive", and often not seriously contemplating defending himself from me.  By the time he realizes all may not be as it seems, he's got a real problem, and not much time to figure a way out of it.  So again, he'll be reacting to me, but with me behind him...

MtnMan

[mechanic]

Exactly. And the more you can make them think, the slower they will react.... all the time you already know what is going on.
thanks mtn for adding, i hope more will. S!

[2bighorn]

What aspect of being attacked from your 6 o'clock is a possitive advantage one holds over the attacker?

Partially, I agree with the answers above, on the other hand all of the answers assume certain mindset of the attacker, which might not hold the scrutiny.

You decide what happens next, the con has to react to you.

Not quite so. Your next move is reaction to the attack, not the other way around. And often, your options are limited.

And I'll add that since he's reacting to you, he's also somewhat predictable, which of course is bad (for him).  I know where he's planning to go and what he's planning to do next...  With him on my six, there are really only a few ways he's likely to react to any of my moves, and often I'll use that to "place" him where I want him...  Of course he won't always do what I want him to, but SA will let me know that.

Another advantage I think is valuable is his "mindset".  He thinks he has me right where he wants me, is "aggressive", and often not seriously contemplating defending himself from me.  By the time he realizes all may not be as it seems, he's got a real problem, and not much time to figure a way out of it.  So again, he'll be reacting to me, but with me behind him...

This is again assumption. His mindset could be his disadvantage, but it also could be yours. It is not given by any account.


So, since we can't read the attackers mind, what is the only aspect we could possibly use to our advantage and which applies no matter of our mind reading capabilities?

I'd say it is speed differential.

[dentin]

What aspect of being attacked from your 6 o'clock is a possitive advantage one holds over the attacker?

The only "positive advantage" I can think of is, you at least know WHERE he is. IF said attacker is/was skilled enough to get on your six you have lost the advantage. As I think some one has already indicated SPEED might serve as a tool to shake the bad pilet off your butt and on to someone else. ...

[mtnman]

The only "positive advantage" I can think of is, you at least know WHERE he is. IF said attacker is/was skilled enough to get on your six you have lost the advantage. As I think some one has already indicated SPEED might serve as a tool to shake the bad pilet off your butt and on to someone else. ...

Who says he was anywhere near "skilled enough to get on your six"?  Just because he's behind you doesn't mean he got there on his own, hehe!  Hopefully he thinks he did, but that doesn't mean he's right...

The speed differential 2bighorn is referring to is his speed being greater than your own, not yours being greater than his.  If you handle the situation correctly, and he handles it poorly, his greater speed can be used against him.  If he's behind you, and you're faster than him, you don't really have a problem do you?

Even if you don't have a speed differential, you can make it appear as if you do (or at least have the same effect) by altering his angle of approach (turn, so he approaches from your side).  In fact, that's how I prefer to do it myself- I like to appear slower than I am.  Mechanic/Batfink has some uber laser-accurate eyeball assisted sighting system that allows him to kill people as they go by- I don't, so need to have enough speed after the overshoot to catch/kill my victim.  It does me no good to have my victim overshoot me, and be so slow myself that I can't keep up with him.  So I need to get the overshoot but still be at least nearly as fast as him, so he can't get away!

[mechanic]

Partially, I agree with the answers above, on the other hand all of the answers assume certain mindset of the attacker, which might not hold the scrutiny.


Not quite so. Your next move is reaction to the attack, not the other way around. And often, your options are limited.

i disagree, if you see an attacker at 6k icon range you are instanlt in control of how he attacks you, by how you present yourself for attack.

[2bighorn]

i disagree, if you see an attacker at 6k icon range you are instanlt in control of how he attacks you, by how you present yourself for attack.

An attacker at 6k is not really an attacker, is it? Besides, at that distance you got plenty of time to head toward him.

[mechanic]

If he is intent on shooting you down he is still an attacker at 100 miles. You may choose to head for him or try to bait him, that is your choice. You control how you are attacked if you choose to. We're not talking about dueling here we're talking about the maina arena.

[2bighorn]

If he is intent on shooting you down he is still an attacker at 100 miles.

But you won't know the intent until he's really close.

You may choose to head for him or try to bait him, that is your choice. You control how you are attacked if you choose to.

That's an assumption. Similarly, he assumes he controls the attack. But you can't be for sure who's more in control. You don't have that jedi powers. He could be the best stick and he's coming really cautious ready for everything, maybe he's newbie and will go for the trap.

We're not talking about dueling here we're talking about the maina arena.

Arena is irrelevant. You should always go into fight like you're fighting the best stick out there.

[Messiah]

Just do what I do and flop around until the enemy gives up.