Situation Awareness

[wgmount]

I have been trying to improve my SA but I really don't know how to do that. Anyone have any tips to teach yourself to be more aware of what's around me and which way it is headed.

[Jayhawk]

If I'm flying to a target, every couple of minutes I'll just take a look around, make sure to tip my wings to check below and behind me.

Pull up your map and keep an eye on the dar or radar if available and not in the middle of a furball.

While in a fight or furball, constantly look around.  Target fixation will kill you.  Try to keep a 'mental tally' of planes around, and while looking around and try to account for each of them.

I dunno, not a lot of secrets, just look around.  My weakness is high six, my track IR has trouble getting to that view so I rarely check there.

[Messiah]

The only time you should be looking forward in a furball is when you're firing

[Ghosth]

learn to scan the sky's, head on a swivel. How often is going to depend on how many red icons you can see. Or if your approaching a cluster on the map where you know there is a furball.

If there is nothing on dar, but the con your chasing you can afford to target fixate a bit.

But if your diving into a furball you should be checking your 6 and high 6 every few seconds.

If it helps, try thinking of it in turns of zones.

Zone 1 = Anything that can get his guns on me right now or before I scan again.

Zone 2 = Anything that can get in guns range in the next 10-15 seconds.

Zone 3 =Anything close enough for you to see their icon.

Part of it is built up over time, each scan you notice where planes are at, where they are heading. If they are a current threat, about to become a current threat, or could become a current threat.

The real trick, is when your chasing someone, trying to line up a shot, remembering to do that quick 1 second scan.
So if what your doing now in that situation is Maneuver, estimate lead, then shoot. You need to add a quick scan to that.
So it would be look, maneuver, estimate lead, shoot, and look.

[The Fugitive]

The only time you should be looking forward in a furball is when you're firing

As an extension to this quote.... the more red cons you have the less you look out the front...unless your lucky enough to be diving in on a line of red guys NOT paying attention 

I think... and this is only me... is just processing information. The more information you can handle the better your SA. For practice fly into furballs and other crazy situations. While scanning around you note in your mind where all the bad guys are, which way they are heading and which are closest. You add to that ....from experience... which are most likely to engage you and when, which will run. Then add your agenda, which target is first, when to switch to a second, or when to run if your one of those guys that has a problem with dieing.

It's a lot of information to sort through WHILE flying your plane to it's limits. Practice is the only way to get better, and unfortunately the best place to do that is at the "furball lake" in the DA. I hate to encourage ANYBODY to fly in that dweebery, but the fights are quick, and you have a lot of skilless cherry pickers looking to catch you while your busy fighting.

[Sonicblu]

My rule of thumb is if Im not on someones six, I'm scanning in all other directions. I set my hat swith on the joystick so I can just move it in a circle and look around my plane.

When Im on someones six. you have to scan real quick. then back to target. You will see little opportunities where you can look back real quick. Then back to target.

You have to set your mind to it, I think scan scan scan while you fly.

[Big Rat]

What Ghosth said is pretty much what I do, I prioritize my red guys.  Who's in the best position, who's my current biggest threat, who can I ignore for now, and where are my buddies. This is what I ask myself as I'm going in. My normal first priority is dealing with everything that can dive down on me quickly ,(biggest threat), becouse they are just waiting for you to get engaged with a lower con, before they dive in.  If I can deal with the higher threats and or put them below me at a lower E states then their threat level just went way down and mine to them when way up.

 
BigRat        

[Steve]

I have been trying to improve my SA but I really don't know how to do that. Anyone have any tips to teach yourself to be more aware of what's around me and which way it is headed.

Good posts here. It's not just your views. Use your Dar  and map too, when available. The size of the incoming darbar, or dots will help you prepare. Are they coming from a 6K base(for example)?  Also, it helps to know more about cons around you than where they are. It just takes a brief moment to figure out what each plane is up to and how much E they have. Then you look again, and again  and again, because people in other planes may be feinting, finished their goal,  or just plane change their mind.

Many people, I mean lots of them, make some odd commitment to a single target once they gain his 6. You must be willing to give up the 6 as a matter of evading another con. There's no 1v1's in the MA, really. As other's have mentioned, even when you are saddled up and about to gain a gun solution, have an quick look around. You can even look so quickly to ascertain if their is "red" around.

If you look around swiftly and see no red, you can go back to your target. If you see red that you hadn't already accounted for, you need to take that split second longer to determine his E/threat level.  Becoming proficient at "instantly" gauging E is the key.. this just take repetition.

[SPKmes]

I will from time to time turn off my sound..this helps me......many may bawk at this idea so as I said, this is what I do...If you do try something like this though make sure you let others in the area know as they may get a little peeved when they keep checking you or chatting to you on vox with no reply...

[Soulyss]

Something I do is look at the map before getting to the fight, figure out where the friendly fields are, and where the enemy fields are.  That way I know where the most likely help is coming from and where most of the cons will be coming from.  That way in the middle of the fight a quick glance at the compass to orient myself and I know which portion of the sky deserves most of my attention.  You can't rule out the odd con coming in from an unexpected direction, but now I know where to focus more of my attention.

[Ghosth]

Soulyss reminds me of another point that can really help.

If the furball is between 2 fields, don't fly the direct route to the fight. Instead think fishhook, Start at the eye (field) the tip of the  hook point is the furball location. So you set a slightly off angle, how much is going to depend on how close or far. Where the hook bends, you should be at your elevation you want going in. Your actually now off to the side of the furball, and going past it. As the hook bends back to the barb, your watching for incoming cons, actually merging with their stream.

If your lucky, you'll find someone still on autoclimb, slide in below, behind him and get a free kill.
Even if your not lucky, you are now positioned to dive into the furball and exit straight away headed for home, and incoming friends. (instead of headed for enemy field and incoming enemys)

Can make a huge difference. Especially if your hunting the edges of a bigger furball, looking for stragglers, singles, wounded (read easy) prey.

Flying the direct line sets you up for an enemy to do the same to you. Flying the fishook sets you up to do it to him.

[Soulyss]

To add to Ghosth's comments, this idea also has a positive impact for your country on the furball/battle itself.  Particularly if the fight has been closer to your field than theirs or if the bad guys have enjoyed an altitude advantage up to that point.  Flying a roundabout path and hitting the incoming stream closer to their fields will force them to deal with you.  Even if you don't score kills, the longer you can keep the pressure on them and the longer you can stay alive the fight will start to shift towards the enemy field.  A furball requires a constant stream of players to keep going and remain static if something interrupts that stream it will start to shift towards the shortage and away from your own field.  Now you're side will enjoy the longer flight to the fight and have the alt when you get there.

[mtnman]

I will from time to time turn off my sound..this helps me......many may bawk at this idea so as I said, this is what I do...If you do try something like this though make sure you let others in the area know as they may get a little peeved when they keep checking you or chatting to you on vox with no reply...

I must have my sound on to fight effectively.  Flying around without it is fine, but I use the stall buffet, wind, etc, to help gauge my speed.  Turn off my sound, I'm dead...

But..  I also can't fight with people incessantly chatting on vox.  I max out at about 3-4 people on vox, and even then, they need to keep the banter to a minimum.  Basically for the same reason- I can't hear my plane when people are chattering.

Check six's are fine- I don't really care much either way on those.  I fly paranoid, so the chance of someone sending me a check six before I spot the bad guy on my own is very slim.  It happens though...

I'm constantly scanning around me, and have the clipboard up almost all the time unless I'm engaged.  When I'm engaged, if I have a few seconds I pop it back open for a quick scan.  Worst case, I open it the instant my immediate threat is removed.  Even in a fight, I'm constantly watching around me.  I may not always flicker-check behind myself, but I use my peripheral vision as we maneuver through the fight to watch all sectors around me.  If I have a moment though, I'm looking back...

On the way too/from fights, I'm usually reading a book, or working on something at my desk.  Those are the times I get surprised the most.

[SPKmes]

I must have my sound on to fight effectively.  Flying around without it is fine, but I use the stall buffet, wind, etc, to help gauge my speed.  Turn off my sound, I'm dead...

I find it helps me here also....It is helps me watch for the little signs of the stall and use my gauges..I find it extremely hard in an F4U..but then again I find it to be the same in these with sound on hahaha...except the F4U 1.....I don't mind this one.
I choose this way for me because I find I am very dependent on sound...When engaged with multiple cons I will invariably decide on 1 or 2 ..dependant on the situation to listen to, this way I can spend most of the time watching the others...whether it be 2, 3, 4, this also comes down to the combination of planes I come up against......I will still glance about all the time. When I switch off sound..this is when it becomes apparent just how much I depend on it....This is why I will do this from time to time...purely to get me looking at everything and not taking for granted one thing or another.... As I say, it helps me

[wgmount]

I have engine sounds turned down I've found it helps me hear if another plane gets near me and I can hear him. When I'm in a furball though I'm looking around and watching one way and getting shot from the other direction. I also have trouble judging peoples E-state. When I think I should be able to out climb them they can almost always make a tight turn come straight up catch and shoot me.

It happened tonight in our squad practice Ghost. I was in the 109 Daddog in the 110 I started a slight climb watched him turn 180 degrees and Increased my climb and he still caught me and shot me. So the E-state and just scanning more is what I need to do. Any tricks to judging it? Also learning when and when not to do certain maneuvers to get out of trouble. If a nik is diving on me for example and I try to split-s, in the F4U, it always seems it can follow me through and get a shot no matter how fast it is going. The nik and Ki-84 are the 2 toughest planes for me to defend a BnZ attack on.