Originally posted by zroostr
I can never get anyone off my six yet I see it done all the time. I've been a victim of numerous reversals of advantage after having someone and then letting them get behind me somehow. So how do I get past this sticking point?
Do something the other guy can't follow.
Try to get your aircraft into a different plane than his, not an airplane type plane, but a flat surface type plane defined by the attitude of your wings. Then make a vertical move. He won't be able to follow until he rolls into the same plane as you.
If he's moving faster than you, use it against him by trying to force him to overshoot. Swerving back and forth or a barrel roll (corkscrew type maneuver) are a couple ways. But try not to give away your Energy by slowing down... you may need it after he passes. (Cutting your engine, dropping your flaps, and lowering your gear are not really a good idea.)
Try getting him into a lag situation, like rolling and pulling down into a split S or yo-yo. As in the first case, he can't follow until he has rolled into the same plane (see above) as you.
The above are all variations of the same thing, getting your aircraft out of plane so you can make a move he can't follow. Another method is use the performance differences of the two aircraft.
If you have a faster aircraft, you may be able to outrun him by going into a dive (like a zero gravity dive where you are pulling 0 Gs... would be like a dive that would make you weightless). This allows you to accelerate fast as there is less drag.
If the other plane has a tendancy to compress at high speeds, use that against him by going into a steep dive, roll 90 degrees or more and pull out. He may compress and be unable to follow.
If your plane climbs better, you can try to outclimb him. If he is close, do a spiral climb by turning as you climb so he has a hard time to get his guns to bear on you. If he isn't too close, you may be able to zoom straight up until he stalls, and then reverse down to clobber him... rope-a-dope (danger Will Robinson, you better know you can outclimb him).
If your plane turns better, or he is going too fast to turn as sharp as you, do a break turn. Drop your nose as you turn, especially if you are slow. If he tries to follow, the gain in speed works against him.
Another method could be called stealth I guess. Try to confuse him and get out of his view. Like by getting below his nose, he can't see you for a moment. Then do something to get out of plane with him (see above). He won't see that you have rolled your aircraft and not adjust for it. If you're lucky, he will lose sight on you completely, making it possible for you to saddle up on him. The closer he is when you do this, the better it works. (This is one I don't do so much as get it done to me).
Don't give him any straight on shots from behind you. If you are moving at an angle to him, he must overcompensate to get a lead shot on you (like leading a duck with a shotgun). If this angle is to the side or down, you are beneath his nose and out of sight.
Some things planes don't do very good, and to maintain pursuit, the guy behind you has to do it more than you. One interesting possibility is pushing forward on the stick. We know planes don't like this much, you red out very quickly, and the faster you are going, the quicker you lose your sight. Your pursuer will probably be faster (otherwise you can just fly away) and he will have to do the maneuver more than you to stay in pursuit, because he is in a lag situation (the less expected the move, the greater the lag). Being able to see is also something more important to him than you. So what the heck, try it, and then do an out of plane move in case he followed and can't see, or rolled and is pointing the wrong way. (I use this to avoid head ons, but you may be able to get it to work when pursued
.)
