Moving offline to online, a story and some lessons

[jimbop]

I must be too high to see him. Well, there’s nothing up here at 12k feet to engage to let’s drop down for a look. There! I see the dot. . .and he sees me! Engagement. Bugger, a 109 and moving fast. I can’t outrun him and I don’t fancy the cannon up my trumpet so let’s slow things down. Tight turns, tight turns – will he chase? Yes! Slow him down. . . And now the tables are turning.



Lesson 2: Know your plane’s strengths and weaknesses. A hurri will not usually outclimb or outrun a 109, at least at low altitude. If you engage at low altitude, slow things down. If he stays with you in a turning fight you will eventually pull inside him, even if he starts behind you. Conversely, if you are in a faster plane then disengage, extend away and return for a fast pass rather than enter tight turns.

I should mention that losing altitude to find a target is a dubious strategy at best. Altitude = speed = life. But if you only have a little while to play then what the hell!