Survival: submitted by =Tom= Pegasus

This article is intended for newer combat pilots in the =RAF=™ and 13thSAS. Hopefully though, there is information that the veteran pilots can use as well.

I’d say the first key to surviving in Air Warrior was covered in my last article on Energy management. However, no matter how well you preserve and use energy, you will get shot down. It stinks, and, I am still working on going an entire camp without getting killed, but, that may never happen. (Damn it all to Hell)

The ability to assess the situation and make the right decisions separates the great pilots from the mere good pilots. Knowing where your enemies are and when to engage or run is a talent, but, it requires that you check the map constantly. It also requires you to use all of the views in your cockpit. A fellow pilot recently asked me how many views I use in combat, and, I told him that I use all of them. In fact, I’m checking my six o’clock more than I look forward.

My brother used to only use the Left, Right, Straight up and Rear views. He lost a lot of kills because once an enemy he was tailing maneuvered into his forward up view, the enemy would turn. My brother would be holding the Up view button waiting for the bandit to appear. Instead, he’d get an arse full of lead because the bandit had successfully maneuvered to his six. My brother lost sight of the situation and suffered the effects.

(I have to admit that it was hilarious listening to him cuss up a storm, wondering how the hell the guy in the other plane had out-maneuvered him. Of course, I would not tell him what I obviously saw as the problem, because it was too entertaining J )

Often times though, I am confounded when I see other pilots at low altitude head over to a sector filled with enemies but low on allies. No matter how good that pilot is, he has to know he is on a one-way trip, or, he is foolish enough to believe he’s going to survive. Yes, Some of us have gotten better at engaging multiple bandits, (especially against the BZ, because they are terrible pilots) but, I know when I engage multiple bandits, I have the altitude and energy advantage.

One portion of situational awareness that gets overlooked is the exit. I see a lot of guys crash into a furball, but, they have not left themselves a way to get out if the situation gets difficult. It takes prior planning, but, the good pilots always know which way they are going to run if it gets hot. In fact, planning alternative exits is good idea.

All of this can be summed up by saying that situational awareness is knowing where your enemies are, what their altitude is, where your friends are and finally, how your going to get home.

It helps to fly in numbers. I get very bored with a pilot I’ve shot-down, who radios me when he ups and says something like, "Nice 2-on-1 Tom!" or "Can’t you Cz ever fight 1-on-1?" There are times when you will have to combat an enemy one-on-one, but, if that’s what you live for, perhaps you should re-think your decision to join a squadron. The squadron is all about teamwork. In fact, the RAF and 13^th SAS are two of the best squadron’s because their emphasis has always been on cooperation. So, don’t let the trash talkers sucker you into fighting on their terms with their smack. So what if another pilot can beat you one-on-one. If he is an asshole, he’ll always be outnumbered cause he’ll have no friends, but, you’ll learn a lot more and survive more often if you find friends in AW.

Ack is your friend if it is your ack. Use it. If the enemy has you outnumbered and has more energy than you, you’re only friend sometimes is ack. Yes, the enemy pilots will call you names and taunt you for being a coward. It’s funny though that when the shoe is on the other foot, the guy who labeled you a coward is busy hugging his ack like a baby strapped to his mother’s tit. Don’t pay attention to the enemy’s trash talk. He’s just trying to set you up for an easy kill.

Enemy ack though is a nuisance. Because we all get eager for a kill, we sometimes, (and if you deny it you are lying) let the anxiety take control and we follow the enemy into his ack. I admit, I do not do this nearly as often as I once did, but still, when that red screen comes up, I start talking to myself:

"What the hell were you thinking dumb-shit? You are acting like a newbie."

That’s when my fiancée opens the door and says, "I thought you said you played that game for fun. It doesn’t look like you are having much fun." (Sometimes I hate the practicality of women)

The bottom line is, flying inside the range of enemy ack is the surest way to thwart your own survival. It also has the effect of placing your squad mates at a numeric disadvantage. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve entered a melee where the CZ had numeric superiority, only to see the names of my squad mates pop up with the "so-and-so Shot Down" message, because they all flew into ack. The situation immediately changes to me now facing some long odds.

I like to fly the f6f and the f4u partly because of the larger ammo loads I get with those planes. However, I used to think that I was good for 4 to 5 kills a mission. The problem was, I wanted that "One more kill" so badly, that most of the time, I’d get killed myself. Last summer, =Jim= and I realized we both suffered from this form of anxiety. We forced ourselves to land after scoring two kills, even if we had 50% ammo or more. The result was that our kill ratios improved and our point values increased. Eventually, we worked towards landing three kills etc. The result was that we were 1 and 2 on the kill board for two months running. (Unfortunately, I do not get to fly as much as I used to so I’m a nobody now L ) It takes personal discipline to do this, but, if you practice it, you will see your scores rise. A lot of RAF pilots are good in combat. They’ll get 4 or 5 kills, but, when they do not land them, it almost defeats the purpose. I’d rather land one kill then get five kills and then get shot down.

Another mistake I used to make was that I would stay in a fight until I was completely bingo on ammo. I’d be far from home with no ammo, just hoping to get to a friendly base. Most of the time, I’d get killed. However, I did not get mad at the guy who killed me. As far as I’m concerned, if I am in the air, I am fair game. I apply that rule to enemies who call out bingo as well. They do not like it when I kill them, but, if they were dumb enough to expend all their ammo, why should I let them go? They do not let me go when I am bingo. So, I usually RTB when I have 30% ammo or less. If someone jumps me on the way home, I can still put up a fight.

I have not forgotten ACM’s (Air Combat Maneuvers), but, they are a topic so broad, they will require a separate article. The training the RAF is conducting now should help. I have found though that most maneuvers are variations of the same few moves. They involve turning, rolling, diving, climbing and combinations of those three items. It’s best to know the strengths and weaknesses of your planes, and, use the maneuvers that best suit your aircraft.

=Tom=

Copyright (c) 1999-2000 Tom Harvey/Rebel Air Force =RAF=™