The Official F-15 Strike Eagle Handbook

by Richard Sheffield

CHAPTER 5

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Advanced Maneuvers

When a dogfight starts, one of three conditions exist: You have the advantage and are attacking, you're on the defensive, or you start with a head-on pass and neither plane has the advantage. Here, we'll discuss how to handle all three conditions.

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Now that you can do all sorts of incredible things with your jet fighter, it's time to put those things to use. Use the simulation setup described at the beginning of the last chapter to practice these maneuvers.

Each maneuver described in this chapter outlines the conditions under which the maneuver should be used. This doesn't mean these particular conditions are the only appropriate times to use the maneuver, however. Experiment and find out what works best for you. Most fighter pilots have one or two favorite maneuvers with which they feel most comfortable, so they try to force the battle to become the kind of fight they fight best.

Be aware of your energy level at all times. Pay particular attention to this when you're at low altitudes where it's best to use high-speed maneuvers rather than hard-turning maneuvers that bleed off energy and make you choose between disengagement or crashing.

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