| The Art of Guns Combat
by Dennis Greene |
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Before we can begin your education for gun combat and the differences it presents compared to modern day combat, the basics need to be covered so we have a common frame of reference. Once we have established a firm foundation on which to build I will attempt to expand your horizons for guns combat. This will be a series of articles, approximately 8 chapters in length. Although there is a wealth of information available for modern or jet combat in today's literature, all that knowledge was established during an era where a target was not a blip on the screen but seen with the eye. While knowledge of weapons and gunnery was important, nothing was more critical than the flying skills of the pilot. Air combat is diverse and fluid. Combat can be offensive or defensive in nature, thoroughly planned or spontaneous, victorious or unsuccessful. Much of what occurs in the air has to do with training, but just as often, depends upon a pilot's instincts. To be an outstanding combat pilot, you must have a good understanding of the basics and possess inherent talent. You need to know every trick in the book, and then keep a few extra ones up your sleeve for moments when unconventional tactics could very well save your life. With slower top speeds and short-range weapons, W.W.II aircraft were not capable of combat beyond visual range. Close-in, guns-only combat is a unique scenario that pushes pilot skills to the limit, beyond anything a modern day jet jock has to face. Since radar and beyond visual range combat is not in question, the only natural advantage is the element of surprise. Once this is gone, combat becomes a battle of wits and endurance and machine vs. machine. The pilot's individual skills and any inherent strengths of his aircraft are all that stand between him and a silk letdown or even worse.
"Combat is the ultimate flying experience," |
Combat Flight Simulator. In Search of the Quick Fix One of the most common questions I get from new pilots is, "What is the secret to the quick kill?" or "How can I fly better (instantly)?" or "Is there a better way of doing things other than these standard tactics?" There are no quick fixes in air combat, and neither is there anything new. There is, however, lots and lots of training and practice. When you meet some of the better pilots on the Internet they will have invariably put in thousands of hours practicing their trade to the point that they are highly skilled. Reading this text is a start, but only the beginning, since there is no substitute to hands on practice. Every pilot needs to get into the plane of his choice and fly the hell out of it to learn it's limits as well as their own. Those of you who think you know something about flying might find some of these lessons overly simplified. Read them anyway. You might learn something. The Basics of Flight Air combat tactics were not invented in the jet age, when the bandit was a faraway blip on the radar scope. Rather, ACM was invented when pilots had to know how to fly in order to win an engagement. This first article focuses on basic flight, because engagements in prop driven aircraft require excellence in piloting, and not only knowledge of weapons and systems. Go to Page Two: Aerodynamics
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