Fighter Combat - Tactics and Maneuvering

90 BASIC FIGHTER MANEUVERS
the bogey and continues to pull to maximize the overshoot. Simultaneously
the attacker is rolling to keep his lift vector on the defender in an
attempt to point at his target. The defender's reduced airspeed and higher
nose attitude approaching time "3" provide what appears to be a muchimproved
position at time "4," well above and slightly behind his opponent.
The fighters continue to pull toward each other, with the MiG
nose-high and the F-5E nose-low until point "5." At this time the advantage
appears to have reversed. As long as the scissors is fairly neutral, the
fighter at the top of its rolling maneuver will appear to have a position
advantage but will lose it again on the bottom.
Success in this maneuver, as in most others, depends on both relative
aircraft performance and pilot technique. Unlike the flat scissors, the
rolling variety is not a contest determined by which fighter can fly slower.
Although the forward component of velocity is still the deciding factor, the
helix angle (i.e., the steepness of the climbs and dives) usually has more
impact on this velocity component than does absolute speed, assuming
speed differentials are not excessive. The rolling scissors is, therefore, a
contest of energy management, a trade-off of airspeed and position in
which slow-speed sustained turn performance is a critical factor, with
slow-speed acceleration and controllability also very important. Figure
2-21 illustrates the techniques involved in winning the rolling scissors.
The initial setup in this scenario is the same as that in the last example.
Both aircraft have about equal energy and performance, and the MiG (the
Figure 2-21. Rolling-Scissors Technique