Fighter Combat - Tactics and Maneuvering

162 ONE-VERSUS-ONE MANEUVERING, DISSIMILAR AIRCRAFT
the low-wing-loaded fighter's vertical-maneuvering speed is generally
lower than that of its high-wing-loaded adversary, so a reduced speed can
be accepted without total loss of vertical potential. Therefore, if he is
patient, the angles fighter pilot can make small angular gains on each
nose-to-nose turn until the energy fighter zooms with only a small speed
advantage. The angles fighter pilot then may be able to zoom with his
opponent and surprise him at the top of the maneuver.
The energy fighter's defense against this technique is careful observation
of the bogey's maneuvering during the first few nose-to-nose turns. If
after the first two turns in the series the bogey is not approaching a 90°
angular advantage, the energy fighter pilot should use his superior speed to
execute a nose-to-tail extension to exit the fight or to gain sufficient
separation to come back, meet the bogey on neutral terms, and try something
else.
Probably a better option for the energy fighter in this scenario is a
sustained nose-to-tail turn. This procedure was discussed in the previous
chapter; its advantages are even greater in this case. Since the low-T/W
fighter seldom has a substantial sustained-turn-rate superiority, such a
maneuver forces it to turn harder than sustained-G levels to gain a rapid
angular advantage. The energy fighter pilot should maintain best sustained-turn-rate
airspeed, or vertical-maneuvering speed, whichever is
greater, in a level or climbing turn, and watch the bogey's turn performance.
A shallow, climbing turn is usually preferable, since this generally
induces the bogey into bleeding energy more rapidly. If it appears that the
bogey will gain more than 90° advantage on the first turn, a slightly
nose-low turn can be started to maintain speed while limiting the opponent's
angular advantage at the pass to about 90°. In this case the energy
fighter should have adequate airspeed margin at the overshoot to begin a
pitch-back safely. Should the angles fighter gain substantially less than 90°
after about two turns, however, the energy fighter's airspeed advantage
may be inadequate. In that situation the energy fighter pilot probably
should consider disengaging, since it may be better to come back the next
day and hope for an easier opponent. Otherwise a nose-to-tail extension
may be used to gain enough separation to come back and meet the bogey
again on neutral terms. From that point extension/pitch-back tactics can
be commenced.
It should be recognized that, as with economics, there is no free lunch in
tactics. The tradeoffs for using the more efficient nose-to-tail turn technique,
as discussed previously, include added difficulty in judging the
bogey's energy and increased problems in maintaining sight. In any case, if
the bogey's turn-performance advantage is very great, the energy fighter
pilot may find it necessary to employ the modified spiraling pitch-back
(Figure 3-10) to avoid being shot during the pull-up.
Actual combat accounts of the successful use of energy tactics are rather
rare, but the following example is a beauty. Here John Godfrey's P-51B
Mustang has probably 20 percent lower wing loading than the German
Focke-Wulf 190D-9 opponent, and Godfrey increases his turn advantage