PancakeUS's Tips for Boom And Zoom Fighting

By: Troy "Pancake" Whigham

This short essay will address the means and ways of defending against an enemy who has achieved a position of advantage. Identifying the enemy's position and state of movement is critical to developing a successful military solution. This identification is usually achieved through use of various forms of radar, radio communication, or visual acuity. The use of radar is typically the first methodology
employed in establishing the presence of a threat. The detected image can then be confirmed by use of radio communications, and the exact position of the threat can be analyzed using direct visual contact.

Now that I've scared off the casual Air Warrior pilots with my big college words, I can get down to business in a more expressive manner.

First of all, I've been shot down a lot more times than I've landed and a lot more times than I've gotten a kill. This is typically because 1) I press a bad situation, and 2) I never run from a dogfight which would leave my wingman behind, even if I'm low on ammo and fuel and have a few knocks on my airframe. This means I'm typically on the short end of the stick in most fights. I think this makes me uniquely qualified to give a few pointers about fighting at a disadvantage.

So you're cruising along and you spot an enemy on radar a sector away from you. First thing you'll want to do is see if there are any other bogies out there, usually by keeping the radar on or by listening to radio squabble from nearby friendlies. When you have a pretty good idea of the number of enemy (preferably "one" but that's very rare) you should start climbing for altitude. If you don't climb for altitude you may be placing yourself in a bad position.

The next thing you'll want to do is keep your eyes open, not just in the direction of the bogey but in all directions because sometimes there may be bogies hiding out below radar range, waiting to pop up behind you.

You spot him and he's got about 5,000 feet or more of altitude on you. Two things worth considering are 1) what's your situation and 2) what's is situation. The relative situations are determined by a) airplanes, b) speed (or kinetic energy), c) direction, and d) relative altitudes
(aka potential energy). Your goal is simple: avoid giving him a clear shot long enough for your energy state to match his or be better than his.

a) Airplanes - How well do you know your plane? How well do you know his? Its a good idea to have a basic familiarity with all of the planes utilized in Air Warrior. With the recent introduction of additional aircraft in Air Warrior 3.0, developing this familiarity could take some time. Basically, you should be concerned with learning the fighters because these are typically the "hunters" (although a few pilots like to dogfight in A-26 Invaders - lots of ammo, plenty of armor, turns very well at low altitudes, and can carry a gunner as
a last measure of insurance). If you know the strengths and weaknesses of your plane, and the strengths and weaknesses of his, you'll be better prepared when it comes time to take action.

b) Speed - you can tell your speed easy enough - just look at the instrument panel. But how fast is your bogey traveling? One way is to establish a head-on course to him, time it, and calculate the relative velocities to develop a rate of closure. This however, is not a practical way to do it, so just take your best guess by using the counter. After awhile you'll start to get a pretty good idea.
Typically, he'll either come diving down at max speed or he'll
come down close to your speed. Discerning the two strategies takes some practice.

Let's assume he's cruising along and hasn't dove on you yet. Chances are he's going about the same speed as you if you're in similar planes. Most fighters have a cruising speed between 200 and 225 knots. Zeroes tend to cruise and climb comfortably at 150 knots, while Corsairs and Mustangs tend to cruise at 225 knots (if they're moderately climbing for altitude). The other planes form the ol' bell curve graph between these two extremes. Bombers, even single-engine ones, cruise below 200 knots.

c) Direction - Is he moving away? Crossing your path at an angle? Flying parallel? Knowing which way he's going will determine how he attacks and how you attack. Typically, a higher enemy will try to press an attack from the rear quarter - the 3 o'clock/9 o'clock positions and back. Some even come from straight down. Experienced ones will utilize the built-in blind spot of side/back/up (a view which cannot be done in Air Warrior). The only way to spot an attack from this direction is to go side/back and roll the plane. A few will
even try a head-on attack at the merge. Depending upon the disparity in the strengths and weaknesses of the two craft, a head-on pass could be to your advantage. Cannon-armed planes, particularly the FW's, seem to have a better chance to get you smoking on a head-on pass, since they only need one hit to ruin your plane.

d) Altitude - How much higher is he? Anything over 2,000 feet difference prohibits a looping attack by you unless you're going pretty fast or have a very maneuverable plane.

And there you have my sum knowledge of defending against Boom and Zoom attacks. For defending against other types of attacks, you're on your own.