Basic Flight Maneuvers Notes

Table of Contents

Section 1: Basic Principles

  • One of the first basic principles you should learn is that IT IS ONLY A GAME! Nothing more than that! Besides, it's becoming of a fighter pilot to keep a cool head in all situations.

  • Stay Alert. This one is pretty self explanatory.

  • Keep moving. You shouldn't fly in a straight line for more than 30 seconds, or unless it's a head-on pass.

  • Lose the Weight, Fatty! If your craft has shields, lose ‘em. You can then add that extra bit of power to lasers.

  • Another thing you should quickly stow in your brain is SEE, DECIDE, ATTACK, BREAK. If you cannot grasp that obvious thought, you'll be dead. Quick.

  • Extended turning engagement (otherwise known as a turn-war, or if the action is hot and heavy, a Knife-fight,) is a bad situation to get into. If you decided to drag it into such a fight at the merge, then “You one crazy b----!”-Chris Rock, Rush Hour 2.

  • Mix it up. A stale list of 3 maneuvers that you use can be easily discovered and used to kill you. Just mix it up.

  • And this is possibly the most important thing you can remember: Keep a cool head. Even if you're facing a 13-6 deficit, don't stray from any training you have. Remember it, use it, and exploit your opponent's weaknesses. Even if you don't win, make it a close match.

  • Always try to practice great BFM. Cause if you can't you'll never amount to a hill of beans.

Pilot Psyche

An oft-forgotten part of any engagement is that it is largely decided not only by the pilot's skill, but his drive. You have to want the win more than the other guy. You must defeat him, or be defeated. It is that simple, and is often the single most deciding factor in a match; which is who wants the victory and bragging rights. Survival is one of the most raw and basic instincts we possess, and a fighter pilot usually possesses a strong will to use it. Also, by getting ahead a few more kills than the other guy in a match (say, 6-2 you,) you can have an effect on the enemy pilot. This will sometimes result in your opponent either becoming incensed and making mistakes, becoming determined to win, or prevent you from winning by a large margin, or instilling a sense of fear into him. Remember, it's just a game. You've no reason to be intimidated. But, by all means, go forth and intimidate.

Situational Awareness

Ah, yes, we've come to the ever-famous situational awareness part of the course. Yes, there is a reason it is usually touted as one of the most important senses that a combat pilot possesses. It is the ability to know where anything is at a given moment to you, in relation to how you're moving, when you're moving. It tells you when to take a shot, if you're safe enough to take a shot, or if you should dodge and make a run for it for a bit. It is easily the single most important ability a combat pilot can possess. However, it is also the most difficult to develop. The only real way to gain it is to fly 2v2's, which are covered in depth in AMP IWATS. The only SP substitute (which is overrated, to an extent) is to fly a single-player melee with unshielded craft in a minefield, with difficulty set to the highest possible setting.