Sage flying advice

[jetdriven]

copied from BT, who copied it from an Army aviation site.

Note, I give out too much advice, but none of this is mine

Copied from an Army Aviation Site:

• As an aviator in flight you can do anything you want, as long as it's right! And, we'll let you know if its right after you get down.

• You can't fly forever without getting killed.

• As the pilot of a combat aircraft only two bad things can happen to you and one of them will:

a. One day you will walk out to the aircraft knowing that it is your last flight.

b. One day you will walk out to the aircraft not knowing that it is your last flight.

• Success is being able to walk to your Flight Evaluation Board (FEB).

• There are Rules and there are Laws. The rules are made by men who think that they know better how to fly your aircraft than you. The Laws (of Physics) were made by the Great One. You can, and sometimes should, suspend the rules but you can never suspend the Laws.

• More about Rules:

a. The rules are a good place to hide if you don't have a better idea and the talent to execute it.

b. If you deviate from a rule, it must be a flawless performance.(i.e. If you fly under a bridge, don't hit the bridge.)

• The Cavalry pilot is the highest form of life on earth.

• The ideal Cavalry pilot is the perfect blend of discipline and aggressiveness.

• About check rides:

a. Having someone climb into your aircraft to grade how you fly is just like having someone come into your bedroom to grade how you screw.

b. The only real objective of a check ride is to complete it and get the bastard out of your aircraft.

c. It has never occurred to any instructor pilot during an evaluation that the examinee could care less what the IP's opinion of his flying ability really is.

• The medical profession is the natural enemy of the aviation profession.

• The job of the Troop Commander is to worry incessantly that his career depends solely on the abilities of his aviators to fly their aircraft without mishap and that their only minuscule contribution to the effort is to bet their lives on it.

• Ever notice that the only experts who decree that the age of the pilot is over are the people who have never flown anything? Also, in spite of the intensity of their feelings that the pilot's day is over I know of no such expert who has volunteered to be a passenger in a non-piloted aircraft.

• It is absolutely imperative that a pilot be unpredictable. Rebelliousness is very predictable. In the end, conforming almost all the time is the best way to be unpredictable.

• He who demands everything that his aircraft can give him is a pilot; he that demands one iota more is a fool.

• If you're gonna fly high, do not fly slow!

• It is solely the pilot's responsibility to never let any other thing touch his aircraft.

• If you can learn how to fly as a WO1 and not forget how to fly by the time you're a CW5 you will have lived a happy life.

• About night flying:

a. Remember that the aircraft doesn't know that it's dark.

b. On a clear, moonless night, never fly beneath the inverted Y.

c. There are certain aircraft sounds that can only be heard at night.

d. If you're going to night fly, it might as well be in the weather so you can double count your exposure to both hazards.

e. Tight night formation is really an endless series of near misses in equilibrium with each other.

f. You would have to pay a lot of money at a lot of amusement parks and perhaps add a few drugs, to get the same blend of psychedelic sensations as a single night multiship operation in poor weather.

• One of the most important skills that a pilot must develop is the skill to ignore those things that were designed by non-pilots to get the pilot's attention.

• At the end of the day, the controllers, ops supervisors, maintenance guys, weather guessers, and birds; they're all trying to kill you and your job is to not let them!

• The concept of "controlling" airspace with radar is just a form of FAA sarcasm directed at pilots to see if they're gullible enough to swallow it. Or to put it another way, when is the last time the FAA ever shot anyone down?

• Remember that the radio is only an electronic suggestion box for the pilot. Sometimes the only way to clear up a problem is to pull the pin.

• It is a tacit, yet profound admission of the pre-eminence of flying in the hierarchy of the human spirit, that those who seek to control aviators via threats always threaten to take one's WINGS and not one's life.

• Mastering the prohibited maneuvers in the -10 is possibly one of the best forms of aviation life insurance you can get.

• A tactic done twice is a procedure. (Refer to unpredictability discussion above)

• The aircraft's -10 chapter 5 limits are only there in case there is another flight by that particular aircraft. If subsequent flights do not appear likely, there are no limitations.

• One of the beautiful things about a single-pilot aircraft is the quality of the social experience.

• If a mother has the slightest suspicion that her infant might grow up to be a pilot she had better teach him to put things back where he got them.

• The ultimate responsibility of the pilot is to fulfill the dreams of the countless millions of earthbound ancestors who could only stare skyward and wish.

For maximum attention it's hard to beat a good big mistake

[Hank]

There's some good information in there. I like the part about the Limitations only apply if you intend to use the aircraft again. When it comes time to set it down right now, all that matters is getting to the ground right now and slowing down before impact.

[fantom]

Dicta Boelcke

Rules for Aerial Combat from the WWI era by the first great German flying ace of the First World War, Oswald Boelcke

1.Try to secure the upper hand before attacking. If possible, keep the sun behind you.

2.Always continue with an attack you have begun.

3.Only fire at close range, and then only when the opponent is properly in your sights.

4.You should always try to keep your eye on your opponent, and never let yourself be deceived by ruses.

5.In any type of attack, it is essential to assail your opponent from behind.

6.If your opponent dives on you, do not try to get around his attack, but fly to meet it.

7. When over the enemy's lines, never forget your own line of retreat.

8. Tip for Squadrons: In principle, it is better to attack in groups of four or six. Avoid two aircraft attacking the same opponent.

Edward Mannock's rules

Edward Mannock, the first British WWI flying ace, wrote this set of rules:

• Pilots must dive to attack with zest, and must hold their fire until they
  

get within one hundred yards (90 m) of their target.

• Achieve surprise by approaching from the East. (From the German side of the
  

front.)

• Utilise the sun's glare and clouds to achieve surprise.
  

• Pilots must keep physically fit by exercise and the moderate use of
  

stimulants.

• Pilots must sight their guns and practise as much as possible as targets are
  

normally fleeting.

• Pilots must practise spotting machines in the air and recognising them at
  

long range, and every aeroplane is to be treated as an enemy until it is certain it is not.

• Pilots must learn where the enemy's blind spots are. Scouts must be attacked
  

from above and two-seaters from beneath their tails.

• Pilots must practise quick turns, as this manoeuvre is more used than any
  

other in a fight.

• Pilot must practise judging distances in the air as these are very
  

deceptive. Decoys must be guarded against — a single enemy is often a decoy — therefore the air above should be searched before attacking.

• If the day is sunny, machines should be turned with as little bank as
  

possible, otherwise the sun glistening on the wings will give away their presence at a long range.

• Pilots must keep turning in a dog fight and never fly straight except when
  

firing.

• Pilots must never, under any circumstances, dive away from an enemy, as he
  

gives his opponent a non-deflection shot — bullets are faster than aeroplanes.

• Pilots must keep their eye on their watches during patrols, and on the
  

direction and strength of the wind.

Adolph Malan's "TEN OF MY RULES FOR AIR FIGHTING"

• Wait until you see the whites of his eyes. Fire short bursts of one to two
  

seconds only when your sights are definitely "ON".

• Whilst shooting think of nothing else, brace the whole of your body: have
  

both hands on the stick: concentrate on your ring sight.

• Always keep a sharp lookout. "Keep your finger out".
  

• Height gives you the initiative.
  

• Always turn and face the attack.
  

• Make your decisions promptly. It is better to act quickly even though your
  

tactics are not the best.

• Never fly straight and level for more than 30 seconds in the combat area.
  

When diving to attack always leave a proportion of your formation above to act as a top guard.

• INITIATIVE, AGGRESSION, AIR DISCIPLINE, and TEAM WORK are words that MEAN
  

something in Air Fighting.

• Go in quickly - Punch hard - Get out!