Before we start, there is a few things all pilots should know. There is no magic, there is no cheating. Ys is a very basic flight simulator, which is shown in the basic flight dynamics, and physics it puts forth. With that said, most flight simulators I have played you could take real life ACM/BFM and implement them into the simulator. YsFlight is different, there is only a handful of stuff you can use, thus I'm going to briefly introduce these techniques.
There are a Few fundamentals that take play in YsFlight. Lets get to it.
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First turn merge:
Two jets with 35% fuel, guns only loadout take opposing aerial start positions in the sky. They hit fly and start off for each other. The second your jets pass is called the merge, and the turn immediately following is the "merge turn". It is absolutely imperative that you make your first turn clean and tight. Making your turn radius as tight as you can. Don't get turn rate and turn radius mixed up. Radius is simple the size of the "circle" you form in the sky. Radius is the rate at which your nose turns in a turn. In Ys, a jet with 5% fuel is going to have a extremely high turn radius compared to a jet with 35% fuel. Example Turn Radius:
And a example of one and two circle merge turns:
In Plane/ Out of Plane:
Ok this is something simple that takes place in the skies of Ys, but you might not realize it. In plane, if you are behind your bandit, or vis versa, heading toward the herizon then the person at six is in plane with your aircraft, if you suddenly pull a 8.0 G or in Ys a "20 G" vertical turn, and he rolls his lift vector left or right and pulls opposite of your six, he just pulled out of plane, meaning his jet is not going in the same motion of your jet now. This is simple geometry that a pilot should Know. Example:
Lift Vector:
This is an extremely important part of ysflight. The simplest way to put it is, imagine a invisible line strait down the center of your canopy. This would be known as the lift vector. Trainees of my program will/have learned more about this. The key of the flight is to keep your lift vector on the opposing aircraft at ALL times in a circle flight. Example:
Lead, Lag, Pure Pursuit:
Which does what? What are they used for? While you're in the cockpit of your fighter aircraft press the "V" button to bring up your velocity vector cue, assuming your aircraft has one. The velocity vector cue shows exactly where the nose of your jet is headed. You place the velocity cue on a building 5 miles away and keep constant speed variables your jet will hit that building. Now, when your at six o' clock position and your velocity vector cue is in front of the bandits aircraft you are in pure pursuit. Pure pursuit is used for making up time on the bandit "Closing the distance". Pure pursuit is like a neutral position of your jets flight path. If the velocity cue is directly on the opposing jet you're in pure pursuit meaning you wont gain or loose time, or distance. Lag pursuit is the most common of the three in YsFlight, thanks to the physics of the game. If your velocity vector cue is behind the enemy plane your in lag pursuit. Lag pursuit is used to prevent a overshoot of the enemy. Its also your best shot a creating a distance between you and your enemy. Example of the three:
Scissors:
You've more than likely been in this situation before, you probably said whoa this is cool, right before you got shot down. It's a arial maneuver that most rookies try to avoid if they have a understanding of what it is, but not a understanding of how to fly their jet. Example:
High/Low YoYo:
Alright WW2 junkies this is for you. There are various ways to perform these maneuvers. I'm going to briefly talk about the two most common. In Ys these maneuvers can be performed in modern or vintage aircraft. Two planes in a one circle flight, around and around, you think it wont ever end. Your enemy pulls out of plane^ with your to gain a little altitude, why? To gain altitude, airspeed, and eventually advantage. Low YoYo, is the opposite. Your enemy pulls out of plane and dives then pulls around with more airspeed than you and re-enters the fight with a slight advantage. I've used it in the F-16, and numerous vintage planes. It works great in both.
YsFlight is nothing advanced, remember that, and take what I have laid down here to heart. Practice, Practice. Give me a shout if you want to go a few rounds. I'll teach you the art. Enjoy.
Thanks,
-Rav
Credits to Raven of the VFC-183
