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Aviation History
1980
1980 - 0041.PDF
FLIGHT International, 5 January 1980 39 ing they have to be avoided, or orchestrated under tightly controlled conditions, because of the high risks involved. Similarly, safety considera tions ordain that most airborne practice dogfights have to be broken off at 15,000ft. In the simulator the antagonists can do what they would do in a real fight. An important feature of the simulator is that the instructor who may be flying the "MiG" antagonist— can freeze the action at any appropriate moment and point out how the pupil is allowing an advantage to slip from his grasp, or how he is going to allow the "MiG" to get the upper hand by an ill-advised manoeuvre. Videotape replays of critical phases of an exercise, com plete with hard copy print-outs of the vital statistics, can be reviewed as many times as desired. The simulator instructors, who have a solid background of flying experi ence, maintain that the simulator is an extremely valuable supplementary tool. They would agree with the flying instructors that the most valuable experience of all is actual air time, and that the simulator falls somewhat short of reproducing that experience on a fully comparable basis. But it does have the advantages listed and, as computer technology advances, it will be possible to incorporate new exercises in the simulator that will further enhance its usefulness. Simulators may soon be able to duplicate two versus one, and perhaps larger combinations. If and when this is achieved, the efficacy of the instru ment will take a sizeable step forward. One of the most difficult things for a novice pilot to assimilate in tactical • a-i aw i -eness of ail the potential threats of multiple combat. Equally difficult to acquire is the sense of timing that prompts a pilot to break off an attack if still unsuccessful after a brief period, take evasive action, and "rua-out," despite the fact that his missile launch opportunity appears to be only three or four seconds away. I asked several instructors what was the most difficult thing to get across to a novice pilot taking tactical train- Left A TF-I04G Starfighter displaying its slats and flaps on the round-out Right An F-5E Tiger visiting Luke from Nellis. The Tiger is used in the aggressor role hence the non-standard camouflage Two of the well used Phantoms return to Luke for a formation landing ing. They were unanimous that it was the ability to keep the whole bewilder ing flow of information and procedure in the forefront of his consciousness —to absorb all the information presented by his radar and by direct observation, to select and identify his target, select the most appropriate weapon, fight for position from which to get off an early shot, and all the while to anticipate enemy counter- moves—that would in all probability threaten him within a few seconds of his own move. They cited examples. As the student moves into position for a medium- range radar missile shot he has the radar grid giving him representa tive information on the target's position and angles, and on the head- up display he has a plethora of other information reading out continuously, including his own indicated airspeed, the number of gs he is pulling, and the range and missile time to the target. His own speed is one of the critical factors fixing limits to his own launch. If the enemy pilot pulls into a 5g turn to escape, he student must follow. But he has to ensure thai after pulling heavy gs tat a turn for some he has not used * p > m energy that he can no longer launch— or so much that he is now a sitting duck himself if an enemy wingman has been stalking him for just that purpose. If the novice goes to the shorter range heat-seeking missile, he has new problems to cope with. First he must remember to select the switches so as to launch the elected ordnance, then he must close the range and bring himself within the much narrower cone of fire available to the heat-seeking missile. Mean while, all the other risks are present and must be realistically taken into account. Mastering modern fighter tactics requires a young pilot to acquire the skills which a previous generation acquired and exploited in the Second World War. But beyond that, today's pilots have to master a wide variety of new weapons and tactics involving complicated technology that their fore fathers could not have imagined. Despite the rigours of the course and the complexities of tactical train ing, only a small proportion of student pilots are failed. The students realise that when they finish their training at Luke and join their squadrons, they have to undergo a certain amount of f ;i"ther training to bring them up to oper. iooal standi rds. But the founda tions will have been laid before they leave Arizona. !1
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