Boom and Zoom
by Unknown Author
In your typical flight sim, the computer artificial intelligence (AI) is not
very good. A typical fight will involve a head on pass followed by the computer
controlled opponent making a sharp turn trying to get on your tail (your six).
The typical new flight sim jock is no smarter than the computer AI and also
makes a sharp turn trying to get on the bogies six. You end up going in circles
until the plane which turns better ends up in firing position. This style of
fighting is called Turn & Burn (T&B), Angles fighting, Stall fighting, or Turn
fighting. This is the only form of fighting that the average flight sim jock who
plays AOE, AOP, Red Baron, Strike Commander knows. It works great IF
1) You happen to be in the plane that turns better.
2) Nobody new shows up to interrupt your little dance.
Since in games like Red Baron #2 is almost always true and because of problems
with the computer AI #1 is practically true, this technique is often enough to
get by. However, this is not the only way to fight an airplane.
Another technique is called Boom and Zoom (B&Z). This technique was much more
popular with real aces for the simple reason that in real combat, people who
practiced T&B tended to spread body parts over significantly bigger area than
they were designed to occupy (they died). B&Z fighting tries to take advantage
of the fact that if you are higher than the other guy and at least as fast, your
plane has more energy than his plane does. Energy is a precious commodity that
allows your plane to maneuver. To take a severe case, an airplane low to the
ground and just above stall speed can't do very much.
o He can't climb because the airplane will stall.
o He can't dive because he is trying to avoid becoming a lawn ornament
o He can't turn very fast because again he will stall.
About all he can do is fly straight and level and try to gain airspeed. It
should be obvious that if you can get an opponent into this predicament, he
should not last very long. (If he does, you need to practice your gunnery.)
Boom & Zoom fighting consists of four phases (despite the name). A dive, a flat
fast run (where you shoot), and a zoom climb, and (possibly) a reversal. In
picture form
* ***
* Dive ***
* *** Zoom
* ***
* ***
** Boom ***
*************************
(fast run)
The reversal not pictured is simply some maneuver that gets you turned around
and coming back at the enemy. One good maneuver for this is the so-called
Immelman turn (A half loop which should cause you to end up flying back the
direction you came but upside down and then a half roll to get you back
upright). During the dive, you are trading your altitude for speed. This allows
you to catch your enemy. When down to his altitude, you level off and make a
straight run at him. Since he should be going much slower than you at this
point, you should have no problem overtaking him. When in range with your guns,
if you have a good shot, take it. After flying through the enemy's position
(avoiding a collision) you then start your zoom climb. One mistake many
beginners make is climbing at too large an angle during this portion. During the
flat run, it is Ok to turn if it isn't very far to get on the bogies six,
however, turns of much more than 45 degrees should be avoided as it will slow
your plane down (kind of like turning when skiing slows you down).
Now obviously, when you are doing this, the opponent is not going to sit still
waiting calmly for you to turn them into clam chowder, chipped beef, or some
other meat dish. They are probably going to turn (assuming they see you. In real
combat they often did NOT!) Chances are they are going to turn when you are
making your run at them. What do you do? Well we already know you don't turn
very far with them. What you do is fly through their position, and start your
Zoom. By turning, they have bled away some of their energy and their ability to
turn. You complete your zoom, reverse and come back at them. Repeat this as
needed. Eventually, they will be close to stall speed, can't turn very
effectively, and you nail them. A couple of pointers.
1) In WW II aircraft, some good rules of thumb are:
o The zoom climb should be done at about 4000 ft/minute.
o The zoom should continue until either you are down to the speed where if you
get slower you can't do your Immelman or until you are 2000 yards away whichever
comes first.
2) After making two passes at a plane, they will often have bled off most of
their energy. At that point instead of making the more casual zoom that you have
been doing, go up at about a 45 degree angle. Do your Immelman sooner than
normal and that will place you almost vertically above your target. Dive down on
them and roll onto their heading. Since they can't turn very well at this point,
you should have a fair chance of getting a kill. The key here is that rolls cost
very little energy while turns cost a lot. When you are in a near vertical dive,
a roll can be used to change heading very rapidly at little cost.
3) One advantage of B&Z type flying is that it is relatively easy to disengage,
if you have to stop fighting because of low fuel, new enemies, etc.
I am aware that I spent more time on B&Z type flying than on T&B. This was
intentional since flight-sim people who do B&Z type flying are relatively few
and far between. Note the following:
o Some planes are much better suited to one style of fighting or the other. For
example the P-51 mustang and the FW-190 were good B&Z type planes. On the other
hand, the Japanese Zero was practically worthless as a B&Z fighter but excellent
at T&B.
o Fighters good for T&B obviously need to be able to turn quickly. It is also
advantageous if they have a relatively low stall speed and they give plenty of
warning that they are going to enter a stall.
o Fighters good for B&Z are fast, handle well in a dive, and regain altitude
well in the zoom.
When flying, it is important to know what your plane is good at and adjust your
style accordingly. As the AOE people have been finding out, the P-51 is just not
well suited for T&B. Trying to fly it that way tends to lead to early and
permanent retirement. The same is true with the P-47. On the other hand, some
planes such as the Spitfire can be flown well both ways.
By the way, many of the sims fly you automatically between battles and when you
enter a battle, you are normally at the same altitude as the enemy. This
obviously discourages B&Z fighting. However, you can often either disable this
feature, still control the aircraft to a degree when in compressed time, or
climb away from the battle at the start.
Remember whether you fly T&B or B&Z, altitude is energy, and energy can be
traded for position. The same is true of speed. Low and Slow may be safe in the
family car but high and fast is safest in a plane. |