Squadron pilots are to keep the following instructions in mind at all times while on patrol.
- Strategy
- A fight is a team effort. Support the team. Use the team.
- The team wins or the team looses. Individuals accomplishments are secondary to the team winning.
- When significantly outnumbered, be aggressive.
- Survival
- You are not expendable. Surviving a fight is a contribution in and of itself.
- It is almost always better to avoid being hit than to take a shot.
- Keeping your comrades alive is more important than destroying the enemy.
- Stay aware of your fuel state. Begin to withdraw from a fight before fuel becomes critical.
- Maneuvering
- When all other maneuvers could give an enemy aircraft an unanswered shot, be prepared to engage the enemy head-on.
- Be aware of the locations of friendly aircraft when being tailed. Lead the enemy in front of your comrades.
- If your aircraft is crippled, it is better to escape in any manner possible from a fight alive than to be shot down.
- Stalls
- Stalls are to be executed only with great care.
- Never stall too often.
- Never stall if the maneuver cannot result in your aircraft firing upon the enemy.
- Do not use a stall to break enemy tailing. It will almost certainly fail and you will take heavy damage.
- Never stall when you can be tailed and the enemy can reach a firing position; unless you are certain the enemy will make a mistake and fly in front of your guns.
- Never stall if the rear gunner of a two seat aircraft can get a shot at you.
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