Welcome to Gaia! ::

This will really be mostly for newbies to dogfighting. Space combat is very similar to air, though there are key differences which I will point out as I get to them.

1) When at all possible, fly FROM the direction of the sun. This is true for any type of combat, though it is a bit easier when flying. The purpose is to hide yourself, few species can look directly at a giant ongoing nuclear reaction and see something coming at them, or even leave with undamaged eyesight.

2) NEVER fly in a strait line. The reason should be self-explainatory. Make constant, sharp turns. Your flight path should be unpredicable, though it should still be planned out.

3) If someone is behind you, either do a u-turn or a flip to avoid being caught in your opponent's crosshairs. The flip is usually preferable as it makes it easier to get behind your follower.


*checks watch* I have a few other matters to attend to. I will continue this lecture upon my return, most likely sometime around 10PM central standard time @.@

Haha, yes indeed. Thankyou for the reminder Gen Trigger. 3nodding

No doubt you've heard of g-forces, since they apply to highspeed movement in general. The number of Gs an individual can withstand is determined by many factors including position, physical condition, and time.

In atmosperic flight, g-forces are most common when accelerating along the vertical axis, usually up. This is, of course, because the Gs produced from manuevering are added to the planet's gravity. Unless you happen to be accelerating toward the ground, in which case you will experience "negative" Gs. This is just a fancy way of saying the forces acting on your body are opposite from normal. Too many positive Gs may cause a blackout and too many negative Gs may cause a redout. In case you don't know, a redout is when blood rushes to your head. Vision turns a redish tint, and you pass out due to the brain being oversaturated. The only real difference in space flight is the absence of the planet's gravity, therefore all forces acting on the pilot are produced by acceleration. The effects of the forces are the exact same.

In space flight, all forces on the pilot are produced by acceleration of the craft. You have probably noted that I continually say "acceleration" and not simply "movement". This is because forces are produced by changes in velocity, defined as acceleration, hence the formula for force is F=m*a, where m is mass of the body in motion, and a is acceleration. Also note that the mass we are talking about is the pilot's body mass. When it comes to inertia, the pilot and craft are concidered seperate bodies in motion. The craft may slow down, but you body will tend to continue moving, until the seat restraints stop it.

I mentioned earlier the factors that go into play when determining how many Gs an individual can indure. An individual can endure more than twice as many Gs laying down than sitting strait up. Obviously, the better your physical condition, the more forces you're going to be able to withstand. Finally, time. The longer the pilot is subject to forces, the less enduring he/she becomes. This is why you want to make short maneuvers rather than long ones.

Haha, good to know we do have some experienced pilots. 3nodding

[raises hand]umm ,sir?
you know when you were talking about g's?
you forgot to mention inertial dampers...

just checking, passed the academy , 2nd in class...

no sir, you just failed to mention that crucial part of dogfighting,
that when you lose that sense ofmotion, you can over do a movement and BAM! next you are just splatter on a asteroid...

good point, we soo need more officers,