The development of tactics and strategy in pilot's mind?

[Tinito_16]

I am a rabid fan of FreeFalcon5 (a free game based on the Falcon series), and I had sort of a revelation the other day. I'm flying the Raptor going against a 4 ship of Su-30's I end up in a high aspect engagement and some of the missiles don't track, so I merge. With the furball that ensues, I kill 2 of the bogeys but a third one gets me. Happened about two or three times.

That's when I suddenly had a simultaneous "Eureka!" and "I can't believe I was that stupid" moment. In Falcon, AWACS will give you bearing and height information to the bandits, but it won't tell you where the bandits are headed themselves. You have to bug em in your own radar to get a vector telling you what direction the bandit is going. So I figured, why don't I use this to try and attack them from the sides or the rear, instead of heading right for them? Of course this doesn't hold in all scenarios (For example if I'm protecting other a/c I have very little room or time to maneuver because I have to make sure the bandits don't get to my package first), but if I'm in a sweep I might as well get into an advantageous position before firing.

So I tried it - and it's worked everytime since. Haven't gotten killed. It does two things: it gives me the element of surprise and reduces angle off for the missiles. Launching the missiles with a "soft" lock also ensures the bandits don't know I'm right behind them - and so they don't start maneuvering until the AMRAAM's go active. By then it's all but too late.

I know this is a game, but I was wondering if actual fighter pilots go through the same kind of process and then they finally "get it". Is it something incremental or does it only rely on ability (good eyesight, reactions, fitness)?

[Tinito_16]

So it's experience then... I saw Red Flag (the IMAX movie) and the narrator states that the AF discovered that once a pilot completed his first ten combat missions, he was much more likely to survive. Meaning that the experience was invaluable in making competent combat pilots.