Floats asked me to post some stuff here.. so here it is lol ;)

Here is a quick write up I did on useful formations for AH. I will post another write up for formations that should be used by bomber groups for mutual support.
http://www.valkyrie-it.com/AH/formation.html

More on Formation Combat

Formation flying and combat requires discipline, restraint, and a higher level of proficiency than simply going at it alone. However, once you have mastered the art, you will never want to fly alone again. In addition to the practical, is the added new level to the online combat arena. The pre-flight routine of lining up together on the runway, assigning wingmen, and going through a mission briefing, the start engines command, and a roll down the runway together, bobbing and waving in time with each other, cannot be replicated by flying alone.
The tactics of formation versus single combat is night and day. Whereas the survivability of a single pilot depends on his machine, and him, the survivability of a formation depends on the ability of ALL of it’s members to work as a team. For this to happen, a squadron must train and act in a way in which an ordinary lonewold generally finds too restrictive, it must be disciplined, act promptly, and as a body with a single mind.
Formations are emplyed to bring the maximum firepower to bear on the enemy, within the shortest amount of time. Formations have been used since 1917, and it has been unthinkable in the real world to enter combat with anything less than an element.
Units of a squadron include:
1. Element – 2 aircraft
2. Flight – 2 Elements
3. Squadron – 2-4 flights
4. Group – 2-4 Squadrons

The most convenient formation for online combat is the “finger four” as I have referenced previously, however the most likely to be encountered is the simple element. When flying as a single element you should strive for a line abreast formation, where one plane is right beside the other.
The element is the smallest unit you want to use in air combat, and its doctrine is the same as any larger unit. You should emphasize flying in at least an element every time you sortie, even if that takes an extra few minutes for you to launch.
When cruising to and from the combat zone, separation can be at a minimum, however once you enter the battle area, separation should increase to 200-350 yards between aircraft. A unit so disposed covers a lot more sky, and any aircraft is virtually invulnerable to surprise attack. Rather than anxiously rolling and yawing to keep the individual 6 clear, the formation flies level while checking over the wing to clear your wingman’s 6 o’clock position. This nearly eliminates the blind spots below and behind even the worst of views.
Having a doctrine for fighting may sound stupid to the casual observer, but if you observe most of the ad-hoc formations, and how poorly they perform, you may realize having a doctrine may not be a bad idea at all. So what doctrines are there? There are, Welded Wing, Double Attack, and Loose Deuce. But a better more descriptive way might be to call them, Follow Closely, Stand Off, and Separate and Gain Advantage. They each have their own advantages and disadvantages.
1. Welded Wing
Early in the 2nd world war, when combat experience was lacking, wingmen flew close to the wingleader and tried to follow their every move as best they could. The practice was to close up with your wingtip a few feet from your leaders, and to stay there, no matter what. This is much as you see the Thunderbirds or Blue Angels do during their formation demonstrations. This really has no true application in combat, other than for attacking a dense bomber formation to mass firepower.
2. Double Attack
The Double attack doctrine is used to bring each ship to bear sequentially, or in the case of a flight or larger formation, each element is brought to bear sequentially. Thus one aircraft, or flight, would do the attacking, while the other stood off to the side, retaining their E, ready to pounce or bail out the commited aircraft as needed. Within an element, on a flight sized unit or larger, the individual aircraft still fly as a welded wing.
3. Loose Deuce
The top of tactical evolution is the Loose Deuce doctrine. The fundamental idea here is that every part of the formation is to maneuver in a way that is best at any one time. The Key is separation! LD tactice used the right way is gorgeous to behold, and is in a way, a game of 4 dimensional chess. In LD, when entering combat, the idea of leader and wingman goes away, instead you become either free or engaged. These roles can and will switch repeatedly throughout the fight depending on the advantages each holds, or the angles involved. All tactics I will discuss further will begin with the Loose Deuce formation.

I will continue this thread as I post more informaiton. Coming Up: Formation Tactics

Please read my previous posts regarding formaitons before reading this one. It will help it make more sense.

The first thing to remember, the fighting unit, be it element, flight, squadron, utilizing the loose deuce doctrine, is ALWAYS on the offensive. There is no such thing as defensive maneuvering. You may have to perform a guns defense, or maneuver to avoid attack, however the formation as a whole should always have an offensive outlook. Perform those maneuvers with the dual goal of avoiding damage, AND working to gain an advantage over the enemy. Every defensive move should be considered a transition to attack. Remember when fighting loose deuce, keep your E up, and watch out for how your maneuvers will affect your WINGMAN as well as your enemy.

1. The Bracket Attack
The bracket attack is the basic attack used by the element or larger formation when encountering enemy aircraft to your front quarter. It clearly shows why separation is such a powerful tool. When you force the enemy to divide his attention and engage only ONE part of the element at a time, (the engaged fighter) the other (free) fighter gets a clear shot. The roles of free and engaged will switch back and forth depending on who has the enemies attention, until the bandit is destroyed. The opening move of a Bracket attack, the fighters angle out to gain separation, and put the enemy in the middile. They then turn into him at a point where E, closure, and range dictates. At this point the enemy must decide which aircraft to defend against, and that aircraft becomes the “engaged” fighter.

Shortly after the blue element opens up separation (the command is “Bracket Go!) it becomes obvious the red fighter chooses to maneuver against the blue 1 fighter. This is likely because of an instinctual reaction on the red pilots part to maneuver against whoever has given up angles. The blue 1 fighter initiated the bracket, and thus maneuvered first, thereby, giving up angles. The red and blue 1 fighters merge as usual, with blue 1 performing a guns defense maneuver. Meanwhile Blue2 has started his pursuit of red and is closing in on red’s six o’clock. Now, red is dead, it is just a matter of time.
One thing to notice is that the blue1 fighter makes it a point to get OUSTSIDE of the bandit, to force red to keep his lift vector on blue1 after the merge, which helps to set up red for blue2’s shot. This maneuver is just as applicable for a flight of 2 elements, or a squadron of 4 flights engaging a single enemy or an enemy formation which flies as a group. Once the enemy splits up as well, things get more interesting.

Trailing Attack
When the element has the drop on an unsuspecting low bandit, it is a good idea to
Open up separation. The best way to accomplish this is to have the wingman “hang back” a few seconds before committing to the attack behind the leader. If the leader were to miss, the wingman gets a nice clear planform shot at the hard breaking enemy, or a shot opportunity as the bandit recovers and concentrates on the leader during his disengagement. The only really important thing to keep in mind here is the wingman needs to duplicate the leaders attack, such as, if the leader goes for a low 6 shot, so should the wingman. After the attack, if the bandit is still alive, the element should make their moves in opposite directions to gain separation for another sequential attack on the bandit.

The Cross Split
The cross split is a terrific example of how even if it appears the element is defensive, it is truly offensive. The team starts out with a bandit on their 6, usually a defensive position, however the transition to the attack is swift and without mercy. The key is to see and act against the bandit before he is within guns range. The element makes a sustained turn INTO each other while observing the enemy. This turn creates separation, and forces the bandit to choose who to attack. This choice will become apparent during the turn, or as range decreases. If the maneuver is started at long enough range, treat it as a standard bracket attack. Once you know the bandit’s intent, the engaged fighter performs a guns defense, careful to pass the bandit on the OUTSIDE to send him turning outward, while the free fighter flies up on the enemies 6. From there, it is time to simply gun your enemy down. If this fails for some reason, continue to work the bandit, attacking from different directions to overtax his SA and force him to break. MAINTAIN separation!

Thach Weave
The Thach Weave is named after its inventor Navy Commander Jimmy Thach. The best way to think of the maneuver is as a team scissors. Repeated S turns, with the enemy at or very close to guns range. It can ONLY be executed by element or larger sized groups, you cannot perform it alone.
The Weave is an excellent defense against single or multiple bandits, where your aircraft are inferior in turning ability, or when your main concern is to disengage. You MUST be flying line abreast t properly perform this maneuver. Important: Make your INITIAL turn 45 degrees or thereabouts off the general heading. It is vital to the maneuver to maintain forward progress to avoid becoming “stationary” and dead. Every time the scissors closes, the free fighter gets a brief high angle off snapshot. Using plenty of deflection and ammunition (don’t be stingy here!) the bandit will have to fly through a veritable curtain of fire. Using the weave, even with BOTH fighters under pursuit, each wingman gets a chance to shoot the bandit off his wingman’s tail.
Also, the less distance you have between the “arms” of the scissor, the easier it is for the free fighter to roll in behind the bandit. However, be cautious doing this, and it can only be done when only ONE of the fighters is engaged. To do so, the free fighter simply pitches up, rolls inverted, and hauls down for a beautiful high 6 o’clock low deflection shot.
The real beauty of the Weave is in a few-against-many. Depending on the situation it will allow, or not allow you to saddle up even for an instant. In order ot survive you must jink a bit while waiting for the scissors to close, and take a shot at the enemy on your wingman’s tail, as he tries to scrape the one off of your own!

Great Write ups, THanx alot SOL.

Cheer mate

Sol thanks I'll study this a bit and practise it also , looks good .