First Mission dos and dont's

Aircraft: F-16C
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Grillman
Posts: 35
Joined: 31 Dec 2020, 02:29
Location: Milton Keynes

First Mission dos and dont's

Post by Grillman »

Hello everyone.

Tomorrow I will be taking part in an RAF Air mission for the first time. I am really looking forward to it, although I am somewhat nervous. Not because I am lacking mission experience but because the way RAF Air goes to battle is very different to the "free for all" I am used to. I've spent time studying the tacview from last week and looking forward to the briefing.

The truth is that I still have questions that might be questions of other new members as well, hence I made it a topic here:

1) When it comes to Air to Air beyond visual range (BVR), the key element is flight parameters at the point of weapon release. Speed, altitude, bogey aspect etc. Flight parameters are dictated by the flight or element lead. Is the technique followed such that both pilots follow the same flight path that will create the best possible parameters for missile launch? Or they split from the formation, engage and rejoin? What if the engagement is within visual range (AIM-9 or guns?) and there are numerous turns. Does the element leader engage and the wingman remains a wingman?

On the same subject, air to air engagements are very demanding on fuel. When done separately by members of the same flight/element, might cause serious fuel differences between the aircraft. Is that acceptable or is it to be avoided?

2) What happens if I crash or I am shot down? Is that "goodnight" for me?

3) What happens if my flight or element leader crashes or is shot down? Do I join the nearest flight/element of my squadron and I abandon the task I had until that point? Or do I complete my task and then seek a nearby flight to join?

Brevity:

1) I can understand that calls like "buddy spike" are made on UHF for the whole wing to hear. What about "mud spike"? Is this a call made within the flight?
2) Do we make calls like "Fox3", or "Magnum" or "Riffle", within the VHF flight frequency?
3) When we are shot at (either by SAM or Air to Air weapon), do we make an announcement that we are "Defensive" on VHF flight frequency?

As I've said to Danny and Beanie, my previous squadron was extremely effective on Air to Air and Air to Ground engagement. That was coming at a huge price. Jets were scattered all over. That was the main reason I decided to look for a more organised squadron that was not "Call of Duty with Airplanes". There is a balance to be found though and this is the most interesting and unknown element to me. How to strike that balance!

Grillman
Flight Lieutenant Dimitris "Grillman" Christoulakis - RAF Air UK
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