Path: jabba.kesmai.com!usenet From: James Shafer Newsgroups: bigweek.general Subject: Re: SPINS airwarrior and real life Date: Wed, 03 Mar 1999 10:42:03 -0700 Organization: Kesmai Corporation Message-ID: <36DD746B.544B@worldnet.att.net> Reply-To: eyebls@aol.com I guess it is time to jump in explain spins in real life and how air warrior models them. As a preface let me say that I am a Commercially rated pilot, single, multi, glider. I am also a Certificated Flight Instructor. I own two airplanes. In one I have 80 hours of acrobatic time, much of it in simulated air combat. The other is a military trainer. Less flying time in it but some acro and some sim combat in it as well. I also have been flying AW for seven years off and on. I have been an AWTA instructor in gthe past. I have studied air combat as a hobby for 40+ years. In real life a spin is a rolling and yawing movement of an aircraft caused by one wing being 'more' stalled than the other. The more stalled wing has more drag and less lift. It drops and moves aft. The aircraft describes a corkscrewing path. The average movement describes a ballistic arc towards the ground. Eventually the aircraft is going straight down with an airspeed near stall. If you force a stall and spin to happen at airspeeds above the stall (by applying back stick to increase G loads) you perform a 'snap roll'. The aircraft rolls and yaws just like in a spin but the flight path continues straight ahead. There is no heading change. In addition the airplane slows rapidly because of the enormous drag induced. If you stay in this condition beyond two or three rolls, you will decay into a common spin headed straight down. Spins can be used in combat on defense because it rapidly slows you down and causes the enemy to overshoot. In a real furball, the enemy might not want to come around to get another shot at you. If you are one on one, the enemy can use the vertical to turn and he (or she) will find you lower and slower than you were before. In the long run, spinning is a short term reprieve done only in desparation. The account of the navy pilot using a spin offensively demonstrates an exceptionally special case. Pilot was high and wanted to come straight down without accelerating. A spin does that. He could have also used a slipping spiral. In air warrior, a stall with the wings banked causes a spin. Instead of following a ballistic arc you stop dead in the air. You then yaw and roll and go straight down. BUT YOU MAINTAIN THE ENTRY AIRSPEED!!!!! So when you recover from the spin you fly away as fast as you entered!! Spins can then be used offensively because they are absolutly the fastest way to turn around. Once you learn the trick to entering and leaving a spin whenever you want, you can outturn anyone. Even better you do not lose you Energy like the opponent who uses a 4 or 6 G turn to follow you. In conclusion, spin turns are not real. Anyone who uses them on purpose is playing the game and not experiencing the simulation. They are SPINDWEEBS. Eyeballs