The information below in white text is good, solid, historical Dogfighting and flying tactics, it serves as the standard base from which all flying/dogfighting is derived from. To simply learn this info and execute it by the book will only serve to get you killed in the world of RB3D MMP. therefore, i have added valuable insights to help you make better use of the tactics below when dogfighting online. These additions will be in blue text.

HISTORY OF COMBAT TACTICS

The germans Boelcke and Immelmann developed the first air-combat tactics during World War 1. Max Immelmann is generally credited with inventing the Immelmann maneuver. This allowed a fighter to make successive passes at an enemy aircraft. Boelcke, on the other hand, discovered an effective means of downing an aircraft. Boelcke would move in as close as possible to his target before firing into it, ensuring that he hit the target and conserving ammunition.Boelcke is often called the father of air-combat tactics. He quickly formulated some basic principles which became known as Boelcke's Dicta. He helped form one of the first operational Jastas-squadrons consisting solely of fighters. Jastas patrolled an assigned area and destroyed any enemy aircraft encountered. In August 1916, the first seven Jastas were formed. Each Jasta consisted of 6 single-seat fighters, which later increased to 12 aircraft.

The development of German tactics and organizations continued after Boelcke's death (October 28, 1916). During the summer of 1917, the Jastas were concentrated into Jagdgeschwadern (fighter wings) consisting of three or four Jastas. The first Jagdgeschwader was led by One of Boelcke's students, Manfred von Richthofen, the "Red Baron".

The German formations grew larger throughout the war. Beginning in late June 1917, they would at times fly in strengths of 40 to 50 aircraft. By the end of the war the Germans increasingly flew in Jagdgeschwader strength. When a Jagdgeschwader and a Combined Offensive Patrol met, huge dogfights developed.

Even though huge formations would end up dueling each other, these battles usually broke up into a series of one-on-one encounters. Duels between small units would sometimes become large dogfights as other aircraft from both sides would spot the air battle (the smoke from downed aircraft was visible for miles) and join the fray.

By the end of World War I, the fighter had come of age. The fundamentals of air combat had been laid down through bloody trial and error. The lessons they learned still hold true today.

FLIGHT

For centuries, men dreamed of one day being able to fly through the sky like the birds. Many dreamers, such as Leonardo da Vinci, attempted to conquer the mysteries of flight. Da Vinci even went so far as to draw sketches of birds in flight and proposed flying machines based on these drawings. In 1783, two Frenchmen, the Montgolfier brothers, made a balloon that carried the first men in free flight. The success of the balloon led to continued development of this craft. During the American Civil War, balloons were used by the Union army for observing the battlefield.

Meanwhile, other inventors turned their attention to gliders. In 1804, an English inventor, Sir George Cayley, invented the first glider. During the 1890's Otto Lilienthal of Germany continued to develop the glider.

During the late 1800's, various inventors attempted to invent powered aircraft. The most common approach involved the application of a steam engine. But steam engines were much too heavy. It wasn't until 1903 that the first powered flight occurred. Two American brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, had experimented with various glider designs. In 1903, they added a gasoline-powered engine to a bi-winged plane and flew 120 feet. Development continued throughout the first decade of this century. Alberto Santos-Dumont developed an aircraft patterned after a box kite and became the first person in Europe to fly. In 1907, Louis Bleriot developed the first monoplane complete with a tail for balance at the rear.

BASIC COMBAT TACTICS

SCOUT TACTICS

The key to dogfighting in WWI was to get on the tail of the enemy plane and make a successful shot. Shots from other locations were very difficult because they required the pilot to lead the enemy plane too much. Occasionally, a good pilot could make a head-on shot. However, over 90% of all aerial victories were made by a shot from behind the enemy. Therefore, the challenge was to position one's plane behind the enemy plane. Though true in real life, shots from directly behind tend to be the most exhaustive of ones ammo, instead, practice deflective shooting, always aim for the pilot (the quickest way to down any plane), on the sopwith series, also try for the wingtips as they tend to have a violent reaction to wingtip damage.

To get on the tail of the enemy, pilots employed a variety of tactics. The easiest method was to sneak up unobserved on the enemy pilot and shoot him down before he knew he was in danger. However, when both enemy pilots were aware of each other, a dogfight would develop, with each pilot trying to get on the tail of the other. At this point, the battle became a test of flying skill and tatics. On MMP, unless your opponent is preoccupied with another enemy, the best way of attacking without detection is to attack from directly over your opponent, be sure to monitor your planes speed and wingstress when performing an attack like this.

The sky above the trenches was a deadly place to be. During Bloody April, some British squadrons suffered 60 percent losses. During the more routine months of the war, the attrition rate was still very high. Most novice pilots never lived long enough to call themselves veterans. Those who did survive month after month rarely showed any inclination to coach the new replacements.

Oswald Boelcke was the exception. Boelcke possessed a rare combination of tactical brilliance and keen flying technique. Nothing escaped his eyes in the air, and as his experience grew, he began to teach his men how to survive in the air. Eventually, he put to paper his advice and circulated it among the Jagdstaffeln. His advice and Its principles still form the foundation of fighter combat today.

AIR-COMBAT MANEUVERS

Dive In World War I, even simple maneuvers such as steep dives and climbs were considered acrobatic --not surprising since aircraft were prone to stall and many had structural flaws.A steep dive can be used to get out of combat quickly, especially when your aircraft can dive safely at a higher speed than your pursuer's. Keep an eye on your altimeter and, if an enemy follows you into the dive, jink your aircraft left and right with the rudder.Diving is simple. Point the nose toward the ground and your crate will gain speed very quickly. Be careful because some aircraft have weak wings, and a high-speed dive may shear them off! If you know your plane has more horsepower than your opponents, then diving to get away and regain advantage is a smart move, if not, diving in a fight is recommended only to build enough energy to perform an aggressive maneuvre, otherwise diving only serves to put you at an altitude disadvantage in a fight.

Zoom or Zoom-Climb A very steep climb at high speed, the zoom-climb is usually performed after a dive. Sacrificing speed for higher altitude, it was used by the aviators of the Great War after they made a diving attack on an enemy aircraft to pull up beyond the reach of the enemy.When zooming skyward, keep an eye on your airspeed. When it gets below 50 mph, level off before you stall your aircraft. Also, when zoom climbing above your opponent, its also best to try to direct your climb directly over your opponents plane thus lowering his chance to get a shot off at you.

Barrel Roll The barrel roll is useful for confusing an attacker on your tail. To perform a barrel roll, bank hard while pulling back on the stick slightly. Your aircraft will take a corkscrew path through the sky. Be warned--you will lose altitude. A very effective maneuvre for losing an enemy that is on your tail.

Half-Loop Today this maneuver is called an Immelmann turn. However, in World War I the Immelmann turn was an entirely different maneuver (see below).Perform a half-loop when you want to reverse direction and gain altitude. Use it when an enemy passes you going the other direction at a higher altitude.Before starting a half-loop, make sure you have a lot of speed. Pull up as if you were going to loop, but begin rolling the aircraft before you reach the top of the loop. Level out when you reach the top.

Immelmann Turn Also known as Renversement by the French pilotes de chasse, the World War I Immelmann turn was used frequently by Max Immelmann. After making a diving pass on an enemy, Immelmann zoomed up past the enemy aircraft, and before stalling used full rudder to bring his aircraft around. This put his aircraft facing down at the enemy aircraft, making another pass possible.This is a difficult maneuver to perform properly. Pull up into a climb, apply full rudder as your speed drops, roll your aircraft and pull back slightly on the stick. With good timing, you will be diving back down in the opposite direction.

Loop An impressive maneuver at an airshow, the loop is not very useful in combat. While looping, a pilot has no options until the loop is finished. In addition, you will lose a great deal of altitude.Before starting a loop, make sure you have a lot of airspeed (generally accomplished by diving first) otherwise you'll stall halfway through the loop!

Retournment This offensive maneuver is similar to the Immelmann. Continue to apply rudder and roll the aircraft after you have looped and come over the top. Instead of reversing direction, you' ll be flying in the same direction you were going before you started climbing. A retournment is used after a diving pass on an enemy. If the enemy continues in a straight path, not veering off to the side, a well-executed retournment will put you on the tail of your enemy.

Split-S The split-s is an excellent way to escape an attacker on your tail. To perform a split-s, roll your aircraft until it's inverted, then pull back on the stick to perform the last half of a loop. When you level off, you may repeat this maneuver. Be aware that altitude is rapidly lost in this maneuver. This is a good maneuver to lose someone on your tail, but should only be used if you lack sufficient energy to perform a vertical move to lose your opponent as this maneuver will put you at an altitude disadvantage.

Side-Slip A side-slip is used to lose altitude quickly without gaining speed. To side-slip, dip one wing down and apply enough reverse rudder to keep your aircraft from turning. You may need to push forward slightly on the stick to maintain your heading.

Slip-Turn

The slip-turn is a flat turn performed exclusively with the rudder. Unlike a normal banked turn, the slip-turn uses no ailerons. Most aircraft cannot perform an effective slip-turn. However, the Fokker Triplane did not have a vertical stabilizer, and could yaw very quickly with hard rudder applied. Although the Triplane would slip during the turn, losing a great deal of speed, it could reverse direction in about half the time of other fighters performing a normal turn. To execute an effective slip-turn, don't bank your aircraft's wings.

Wing-over

Similar to the Immelmann the wingover starts with the pilot having a good amount of energy, he then pulls back on the stick climbing the plane at roughly a 50 to 60 degree angle. as the plane rises and bleeds speed the pilot puts the control stick into the lower right (or left) corner. as the plane starts to lose energy heavily and rolls on its side at the apex of the climb, the pilot then moves the control stick to the lower left corner (the opposite direction), the plane should complete its 180 degree turn heading downward and facing the opposite direction, right side up. A pilot can use the rudders to correct the planes attitude during this maneuvre, he may also use some rudder to help hasten the maneuver (rudder to kick the nose back down quicker from the top of the turn, for example).