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Common Questions and Answers (view source)
Revision as of 02:02, 13 April 2022
, 02:02, 13 April 2022→How long does a dogfight last?: Add Reference
(→Airplane Design: Add Why do airplanes have three power plant control levers? Section) |
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== Other Questions == | == Other Questions == | ||
=== How long does a dogfight last? === | === How long does a dogfight last? === | ||
Most dogfights, as aerial battles between two airplanes are known, happen very quickly. In fact, according to one study, “roughly 80% of all fighter victims in war are shot down unaware of their attacker”. In other words, 80% of all fighter combat has an effective duration of 0 seconds.{{efn|A couple of qualifications are necessary here. First, this includes all fighter victims, not just other fighters. Second, it would be a bit of a stretch to call any of these instances a “dogfight” since the term is usually interpreted to mean a situation in which both combatants engage for at least some duration. Still, it is useful because it illustrates that most aerial combat does not involve a dogfight.}} | Most dogfights, as aerial battles between two airplanes are known, happen very quickly. In fact, according to one study, “roughly 80% of all fighter victims in war are shot down unaware of their attacker”.<ref>{{cite report |title=Comparing the Effectiveness of Air-to-Air Fighters: F-86 to F-18 |date=April 1982 |publisher=Pierre M. Sprey, Inc. |location=Glenn Dale, Maryland |url=http://pogoarchives.org/labyrinth/09/08.pdf |access-date=13 April 2022}}</ref> In other words, 80% of all fighter combat has an effective duration of 0 seconds.{{efn|A couple of qualifications are necessary here. First, this includes all fighter victims, not just other fighters. Second, it would be a bit of a stretch to call any of these instances a “dogfight” since the term is usually interpreted to mean a situation in which both combatants engage for at least some duration. Still, it is useful because it illustrates that most aerial combat does not involve a dogfight.}} | ||
It must be remembered that aerial combat is extremely physically exhausting. Fighter combat often involves pilots “pulling” multiple Gs that multiply their body weight many times over. In addition, before the invention of boosted controls, the only force the pilot had to move the control surfaces was his own brute strength.{{efn|This is comparable to the difference between an automobile with and without power steering.}} | It must be remembered that aerial combat is extremely physically exhausting. Fighter combat often involves pilots “pulling” multiple Gs that multiply their body weight many times over. In addition, before the invention of boosted controls, the only force the pilot had to move the control surfaces was his own brute strength.{{efn|This is comparable to the difference between an automobile with and without power steering.}} | ||