Page 55 - Combat Aircraft (January 2020)

While talent (BFM), air-to-surface, section (two-ship) able to ght the aircraft. It starts with
and division (four-ship). Each runs for
the student being o ensive, so as the
in the aircraft between three and three-and-a-half instructor I’m the defender [out front]
weeks, except for air-to-surface, which
and I’m trying to maneuver my aircraft
is fundamental to lasts only two weeks. All phases are in order to deny them that position
conducted at Fallon, except for BFM,
credibility, it must which involves TOPGUN detaching to — they’ve got to make the correct
decisions based on how my aircraft is
go further. We need either NAS Lemoore or MCAS Miramar in maneuvering. If they make an error I will
California, or NAS Oceana, Virginia.
look to capitalize on that as quickly as
LT James ‘Brolemic’ Gibbons is a BFM
people who are instructor on the TOPGUN sta . He says, possible. We repeat each ight multiple
times because it’s likely the rst time
credible, humble, ‘When the school was founded in 1969, they’re exposed to ‘slick’ airplanes — we
kick the pylons o in order to improve
most of the engagements were WVR
approachable [within visual range], so the primary aerodynamic performance and we are
focus was to teach aviators to maneuver
ying close to sea level in denser air,
and hard-working. to employ their weapon successfully. with a greater thrust-to-weight ratio. We
Talented instructors BFM is the foundation of the school — then move to defensive BFM and the
roles are reversed; then into high aspect
we build everything upon what we learn
who are intellectually in that and it can be applied to the air- [head-to-head].’
Aside from a handful of US Marine Corps
to-air concepts that we have later on in
curious and the class, be that in a division of aircraft, students in ‘classic’ Hornets, the US Navy
or beyond. As you go from BVR [beyond
crews all now y Super Hornets, although
outstanding visual range] to WVR you have to know the F-35 will be added to the class from
how to maneuver your aircraft and
January 2020. The students y eet
teachers how to take advantage of the threat’s aircraft that are borrowed from the
mistakes and turn that into an o ensive front line and are preferably in
advantage for you. the latest con guration.
CDR Timothy
‘Ain’t’ Myers ‘We begin with the BFM phase, which
is designed to introduce students
to maneuvering the aircraft at 7.5g
while maintaining sight and being

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