Inside the Dogfight

Flight Journal, Oct 2003 by Farmer, James H

Inside the Dogfight Available from Sporty's Pilot Shop (800) LIFTOFF; (543-8633); (513) 735-9000; $34.95 (plus S&H).

In this video, Germany's famous "Red Baron," Manfred von Richthofen, is quoted: "Killing is the only thing; the rest is nonsense." The truth of this cannot be denied. The most successful dogfight is, by definition, not fair because one pilot usually dies. A fighter pilot's goal is to surprise the enemy and to hit him-and hit him hard-before he sees his adversary.

"Inside the Dogfight" offers us a refreshingly frank inside, lavishly illustrated look at the evolution of the aerial dogfight from its appearance during WW I. Candid, firsthand accounts are offered by a celebrated group of American aces who range from WW I flier Ray Brooks to Korean War jet aces Frederick "Boots" Blesse and Ralph Parr to Vietnam ace Steve Ritchie.

To offer an enticing primer on the basics of dogfighting, the video's producers went to the Texas Air Aces School. There, the six essential maneuvers of air-combat were shown with models and with air-to-air engagements of the school's HUD-equipped T-34s. Computer-generated re-creations featuring P-40s, Hellcats and F-86s illustrate specific engagements as recounted by several WW II and Korean War aces.

Korean War veteran Gen. Blesse reminds us how little time jet pilots had to identify a MiG, adjust their course and fire-often as little as three seconds. Vietnam's "electronic dogfighting" explores the benefits and drawbacks of air-to-air missiles capable of 35 to 40G maneuvers. The future of aerial dogfighting isn't ignored: the attributes of the long-delayed USAF F-22 Raptor are explored in some detail in this excellent 51-minute video.