>>715165564
>Not that I'm any good at dogfighting, and frequently fail to apply my own logic, but my logic is
Thanks for explaining your process generally, it's appreciated. With that said:
>merge at a speed where I'm not going so fast that g-force limits my turn rate, but not so slow that I'll be stalling if I pull hard on the stick
Isn't going to be second nature for most people.
>if I have better thrust-weight ratio or way more energy, go up
>if I have a poor thrust-weight ratio or way less energy, go down
On top of knowledge of your craft, this requires knowledge of both energy and TWR, neither of which are innate knowledge or are necessarily intuitive (people have to be taught about types of energy, potential Vs kinetic etc).
>if I'm in an "energy fighter" (maintain speed better) I turn away from the enemy (aka 2 circle fight)
>if I'm in a "turn fighter" (tighter turn circle) I turn into the enemy (aka 1 circle fight)
Again, needs knowledge of your plane and probably the enemy plane to be able to pull off successfully.
Like that picture I posted is from this article, which is a LOT for the novice to take in.
https://theaviationist.com/2020/06/07/here-are-the-basic-fighter-maneuvers-fundamentals-you-need-to-understand-dogfights-explained-by-a-fighter-pilot/