The following maxims are part of the 'Dicta Boelke', the first codified manual of aerial combat. They formed the basis of fighter pilot training in World War One and World War Two, and remained the standard maxims for fighter pilots until the invention of air-to-air missiles temporarily made dogfighting "obsolete".

Each maxim is presented, along with an explanation of its purpose and use.

1. Try to secure the upper hand before attacking. If possible, keep the sun behind you.

Boelke often stressed the importance of securing every available advantage before engaging the enemy. Even if he and his squadron would have to shadow the enemy for an extended period before attacking.

Some examples of advantages to be used include the following:

Speed: The pilot with the faster of two machines has control over the combat. He can choose to accept or decline the engagement at will. The slower aircraft is incapable of chasing down the faster one, is forced to fight defensively, and cannot run away. A fast moving aircraft can perform elaborate maneuvers, giving it's pilot many options. He is also capable of easily gaining an altitude advantage over his opponent.

Altitude: When at a higher altitude than his opponent, a pilot can control where and how the combat begins. He can dive upon his opponent, gaining a sizable speed advantage for a hit-and-run attack. Or, if the enemy has too many advantages of their own (numbers for instance) a pilot could fly away with a good head start. Altitude is a source of 'potential energy'; it can be traded for speed at will, simply by descending.

Surprise: Getting the first shot before one's opponent is prepared to return fire is the 'safest' and preferred method of attack. Most air victories are achieved in the first pass. A pilot can approach his foe stealthily, using clouds, haze, or the glare of the sun.

Performance: Knowing the strengths, weaknesses, and capabilities of your own aircraft, and that of your foe, is also critical. Who is faster, who can turn tighter, who can climb quicker, who has greater firepower, etc.

Boelcke argued against foolish acts of 'heroism'.
If he could not secure advantages, he would not attack.

2. Always continue with an attack you have begun.

Rookie pilots will start a fight, but the fear instinct will convince them to break it off and run. This presents the rookie's tail to the veteran's guns, making the rookie an easy kill for his enemy.
Boelcke learned that it was far better to stay and continue mixing it up, than to break and run. To turn tail and run was to surrender most, if not all, of the advantages a pilot might have.

3. Open fire only at close range, and then only when the opponent is squarely in your sights.

A common rookie's urge is to start blasting away upon first sighting an enemy's machine. Shots taken at ranges of 1000m (3280ft) stand little chance of hitting their mark. The rattle of gunfire will alert the intended target, and give them a chance to react.
.30cal (7.62mm) machine guns are not very accurate over 600m, while .50cal (12.7mm) and above can be judiciously used out to 900m. Another aspect of making each shot count is the limited amount of ammunition carried in early aircraft, usually only a few hundred rounds. This can amount to less than 60 seconds of sustained fire. Spraying the sky with lead in hopes of hitting something eventually, is not an option. Shots have to be chosen carefully.

Baron von Richtofen said it best:
"All the fancy maneuvers won't save you if you cannot put your fire into the target."

4. You should always try to keep your eye on your opponent, and never let yourself be deceived by ruses.

The first part, 'keep your eye on your opponent', sounds obvious enough, but it needs to be stated. In the hustle and bustle of an air fight it is easy to lose track of your adversary.
If a pilot loses contact with his adversary, the advantage shifts to the enemy. A successful pilot does not allow himself to be distracted from his opponent.
As far as ruses go, it is not an uncommon practice for a pilot to feign being hit, going into a supposedly uncontrolled spin or dive, in order to exit a fight that is not going well.

Boelcke recognized that too many enemies were being allowed to escape and return to fight another day. He taught against the accepted notion that, once a machine began to spin down, one could move on. If it were a ruse, the enemy pilot would pull out at the last moment and escape, or return to the attack, having now gained the advantage of surprise. Boelcke wanted his pupils to follow their opponent down and make sure they were out of the fight, or resume the fight if necessary.

5. In any type of attack, it is essential to assail your opponent from behind.

Firing at a machine flying across one's path requires 'leading' the shot, aiming ahead of a moving target to compensate for its speed. While a few pilots are adept at the mental calculations necessary to good aerial marksmanship, most are much less so. The velocity of a moving gun platform, the speed of bullets, plus the speed and direction of a moving target could be a lot to consider in the heat of battle.
It is far more effective to have one's target, and one's bullet stream all traveling in more or less the same line. This requires little or no 'leading', and exposes the target to a greater concentration of fire. Head-on attacks or head-to-tail attacks require little or no calculated deflection in aim. A head-on attack, however, exposes one directly to the enemy's guns. It also made the time available for aiming and shooting successfully dramatically shorter than if the attacker were following its target aircraft, and introduced the danger of a head-on collision.

6. If your opponent dives on you, do not try to get around his attack, but turn to meet it.

The instinctive reaction of many rookies is to turn and flee from a diving attacker. This presents their tail to the attacker, usually with disastrous results.
Boelcke taught that a pilot had to conquer that instinct. Turning to face the attack could force the attacker onto the defensive, or at least keep the situation unsettled, which is far better than presenting your tail. It is better to try to bring one's own guns to bear than to flee, and approaching the enemy still increases the relative velocity between the two fighters and thus reduces the time during which the enemy can fire. Furthermore, if both fighters miss each other, the diving attacker must now pull out of his dive, while the defender is in position to circle around and counter-attack.

7. When over the enemy's lines, always remember your own line of retreat.

If a pilot chose to flee a superior force, or is coming back with a damaged machine, it is critical to spend his time going in the right direction. This rule sounds as though it is stating the obvious, but Boelcke found it necessary to include it. More than a few pilots came down behind enemy lines because they got confused and lost their way.

8. In principle, it is better to attack in groups of two or four. If fights break up into a series of single combats, pay attention that several comrades do not go after only one opponent.

Boelcke tirelessly lectured his pupils on the need for teamwork, sometimes scolding them for acting too independently. Attacking in a group allowed the leader to concentrate his attention exclusively on his target, while his wingmen protected his tail.
When your side is at a numerical disadvantage it is especially important not to double up on one opponent. The concentrated fire is of dubious value, since you were just as likely to get in each other's way, as to hit the enemy. Doubling up also left an enemy somewhere unbothered and free to tail one of your teammates.

Although not an instinctive, gifted pilot Malan was an exceptional shot and a very aggressive air fighter, and above all a superb tactician who instilled the methods and techniques he had honed in 1940 into successive generations of young fighter pilots who followed him.
Malan developed a set of simple rules for fighter pilots, to be disseminated throughout RAF Fighter Command, which eventually could be found tacked to the wall of most airbases.

Even 24 years after Oswald Boelcke first wrote his 'Dicta', you can still see how the basics of it remained relevant, even though the technology had changed enormously during that time.

TEN OF MY RULES FOR AIR FIGHTING

1.Wait until you see the whites of his eyes. Fire short bursts of one to two seconds, only when your sights are definitely "ON".

The importance of good gunnery, and the practice of ammunition conservation, held true throughout World War Two. The more accurate your shooting, the more damage you do with each burst. The better you conserve ammunition, the longer you can stay in the fight.

2.Whilst shooting think of nothing else, brace the whole of your body: have both hands on the stick: concentrate on your ring sight.

Even with many guns, and thousands of rounds of ammunition, utter focus on your shooting will enable you to exercise your firepower to the maximum effect.

3.Always keep a sharp lookout. "Keep your finger out".

Carefully scanning the sky around you, maintaining a close watch on spotted enemy aircraft, and not giving your position away by firing too soon, will convey many advantages to an attacking pilot.

4.Height gives you the initiative.

As Boelcke had figured out long before, altitude can be freely exchanged for airspeed, and vice-versa. The pilot who gains an altitude advantage over his opponent has a distinct advantage.

5.Always turn and face the attack.

When under attack, the worst thing you can do is turn and run. Turning into the attack, and bringing your weapons and fire to bear on the opponent, is always a good move.

6.Make your decisions promptly. It is better to act quickly even though your tactics are not the best.

Hesitation will get you killed far more often than bad decision-making. Proactive thinking will enable you to react in critical situations, rather than remaining passive and giving the initiative to your opponent.

7.Never fly straight and level for more than 30 seconds in the combat area.

You never know where, or when, the next attack will come. Maintaining an evasive posture while in the engagement zone will make it harder for the enemy to surprise you.

8.When diving to attack always leave a proportion of your formation above to act as a top guard.

When beginning the engagement, don't have everyone attack simultaneously. Leave some aircraft trailing behind you, who can react to a sudden appearance or movement by the enemy.
When diving to attack, have your squad dive in sequence, rather than all diving at once. You will then be able to carry out multiple attacks in sequence, which will make it harder for the enemy to evade you.

9.INITIATIVE, AGGRESSION, AIR DISCIPLINE, and TEAMWORK are words that MEAN something in Air Fighting.

INITIATIVE - Always seek to be proactive, in all situations. Don't let the enemy dictate the engagement. Make a decision quickly, and ACT UPON IT.
Quick decisions will force the enemy to react to you, instead of you always reacting to the enemy.

AGGRESSION - Never run away from a fight once you are engaged. Seek advantages over the enemy and attack. Always seek to strike at the nearest enemy, don't go back to base unless damaged or out of ammo. So long as you have even a few rounds remaining, ATTACK!

AIR DISCIPLINE - Stay with your squad, and hold fire until you're certain of hitting the enemy. Tearing across the sky after the first enemy you see is the fastest way to get ambushed and killed. Be patient, work to gain every advantage you can get before launching your attack, and once you attack, follow through to the finish.

TEAMWORK - Two pilots working together are more than a match for two pilots working separately. Stick with your teammates, attack in turns, and watch each other's backs.
Don't crowd in on a single target, mid-air collisions between teammates are unacceptable.
When multiple teammates are pursuing a single target, fly in single file, and only the leading aircraft should fire. The rest of the line should be ready to react to a sudden threat, or movement.
The success of the team should always take precedence over the success of the individual.

10.Go in quickly – Punch hard – Get out!

Alright, so you've learned the basics, studied the 'Dicta' and 'The Rules', and now you're ready to jump in a plane, and go fly. However, you might want to take a moment to study the plane you're going to fly, and figure out how to use it to it's best advantage.

To do that, you must become familiar with the mission your plane has been designed to fufill. During World War One, it was all aircraft designers could do just to make their planes faster, or fly farther. However, War Thunder takes place during the time aerodynamics had gone from being an art, to being a science.

The aircraft rolling off the assembly lines in the 1930's and '40's were purpose-built fighting machines, designed to take on a specific role, and to fufill a specific mission or battlefield task. Trying to ignorantly outturn a fighter in an interceptor will only get you killed. So let's take a moment to become familiar with the basic missions aircraft are designed to fufill, and what that means for you when you fly into battle.

During World War One, the rise of strategic bombing took the world by surprise. Zepplins and large aircraft carried loads of bombs over enemy countries, attempting to destroy factories, ports, bridges, and anything else that might help the war effort.

At first, the existing fighter aircraft were used in attempts to intercept these bombers, but success was limited. Zepplins flew at high altitudes, higher than early fighters could fly. The bombers, with multiple engines could fly faster than some early fighters.

It turned out, the best zepplin interceptors were converted bombers. Bombers could fly fast, high, carry a larger load of fuel which gave them more flight time, and crucially they carried extra crew members to effectively man the weapon systems.

The ideal World War One interceptor, would be a large, heavy aircraft, capable of loitering for a long time at typical zepplin cruising altitudes. However, one crucial invention would change interceptor development forever: Radar.

Radar gave an air defense force advanced warning of an enemy attack, which meant your interceptors could now sit on the ground, and only take off to meet the enemy when they attacked.

The new types of interceptors thus had to perform in a completely different way. They now had to be able to take off, climb very quickly to a higher altitude than the enemy, be capable of enough speed to catch up to him, and carry enough firepower to shoot down his bombers.

In order to climb quickly, interceptors are equipped with large, powerful engines. The most powerful available were inline and V shaped, water-cooled engines. They were large and heavy, but powerful enough to do the job. The weapons loadout was typically many wing-mounted machineguns or cannons, enough to unleash a storm of lead in a very short time. However, the weapons, ammunition, and engine were very heavy, so in order to achieve the desired performance, the absolute bare minimum of fuel would be carried.

So we can see the results of the aircraft designed to fit this mission:

• Interceptors are powerful and climb quickly, but are very heavy.
  
• The weight of the aircraft reduces it's maneuverability, thus interceptors are not meant to dogfight.
  
• Interceptors will mount large numbers of machineguns, or several cannons.
  
• The best way to use an interceptor is to gain altitude as fast as you can, then attack.
  
• Interceptors can fly at high speeds, so use your speed to your advantage.

The Air Superiority Mission arose out of an urgent need. During World War One, both sides pioneered the use of aircraft as artillery spotters and for reconnaissance. Aircraft would fly out over enemy positions, sending gun firing instructions back to their artillery by wireless telegraph.

This new type of artillery firing system proved to be so effective the race was on to stop it from happening. Thus, the idea of the "Fighting Scout" was born. By mounting guns on the recon planes, they could both scout enemy positions, and fight off enemy efforts at reconnaissance.

Eventually, the Fighting Scout evolved into the pure Fighter. After Roland Garros fixed steel deflector blades to the propeller of his scout, which enabled him to fit a forward-firing machinegun, everyone wanted a fast, single-seat aircraft with forward-firing guns on it.

As both sides adopted their own fighters, inevitably, the mission changed to fit the situation. The Air Superiority Mission is the act of sending your fighters out to both prevent enemy reconnaissance, and to engage and destroy enemy fighter escorts.

Air Superiority Fighters needed to be as fast, and as maneuverable as possible. They needed to be fast enough to catch the small scouts and fighter escorts, and nimble enough to bring their guns to bear upon them. Unlike Interceptors, whose targets are lumbering bombers, the Fighter specializes in engaging enemy fighters.

In order to be maneuverable, the fighter has to be as light as possible, thus bulky water-cooled engines and armor plating are not included. Only the bare minimum of weapons and ammunition are carried, and small lightweight air-cooled radial engines are common.

Lightweight Fighters were in vogue during the early parts of World War Two, until the Fighter-Interceptor supplanted them. Heavy Fighter-Interceptors would be the mainstay of Western Air Forces until the 1960's saw a new breed of lightweight fighter emerge.

The Aircraft Design to fufill this mission is as follows:

• The aircraft is as light as possible, small radial engines, few weapons, and almost no armor are carried.
  
• Extreme light weight leads to excellent maneuverability, Fighters are expected to turn much tighter than enemy escort planes.
  
• The most important attribute of your Fighter is it's low Turn Time, typically less than 20 seconds.
  
• While Interceptors can climb and dive much faster, the Fighter can easily outturn them, so avoid the diving attack from the Interceptor by turning sharply.
  
• While not as fast in a straight line, Fighters can accelerate much faster than Interceptors, and can hold their energy in a fight for much longer.
  
• The best use of the fighter is to drag enemies to low altitude, where they cannot easily escape your guns.
  
• The best defense for a fighter, is using it's excellent maneuverability to avoid being hit, lack of armor means any damage you take might be fatal.

As far back as 1908, when the Wright Brothers first sold an airplane to the U.S. Army, enterprising officers had the idea of taking guns aloft and firing at ground targets. At first, rifles were used, then the air-cooled Lewis Gun. By 1910 pilots were experimenting with hand grenades and dropping artillery shells.

The first actual use of CAS came from the 1912 Balkan War, where aircraft were used to attack troops on the ground. However, the very limited performance of the early planes meant that few additional weapons could be carried.

When World War One started, and the arms race began, aircraft performance quickly caught up to the desired mission, and both sides used aircraft to drop bombs and fire machineguns at ground troops. However, as the trenches got deeper, light bombs became ineffective, and heavy bombs were too inaccurate. Ground fire forced aircraft to fly too high to bomb effectively.

The mission thus called for aircraft to be able to survive ground fire long enough to bomb accurately, and armor plating was added as soon as engine power permitted. Downward firing machineguns were also fitted, but were later abandoned.

As World War Two dawned the CAS mission seemed almost impossible, the threat from enemy fighters, interceptors, and ground fire was overwhelming. However, the rebirth of armor plating around cockpits, and vital components led to a revolution in CAS.

Bombs, Machineguns, Cannons, Rockets, and extra defensive armament made CAS aircraft rugged, survivable and very deadly. The plethora of weapons, and the ability to fly low and slow enough to use them accurately made CAS one of the deadliest missions aircraft undertook. Dive bombing, and low-level attacks struck terror into the hearts and minds of enemy troops, eventually ground movements and redeployments were carried out only at night, unless under complete air superiority.

Close Air Support has been a fixture of air forces since World War One, and it seems the mission will survive well into the 21st Century. The job of flying over enemy positions, and engaging their ground forces with accurate and sustained fire is still best left to the low, slow, armored, and heavily armed CAS aircraft.

The Aircraft Design for this mission is as follows:

• First and foremost, CAS aircraft are heavily armored to survive ground fire.
  
• Typically, the engine, oil, coolant, and cockpit are all armored from below.
  
• Armor mounted below the aircraft still leaves it vulnerable to fire from above, so most CAS aircraft will carry a defensive gunner.
  
• A powerful engine is fitted to carry the heavy weapon load, and to lift the weight of armor.
  
• Bombs, Rockets, Cannons, and Machineguns are all used in CAS, dive bombing and low-level strafing runs are common.
  
• Extremely heavy loadout makes the CAS aircraft vulnerable in a dogfight, often the best defense is to run away, use your rear turret to discourage attack, and hope your armor is thick enough to protect you.
  
• If you do come under attack, immediately drop your bombs to lighten your aircraft, it is better to re-arm and return to the fight later, than to die immediately because extreme weight kills what maneuverablity you might have.
  
• Killing ground units is your sole purpose in life, while very heavy flak should still be avoided, you can easily survive most light ground fire.

The Interdiction Mission has a relatively short history, being intended to destroy the enemy's ability to transport weapons and supplies. The mission is concerned with small point targets such as bridges, rail junctions, and canal locks.
(In War Thunder, the only applicable targets are destroyable bridges, but the mission applies to attacks against enemy ground forces, artillery positions, and bases well behind the front lines.)

During World War Two, a large range of aircraft were used for Interdiction missions, practically anything that could carry a sufficient bombload. However, there were a few purpose built designs, and the Korean War saw the further development of the idea.

The Interdiction Mission is conducted at low level to avoid detection by the enemy, and flown at high speed to outrun enemy defensive fighters. Strike Missions fill the area between Close Air Support of the front line battle, and the Strategic Bombing of the enemy's homeland.

The Aircraft Design for this mission is as follows:

• The Aircraft must have a sufficiently high level speed to outrun enemy Fighters.
  
• The Aircraft must be capable of low level flight, and be able to maneuver close to the ground without stalling.
  
• The Aircraft must carry a sufficient bombload to destroy it's target, which will include bombs, rockets, or both.
  
• The best defense for the Attacker is to hit the target and run away before the enemy detects you, but defensive armament is often carried.

The Defense Suppression Mission traces it's roots to World War One, but wasn't given any priority until the invention of radar. The first deliberate attempt at Defense Suppression comes from the German raids against the British 'Chain Home' radar stations. Later versions of Defense Suppression came from the British use of radar jamming 'Window' to block the German defensive radar systems.

The Defense Suppression Mission is best summed up by it's official acronym, SEAD.
(Suppression of Enemy Air Defense)

Given the fact radar is not modeled in War Thunder, the player assumes the Defense Suppression Mission by deliberately hunting and destroying enemy FlaK defenses, allowing his teammates to attack ground targets more effectively.

Any aircraft capable of ground attack can potentially do this mission, but high speed and heavy firepower, allowing one to cross the enemy FlaK area, smash a target, and get back out as fast as possible would be preferred.

Heavy FlaK, such as that found around an enemy airfield, can be destroyed by very high altitude bombing. Often, removing a portion of the FlaK concentration will enable your team to more effectively destroy the enemy base.

While no specific SEAD aircraft exist in War Thunder, here are a few ideas:

• The aircraft must be capable of very high altitude flight.
  
• Large numbers of small bombs should be carried, and dropped on gun positions in pairs.
  
• The aircraft should have heavy firepower, with multiple machineguns or cannons.
  
• If involved in low level attacks, the aircraft should be as fast as possible.
  
• Armor plating will help against light FlaK and AA guns, but is ineffective against heavy FlaK.

The Anti-Tank Mission evolved out of the new battlefield reality of World War Two. The employment of tanks en masse led to military planners thinking of ways to destroy them en masse. The resulting mission is flown by an aircraft specifically meant to hunt and kill enemy tanks.

In War Thunder, you will be confronted by Light and Medium Tanks on the battlefield. While heavy machineguns might destroy a light tank if attacked from the rear aspect, machineguns are completely useless against medium tanks.

The idea was to mount cannons and rockets onto existing aircraft capable of punching through the top armor of a tank. Both sides used cannons on aircraft to attack tanks, and the Allies included very large and heavy rocket projectiles on their aircraft. The Germans preferred to mount large cannon armament on their aircraft, saving rockets for artillery and anti-aircraft roles.

Cannons and unguided rockets remained the principal weapons for defeating tanks with aircraft until the invention of the Anti-Tank Guided Missile.

The Aircraft Design capable of the Anti-Tank Mission is as follows:

• The Aircraft must be very stable in the air to aim heavy guns.
  
• Low speed is preferable to allow more time for firing guns and rockets.
  
• Cannons of 20mm or greater size must be used, with armor-piercing ammunition.
  
• Heavy rockets, or large bombs can also be used. The 'Tiny Tim' rocket is an excellent example.
  
• Attacks against tanks should be made from the rear of the vehicle.
  
• Don't fire until you are absolutely certain of hitting the target, cannon recoil will spoil your aim.
  
• To prevent CFIT (Controlled Flight Into Terrain) attack only one target per run.

The Maritime Mission is one of the most challenging missions you will undertake, because it involves taking off, and landing on an aircraft carrier. Not a lot of information is available as to the performance of this mission in War Thunder yet, because Naval Action is still being implemented.

The Maritime Mission primarily concerns itself with the defense of the fleet, and the destruction of the enemy fleet.

Fleet Defense is carried out by Fighter/Interceptor aircraft, who can also be loaded with bombs for Strike Missions in support of ground forces.

Offensive operations are carried out by Dive Bombers, and Torpedo Bombers.

You may also be tasked with Airborne Reconnaissance, Anti-Ship Patrols, and Search-and-Rescue.

Okay, so you are familiar with your mission, familiar with your aircraft, and are ready to get out there and start mixing it up. Here's how you can do that, and not look like an idiot while doing it:

• Combat Spread/Offensive Split
  A pair of attackers will separate, and use one aircraft as bait, while the other one waits in ambush.
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• Defensive Split
  A pair of defenders turn in opposite directions, enticing the attacker to chase one plane, leaving the other one free to attack.
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• Sandwich
  When attacked from behind, a pair of defenders will turn in the same direction, trapping the attacker between them.
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• High-Side Guns Pass
  Also known as a "Boom and Zoom" an attacker will dive into the rear quarter of a lower target, make a single gun pass, and use his diving speed to climb back up to his higher altitude. Once back at altitude, another attack can be launched. This maneuver is most often used by Interceptors to attack far more nimble Fighters.
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• Break/Counter-Break
  The absolute basic defensive maneuver, when being attacked from behind, throw your aircraft into a violent turn. The sudden violent turn will often catch the attacker by surprise, and he will be unable to follow.
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  The counter to this maneuver is for the attacker to throw his aircraft into a steep climb, use his reduced speed to turn sharply, then dive to get back onto his opponent's tail.
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• Immelmann/Split-S
  The Immelmann is a maneuver by which the aircraft pitches straight up, rolls to a new heading, then pitches down to fly in a new direction.
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  The Split-S is the reverse of this maneuver, first rolling inverted, pulling into a dive, then pitching up to resume level flight.
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• Low Speed Yo-Yo/High Speed Yo-Yo
  The Low Speed Yo-Yo involves dropping your nose while in a turn, and using the loss of altitude to increase your speed in the turn. This has the effect of "cutting the corner" on your enemy, but it is a risky maneuver, and leaves you prone to undershoot.
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  The High Speed Yo-Yo is the reverse, pitching up during a turn to shed airspeed, and turn tighter than your opponent.
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• Scissors
  If your opponent is faster and less maneuverable than you, and is too agressive and dumb to know it, you can catch him in a Scissors manuever to get behind him. This maneuver involves a series of reversing turns, each aircraft trying to turn inside the other, and the advantage goes to the slower, more maneuverable aircraft.
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• Guns Defense
  When everything else fails, resort to Guns-D. Simply flying as erratic and unpredictable path across the sky as possible, to spoil the attackers aim. This is a tactic of desperation, and should only be resorted to if everything else has failed. This will only work if your opponent is actively shooting at you, and is fully committed to his attack. A patient, smart opponent will simply bide his time, and carefully fire his bursts at you. When resorting to Guns-D, always fly in the direction of friendly players/AA guns, often their interference will be the only thing that saves your life at this point.
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• Defensive Spiral/Graveyard Spiral
  If you're maneuvering like crazy, and are rapidly running out of energy, the Defensive Spiral will buy you some time. Lock yourself into the tightest turn you can manage, and allow your nose to drop slightly. This will place you into a descending spiral, slowly recovering your energy, until you are able to make a break for it.
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  The opposite of this maneuver (What I call The Graveyard Spiral) can only be attempted if you have an energy advantage over your attacker. Roll into the tightest turn you can, but for this maneuver, pitch up slightly. This will place you into a slowly ascending spiral, that will drain your energy, and that of your opponent. Whichever one of you runs out of energy sooner, loses.
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  Images courtesy Wikipedia, and Combat Aircraft dot com