Knife-Edge Pass

A good low-altitude maneuver is a knife-edge pass. The hard part of this maneuver is keeping the plane in a straight line; the aircraft wants to turn when banked on its side. This can be controlled somewhat by applying forward stick once you are perfectly sideways. Another problem is losing altitude during a knife edge. You can compensate for this by entering the maneuver in an attitude with the nose slightly high.

• Fly straight and level at 300 knots or more and descend to 500 feet. (1)
• Pull the nose up slightly and roll until you're flying perfectly sideways. Use forward pressure on the stick to maintain a constant heading. Hold this knife-edge position for several seconds. Keep your eye on your altitude. (2)
• Roll back into level flight and climb to 2000 feet. (3)

(image)

Return to: Starfighter Combat - Advanced Combat Maneuvers