| Deflection Shooting: If the enemy plane is moving directly toward (head on) or away from you, you have to close to the distance necessary for your weapon to be effective, take aim and fire. This situation is known as a direct, or zero deflection shot-the rare instance when the forward movement of the plane dose not affect where you aim. In the more frequent situation where you must fire your shot from an angle, rather than from directly in front or behind the enemy craft, you must take the enemy's forward movement into account and aim not where he is the instant you fire, but where he will be by the time your bullets reach his craft. This "leading" with your aim to place your bullets in a place that the enemy will be is known as deflection shooting. To determine the correct "lead" in deflection shooting, you must consider how fast the enemy craft is moving and your angle of firing relative to his position. It is a skill that requires enormous practice, learning to visually gauge target speed and estimate the proper lead. The U.S. Navy knew this and began training pilots in the art of deflection shooting in the early 1920's. Using deflection shooting, they could approach an enemy aircraft from nearly any angle with a good chance of hitting the target. | |