He may have had a voice like the death throes of a bagpipe when he sang You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’, but boy could Top Gun’s Maverick fly a bird — and give one, upside down, to a Commie Mig pilot. Our wingman is non-Commie ex-fighter pilot, Nicolas Charvet, who’s promoting new game Ace Combat: Assault Horizon (out now).
Fig 1. “Begin the manoeuvre by approaching the target plane from behind. The fighter pilot should try to reach the same speed, and fly a tad lower than the target.”
Fig 2. “The second part of the manoeuvre is to do a half-roll to position the jet fighter upside down, in order to get both planes roof to roof. To do that, the pilot will slightly elevate the nose of the plane by pulling the stick, and then pushing the stick sharply either to the left or the right. The plane will start to roll, while gaining altitude. The pilot should stop the manoeuvre at half turn so he is totally above the target.”
Fig 3. “The position reached is very tricky as the fighter pilot must not rush to give the bird. First they must keep the aircraft level above the target. This is complicated as the plane is now flying upside down and the pilot will need to adjust by pulling on the stick, which feels quite unnatural in this position.”
Fig 4. “Once in a good situation, the fighter pilot should start elevating his left or right arm — the one that’s not controlling the stick, obviously — then fly while extending the middle finger and contracting the others into the palm of his hand. Finally say, ‘Watch the birdie’ and congratulate yourself on how much you crack yourself up.”
Images: Dave Hopkins at Phosphorart
