Show Me Your Moves!

Flight model

Flanker 2.0's flight model is quite good and superior to Flanker 1.0 or Flanker 1.5. The plane follows 6 Degrees of Freedom (6DoF) principles and "feels" right. Like all non-FBW aircraft, the plane will buffet when you reach the limits of its aerodynamics. In addition to the usual maneuvers in the air, you can also perform those maneuvers that the Russians first showed off in the late 1980's with the MIG-29 Fulcrum.

Preparing for Takeoff

Title Screen

The Cobra

One such trick was the "Cobra," where the plane pulls it nose up and past the vertical, which drops speed to just under 100 KPH. The plane loses very little altitude while continuing its acceleration. This maneuver caused a lot of speculation in Western circles. It was believed that this maneuver might cause problems for BVR (beyond visual range) missile shots and Doppler radars. However, as many know, the immediate loss of speed when entering into an A2A engagement is not thought of to be a very intelligent maneuver. Only the Boeing F/A-18C with its Enhanced Performance Engines (EPE) and excellent nose authority can come even close to performing this maneuver. Once it makes the initial vertical pull, its engines will stall due to lack of air coming into the engine intakes. Of course, the F-22 can perform this maneuver due to its thrust vectoring engines. Actually, the F-22 was tested to fly nose high in the vertical, backwards.

Cockpit shot

Training Screen

The Tail Slide

Another special maneuver that the Russian Su-27 can perform is the Tail Slide. The plane, while traveling at a cruise speed, pulls into a vertical climb and then allows the airspeed to bleed to zero. The plane then falls down to earth backwards. Once the nose comes over the top of the plane and it is once again pointed earthward, the Su-27's engines re-spool and power-turn out of the dive. If any Western aircraft were to try this, their engines would stall and recovery might be virtually impossible. The Su-27 and MiG-29 can perform these maneuvers due to special air intakes on the topside of their fuselage. Impressive!