Split S

The Split S is an air combat maneuver mostly used to disengage from combat. To execute a Split S, the pilot half-rolls his aircraft inverted and executes a descending half-loop, resulting in level flight in the exact opposite direction at a lower altitude.

The Split S is taught to be used in dogfighting when the pilot has the opportunity to withdraw from battle. Contrary to popular belief, this maneuver is almost never used to evade target-locked air-to-air missiles. However, it can be an effective tactic to prevent an enemy behind (between eight o'clock and four o'clock positions) from gaining a missile lock while one is disengaging from a fight.

The Split S maneuver is contrasted with the Immelmann turn, which is an ascending half-loop that finishes with a half-roll out, resulting in level flight in the exact opposite direction at a higher altitude. The Split S is also called a reversed Immelmann turn, or can be listed with a hyphen as Split-S.

See also

*Chandelle
*The Scissors
*Thach Weave

Pop Culture

*In Top Gun (film), Charlie makes reference to footage of an aircraft performing a Split S.
*Numerous video games involving air combat typically provide tutorials on ACMs, including the Split S.

External links

* [http://www.fulldeflection.com Aerobatic maneuver website]