GREAT AVIATION QUOTES
Edward \'Mick\' Mannock


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Good flying never killed an enemy.

Attributed to Major Edward 'Mick' Mannock, RAF

Ranking British fighter ace of WWI, credited with 61 combat victories. Cited in 2008 book Mannock: The Life and Death of Major Edward Mannock VC, DSO, MC, RAF.

Mick Mannock

See one other Edward 'Mick' Mannock great aviation quote.

Mannocks’s Rules of Air Fighting

Always Above, seldom on the same level; never underneath.

Pilots must dive to attack with zest, and must hold their fire until they get within one hundred yards of the target.

Achieve surprise by approaching from the East (From the German side of the front.)

Utilize the sun’s glare and clouds to achieve surprise.

Pilots must keep physically fit by exercise and the moderate use of stimulants.

Pilots must sight their guns and practice as much as possible as targets are normally fleeting.

Pilots must practice spotting machines in the air and recognizing them at long range, and every aeroplane is to be treated as an enemy until it is certain it is not.

Pilots must learn where the enemy’s blind spots are.

Scouts must attacked from above and two-seaters from beneath their tails to take advantage of hte observer’s blindspot.

Pilots must practice quick turns, as this manoeuvre is used more than any other in a fight.

Formation flying at 25 yards must be practised.

Pilots must practice judging distances in the air as these are very deceptive.

Decoys must be guarded against — a single enemy is often a decoy — therefore the air above should be searched before attacking.

If the day is sunny, machines should be turned with as little bank as possible; otherwise the sun glistening on the wings will give away their presence at a long range.

Pilots must keep turning in a dogfight and never fly straight except when firing.

Pilots must never, under any circumstances, dive away from an enemy, as he gives his opponent a non-deflection shot — bullets are faster than aeroplanes.

Pilots must keep an eye on their watches during patrols, and on the direction and strength of the wind.

Flight commander Edward 'Mick' Mannock, RFC and RAF

61 combat victories in WWI. Mannock was a pioneer of fighter aircraft tactics in aerial warfare, these rules were first issued to the pilots under his command in June 1917.

There are several versions of the 15 rules published, with slightly differing language. This version is from “Always Above”: Major Edward 'Mick' Mannock in World War I, published in the journal of the Air Force Historical Foundation, Air Power History, Vol. 53, No. 1, Spring 2006, pp. 28-43.

Mannock's Rules on Air Combat

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