Ideal Behaviors (UOAF)

This is a post originally written by DarkFib3r on the forums about what sort of behavior is expected for flying with UOAF. I've copied it here in lieu of having it pinned and hopefully this will make it easier to evolve the list.

Introduction

So, you want to fly UOAF events, but you don't know if you are ready. You have played your simulation and you think you have the basics down, but you are not sure if it is enough to actually fly with a dedicated group who flies regularly together in a difficult campaign. Or, you have already been flying with UOAF but you want to take it to the next level and start leading more flights, but you are not sure what the minimal expectations are to perform this competently? Or, you are a UOAF veteran and you are concerned that the squadron is not reaching its full potential and realize that specifying what you expect from each pilot in each role needs to be done to push performance higher.

The purpose of this post is to outline the key ideal OBSERVABLE behaviors that are expected of the different roles on UOAF, from general pilot, to flight lead, to package lead, and even to UOAF squadron members. If you are new to UOAF, simply evaluate your ability to perform these behaviors. If there are some that you think you need work on, spend time developing the skills required to perform them. Even if you have been flying with UOAF for a while, there may be behaviors that you are not exhibiting regularly that could help everyone.

Some of these behaviors have been identified in other posts (namely VKing and DeathStrike's Getting Started Guide and many of Krause's posts) and I have included them here. The intent is that this would be the master list of desired behaviors for UOAF members that can be expanded and modified as we gain additional proficiency.

First, the ideal behaviors come from the principles held by the squadron. These are outlined in UO and UOAF SOPs but I feel they can be summarized as follows:

• Entertainment
• Respect
• Professionalism
• Teamwork
• Employment of realistic strategies and tactics

Ideal behaviors driven by these principles are only expected based on a specific role you may play. Here is a list of the different roles and what I think are expected UOAF ideal behaviors:

Positions

Pilots

• These apply to anyone who wants to fly a UOAF event.
• Take a role in a mission that you are capable of performing adequately (e.g. escort if you are competent at air-to-air, SEAD if you know how to use HARMS and CBUs, OCA if you know how to drop BLU-107s at low altitude and can do NOE approaches, strike if you know how to use LGBs and JDAMs, etc)
• Strive to develop competency in all missions (air-to-air, air-to-ground) in all forms (high altitude, low altitude, pop-ups, poor weather, etc)
• Listen to mission briefings and understand mission, threats, role of self, role of elements, role of flight, and role of package
• Make the number of your takeoffs equal the number of your landings
• Safely land in accordance with lead's instructions in VFR or IFR conditions
• Safely take off in accordance with lead's instructions in VFR or IFR conditions
• Fly safely in respect to other aircraft and in respect to the ground
• Fly in formation in accordance with lead's instructions
• Avoid known threat envelopes unless required by mission
• Call out SAM launches to the package including direction and estimated range over UHF
• Visually identify and actively dodge SAMs
• Actively defend against AAA
• Identify bearing and range of threats to your own ship that you deconstruct from a bullseye call
• Communicate new pop-up threats on RWR that are an immediate threat to flight
• Use the FCR to scan for aircraft at various ranges and altitudes using RWS or TWS and be able to lock onto and track a target
• Communicate buddy spikes referencing your own ship bullseye and altitude to package over UHF
• Positively ID a target before firing at it
• Make Ray Gun calls on any soft-locked radar contacts at BVR over UHF, referencing bullseye and altitude, which have not already been positively identified
• Share target data through the FCR to other flight members
• Fire your AA missiles when there is no risk of them locking onto a friendly aircraft
• Communicate Fox3 shots over UHF with bullseye and altitude references
• Use brevity whenever possible over radios
• Speak English and be clear and concise with your language (brevity can really help you and your team here if English is not your primary language)
• Whenever lead gives you an order, respond with your callsign and respond in order, only skip someone's turn if the guy before you did not check in after 5 seconds or so
• When you’re being attacked give an engaged defensive call
• When you are attacking give an engaging call followed by the BRAA or bullseye of the target
• Update data link list with other flights, as instructed by Package Lead

UOAF Squadron Member

This is for anyone who is on the active roster for UOAF pilots

• Take lead positions on a mission, if available
• Frag a mission, or provide assistance to a mission fragger, as required
• Answer questions and assist users in TeamSpeak
• Provide feedback about player behaviors during a flight
• Assess the readiness of pilots for events

Flight Lead

Anyone in the number 1 position of a flight

• Maintain Package Leads intent and follow the fragged plan as best able
• Identify and communicate priority of targets to flight and package
• Communicate flight plan, including coordination with other flights, during the mission brief
• Request strategy changes for the flight from the Package Lead
• Sort and assign targets to Wingman #2
• Declare contacts to flight and package
• Contact AWACS to request picture
• Contact AWACS to declare a target
• Communicate changes in posture to the rest of the flight
• Coordinate with other flight leads when engaging targets and ensure that all flights know who they need to focus on
• Issue orders to flight members to help further the mission or to keep the players safe
• Navigate and maintain carat speed
• Request support from other elements or flights, as required
• Coordinate and communicate employment of flights tactic with element lead
• Host data link for package, as advised by Package Lead in mission brief
• Notify the package upon completion of your mission
• Make changes to a flight loadout to best accomplish the mission

Element Lead

Anyone in the number 3 position of a flight

• Maintain Flight Leads intent and follow the fragged plan as best able
• Sort and assign targets to Wingman #4
• Coordinate and communicate employment of flight tactics with flight lead
• Assume flight lead responsibilities if flight lead is unable
• Contact AWACS to declare a target
• Suggest changes regarding loadout to a flight lead to best accomplish the mission
• Attack targets the leads assign to you, and attack targets on your own discretion only if they directly threaten you or other members of the flight and you have a confirmation that they are hostile by visual means
• Support the lead tactically - this is a very diverse topic, but it ultimately means that if he is attacking, you should be making sure he doesn't get killed; If in doubt, stay on his wing

Wingman #2

• Keep flight lead in visual at all times unless ordered otherwise
• Attack targets the leads assign to you, and attack targets on your own discretion only if they directly threaten you or other members of the flight and you have a confirmation that they are hostile by visual means
• Support the lead tactically - this is a very diverse topic, but it ultimately means that if he is attacking, you should be making sure he doesn't get killed; If in doubt, stay on his wing
• Assume flight lead responsibilities if element lead is unable

Wingman #4

• Keep element lead in visual at all times unless ordered otherwise
• Attack targets the leads assign to you, and attack targets on your own discretion only if they directly threaten you or other members of the flight and you have a confirmation that they are hostile by visual means
• Support the lead tactically - this is a very diverse topic, but it ultimately means that if he is attacking, you should be making sure he doesn't get killed; If in doubt, stay on his wing

Package Lead

• Outline intent of the mission and define the success factors during the briefing
• Identify threats to the mission (e.g. air defences, active airbases, aircraft threats) during the mission brief
• Define radio channels and data link hosting to be used for the mission
• Order or approve strategy changes during the mission to flight leads
• Signal success or failure of the mission to package and authorize RTB
• Post AAR if package leading an event mission

For example, a player who is Wingman #4 would be expected to exhibit ideal pilot behaviors and ideal Wingman #4 behaviors. UOAF squadron members are expected to perform any role and exhibit ALL of the role behaviors. This provides clear direction about what is expected of you.

Systems Proficiencies

Now, having these general role-based behaviors is good, but it is not enough. You also need to have systems proficiency. Well, there are ideal behaviors for those, too:

Air-to-Air

• Optimally employ AA missiles (radar and heat seeking)
• Crank after firing a radar missile so that you give it time to go pitbull without increasing your closure
• Employing appropriate countermeasures and dodging enemy air missiles
• Loft AMRAAMs
• Use HMCS and employee high aspect off-boresight weapons (e.g. AIM-9X)
• Participate in a grinder
• Optimally employ guns
• Clear a friendly aircraft's 6-o'clock position
• Determine if a contact is threatening and determine its intention from information on the FCR
• Able to visually pick out maneuvering aircraft and determine their intention
• Manage closure and fuselage alignment in relation to another aircraft
• Communicate break commands to friendlies when required

Air-to-Ground

• Recon and assign targets for ground strikes
• Use the FCR to locate stationary (GM) and moving (GMT) targets
• Use steerpoint and snowplow modes in FCR and reset the cursor when required
• Use the TGP to identify targets
• Employ the laser for LGB attacks
• Employ JDAMs
• Drop bombs using CCIP or CCRP mode
• Conduct dive bombing attacks
• Loft bombs
• Employ HARMs using HAD or HARM WPN page
• Employ Mavericks through FCR slave or visual modes
• Line up length-wise along a column for an attack
• Configure CBU burst altitudes
• Configure bomb fuze arming delays
• Change ripples and impact spacing of bombs
• Employ low altitude bombs (BLU-107s, ballute bombs) in CCIP
• Communicate with flight when conducting a ground attack
• Employing appropriate countermeasures and dodging enemy surface to air missiles
• Conduct effective BDA on targets after impact

With these role-based behaviors, pilots know what is absolutely expected of them, right down to the expectations of leads and wingmen. If somebody does not perform an ideal behavior, or worse, performs an anti-behavior, UOAF veterans have something to coach towards. If you, as a new player, wants to know if you can fly on the events, look at the ideal behaviors and verify that you can exhibit them in the role you are likely to be assigned to. If you can, welcome aboard. If not, let us point you in the right direction so you can gain the specific competencies required.

Please feel free to suggest additional behaviors that you feel need to be on this list. By maintaining this list and constantly improving it, we can help fast-track new pilots onto events by arming them with the skills they need and we can strive to push our own performance even higher.