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Overhead Break: Are We (Once Again) Doing it Wrong? After watching the recent MiG-29 landing tutorials, and remembering the debates that followed the earlier F-16 overhead break video, I thought it’s worth revisiting the overhead break (OHB) from a different perspective. The point is not just HOW to fly it, but WHY it was designed that way in the first place. Without that context, it’s easy to miss the purpose of the maneuver and fall into the same recurring mistakes we see in most DCS tutorials. TAC ATTACK - 1977: the "break" arrival has been designed to avoid the kills in the traffic pattern... As with the previous posts Runway Attacks in DCS World: Is (Almost) Everyone Doing It Wrong ??? and Flying Formations in DCS: Are We (Also) Doing It Wrong?, this is not about calling out individuals. We'll just treat visible mistakes as a learning opportunity, that's the basis of any serious debrief. What matters is understanding the tactical logic behind the OHB, and how to translate that into the sim with the right mindset. Below is a short list of the common errors that keep recurring in tutorial videos: Approaching slow, instead of keeping combat speed until the break Flying directly over the runway centerline instead of offsetting to the cold side Gentle 3G (and even less than 2G sometimes...) breaks that don’t place you properly abeam Eyes glued to the HUD instead of scanning outside Using the “45° cue” regardless of spacing, leading to huge base legs Flat final turns instead of rolling aggressively nose-low Touching down one-third into the runway like a civilian airliner instead of maximizing runway length Dropping the nose immediately on touchdown instead of using aerodynamic braking (unless chute-equipped, or not recommended for the aircraft type) Tutorial vs Reality... But the important is WHY such a difference? Missing the reasons for these errors defeats the whole point of the OHB: recover fast, safely, and tactically. I’ve tried to unpacked all of these points in a single article: combat origins, common mistakes, and practical guidance for executing the OHB properly in DCS. If you want to fly it like a real pylot, give it a read! Combat origins of the "Tactical" or "Battle" Break

Landing patterns at airbases Currently, AI aircraft can fly the overhead approach, enter the pattern, intercept final smoothly and make a landing pass only to the carriers. Does the Supercarrier Module do this, or is it in basic DCS? Like Supercarrier Case 1 (VFR) and Case 3 (IFR) landing patterns but for airbases. I think it would be a lot more efficient in recovering AI aircraft to the airbase. I don't know about other countries, but at US airbases, when weather permits, fixed-wing aircraft generally return to the base for landing by flying a high-speed visual approach to an overhead break, enter the landing pattern on the downwind, lower gear and flaps and fly smoothly to final and make a nice, quick, graceful landing...from formation flights of 1 thru 4 aircraft. ...just like AI makes to an aircraft carrier, now. Can we get that? Can we also get the option to put AI aircraft in a practice PAR pattern in VFR conditions and actual PAR pattern in IFR conditions at airbases? Also, can the AI aircraft do a realistic, long, smooth roll-out after landing instead of the current touchdown and "super-braking" and "super-accelerating"? Bombing patterns Can we also have an option in ME to set AI aircraft into a bombing pattern, as described starting at time 12:36 to 15:15 in this video, "U.S. AIR FORCE F-4 PHANTOM CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS DELIVERY DIVE BOMBING TRAINING FILM 68924". This is perfect for a flight of 4, but could also work for 1, 2 or 3 aircraft, where a user-piloted plane could be flown in an open position in the flight, if desired. I've read accounts of this and similar patterns being used in Vietnam to attack targets. I think generally on lightly defended targets, though. This is an example of a simple dive-bombing deliver. There could also be a similar pattern with a low-level, 500' AGL approach from base-leg to final with a 45-degree offset final to a pop-up maneuver to make the dive delivery, and a jinking climb to pattern altitude after pull-off from the dive delivery. These patterns probably work primarily in lightly defended environments not defended by modern SAM systems.