Creative & Culture

How To Be A Great Wingman

There she is, target acquired, your best friend is about to make his move. But you can let him go into battle alone, you soldier are his comrade, his amigo, his wingman. It's up to you to make sure he makes the right choice, and know when to disengage before he crashes and burns. Here's what any good wingman needs to know. Pay attention! Enlarge

How To Be A Great Wingman

There she is, target acquired, your best friend is about to make his move. But you can let him go into battle alone, you soldier are his comrade, his amigo, his wingman. It's up to you to make sure he makes the right choice, and know when to disengage before he crashes and burns. Here's what any good wingman needs to know. Pay attention!

Step 1: Full Throttle

Your first priority is to boost your comrades confidence and self esteem. Your Maverick needs to feel like he can fly full throttle into a melee of short-skirted supermodels, fearless avoiding ridicule, the least you can do convince him he's the man, a handsome heartthrob, but over do it, he may get the wrong idea about you

Step 2: Kamikaze

Jetting in under the radar, dodging bogey and drawing fire from rough-terrain and automated defense systems. The wingman should attack straight on to ensure that the easier targets remain vulnerable enough to be picked off from the flank, by even the most girl-shy shandy-drinking pal. Be warned though - go in too fast or too low - and both you and your mate could crash and burn up Kamikaze-style.

Step 3: The Dogfight

Once a target has been selected the wingman should fire off a few heat seekers, stories that make his mate sound like a Brad Pitt / George Clooney cross-breed. Hand gestures will always help. The wingman should also keep an eye on fuel levels so that there's no need for his friend to abandon the flight plan.

Step 4: Interception

Listen Up. The most important role of any wingman is to intercept incoming bogeys and knock them off the radar. If the target is engaged by a rogue squadron the wingman should make radio contact and negotiate a new flight path.

Beware If the bogey is female, the wingman should be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice. All this should allow your co-pilot enough time to lower his flaps and line himself up for a smooth landing..