Appendix 11 - Purpose of this Manual

Air Warrior is a multiplayer combat flight simulator. For WWII aviation enthusiasts like me, it's a dream come true. For more information about what Air Warrior is, how to obtain the necessary software, and how to get on-line to play, read the"Getting Started in Air Warrior" appendix. The information included herein is applicable to all current Air-Warrior software: Air Warrior III, Air Warrior for Windows, Air Warrior for Windows 95, and Air Warrior for the Macintosh.

This manual started out as a project for the Air-Warrior Training Academy back in the days when GEnie was the main place for Air Warrior. Since then, Air Warrior has expanded to many more on-line services, and it seems that there is a need for a manual on how "to fly and fight" not just for students of the Academy but for new pilots in general. This manual is a step in the right direction, although I suspect that it will be updated from time to time.

Air combat is a very complicated business, and since Air Warrior is quite realistic, there is a steep learning curve. The purpose of this manual is not to eliminate the need for lots of in-flight experience -- no manual can do that -- it's purpose is to speed your progress. Keep in mind that, even if you aren't in the Training Academy, doing the in-flight exercises at the end of each chapter is highly recommended.

This manual starts out with some basic concepts, but it rapidly gets into the meat of Air Warrior, subjects such as air-combat maneuvering (ACM), the strong and weak points of the various aircraft, and fighting tips from some Air-Warrior veterans. The appendices give some auxiliary information on topics such as historical scenarios (which are, in my opinion, the greatest fun in Air Warrior) and recommended books and movies.

Parts of this manual describe character sequences to hit on your keyboard. These sequences are correct as of the date this manual was written, but there is no guarantee that they won't change with updates to the Air-Warrior program. If you have problems with the commands, consult your manual or the help page in the program (by pressing the "F1" key). The general notation used in this manual is that the character sequence is given in quotes, and any special keys are given in angle brackets, such as "<Enter>" for pressing the "Enter" key. For example, "'*go<Enter>" would mean that you hit the "'" key (the apostrophe key), the "*" key (shift-8 or the asterisk), the "g" key, the "o" key, and finally the "Enter" key.

There is an appendix that gives definitions of some of the common Air-Warrior terminology (the "Definitions" appendix). So, if you come across some unknown words or abbreviations, take a look there. Speeds listed in this manual are for indicated airspeed (as opposed to true airspeed) in knots unless otherwise noted.

This manual was originally laid out so that, each week, Academy pilots could read a chapter, practice the exercises (flying off-line for an hour or two), and spend several hours on-line flying for a time commitment of about 5-10 hours per week. That should give you some estimate of the time requirement to get through the whole thing. This manual was also laid out for instruction in full realism (i.e., with stalls, blackouts, redouts, spins, etc. all turned on). Why set out to learn anything less? (Still, most of the information in this manual is applicable to arenas with less than full realism.)

Like many things in Air Warrior, this manual is a collaborative effort of enthusiasts who put in the time because they love the game and want to see it thrive. Each contributor is listed by handle under the title of the section he wrote, and there is some biographical information in the "Biographies of Contributors" appendix, which includes e-mail addresses of contributors.

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