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Standard Operational Procedures for
No. 122 Wing RAF Jever
                               RESTRICTED.                     Page 31

19.  Decide on the speeds to be used. The factors against using very high
seeds are:-

     (a)  Fuel consumption

     (b)  Difficulty in navigation

     (c)  Inaccuracies in turns.

The best defence going towards the target is usually the aircraft's relative
invisibility and the element of surprise. It is therefore often the best
policy to accept a speed near the range speed of the aircraft thus giving the
pilot a reduced navigational problem and more fuel for the return.

20.  Calculate true airspeeds from indicated airspeeds and record them.
At 250' there is often a difference of 10 knots.

21.  Calculate courses and groundspeeds and record them.

22.  Calculate times to the nearest second, or on long legs as near as can
be read on the computor.

23.  Plan a timed run of a minute or less from some unmistakeable feature
to the target. It is vitally important that the pull up point is made "on the
nose". A very small error at this final stage may mean pulling up and not
seeing the target because you may be looking in the wrong place, or being unable
to make an attack without repositioning. In either case every second spent after
the fighter has shown itself enables defenders to bring guns to bear.

24.  Insert times to pinpoints, or line features.

25.  Calculate safety courses and times to diversion airfields from the
target area or other focal point.

26.  Enter fuel used and fuel remaining on the flight plan.

27.  Calculate where the "Bingo" should be.

28.  Recheck calculations.

29.  Duplicate the essential points of the flight plan on the map or
kneepad.

Review of Sortie.

30.  Measurement of tracks. It is inadvisable to measure tracks from super-
imposed military grids. If however this is done the relationship between true
North and grid North for the particular area in question should be known. This
information is usually given on the edge of the map itself.

31.  Variation. The numerical value is given  on the map and the nearest isogonal
should be used. These values are decreasing at the rate of ½ degree every four
years. The correction must be added, (West), or subtracted, (East), to give
the magnetic heading.

32.  Length of Sortie. Avoid complicated routeing. It is easy to become
carried away by every consideration resulting in a plan which is difficult to follow
and expensive on fuel.

                                                            /33.

                                 RESTRICTED.
(Thanks to Chris Stone for being the Technical Advisor for this series.)
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