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Spad XIII diving down on a Pfalz D.IIIa In this particular case it appears as if the Spad XIII will easily destroy the Pfalz.  Such is not a certainty in these circumstances.  The Spad has several problems. First, it is diving and therefore going at considerable speed.  Even with throttle back, the Spad (because of its weight) will dive rapidly.  Second, the Pfalz pilot, aware of the danger, is turning perpendicular to the line of attack.  At the same time, he is raising the angle of attack, which bleeds off speed.  The Spad may get one solid burst in on the Pfalz before flashing past him.  What should the Spad pilot do at that point?  If he starts a turning maneuver, he will slow down considerably.  The Pfalz, by kicking rudder and side-slipping almost to the point of spinning, could turn on the Spad's "six" and unleash several good bursts.  The best thing the Spad pilot can do here is to FULL throttle and "zoom" past the Pfalz.  Because of the Pfalz bleeding off speed, the Spad will quickly pull away, after which the pilot can start climbing for another attack.  One of the key mistakes many real WW I pilots make, as well as virtual CFS pilots, is that they attempt to get into a twisting, turning dogfight with a plane not meant for such, like the Spad XIII.  Once they do that, they negate the very strength of the Spad (it's power and speed) and fight an opponent on their terms, often with fatal results.

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