Roll rate: 720 degrees per second - what a head-bouncer! We could get
the Zipper to roll a but faster by stomping on teh rudder to yaw it -
the A-model's manual rudder took a good hard stomp, though.
Seriously, rolls are used to set a bank angle so you can change
direction by using the pitch control and piling on G. - some older
fighters do not roll very fast at high indicated airspeed so a faster
roll rate helps you either nail or shake them.
MiG15/17 run into trouble rolling in the transonic area. Unfortunately
all later fighters AFIK do not have this problem.
As for fancy corkscrew maneuvers to shed another guy - if he knows
what he's doing he'll lag you, stay back a ways, refuse to commit, and
wait for you to **** off all your energy and then he will shoot you
down. Besides, even if you do shake him, what has his wingman been
doing all this time? Getting into position on you, that's what. The
other thing - once you turned up in 90 degrees of bank guys 20 mies
away saw you and guys 100 miles away had you on radar.
BTW we trained in and adopted 'loose deuce' back in the 60s - I
should think that is a pretty wide-spread tactic at least in the
serious air forces by now. You might have Lead trapped at six but what
is Two doing???
Walt BJ