Screen Shots, Videos, Media, OFF Posters

[Shiloh 12]

Nice paint scheme Olham. Is that the number of kills for that pilot on the nose of that Spad?

Edited November 3, 2011 by Shiloh

[Olham 164]

Thanks, Shiloh. The black tail and white spinner are the typical Jasta markings.

But, where the heck do you read a NUMBER on the nose of that SPAD ???

[Shiloh 12]

I'm looking at the center bottom photo. Are those just vents?

[Burning Beard 14]

Those are vents.

 

Beard

[Olham 164]

Yep, vents, Shiloh. The SPAD had lots of them, also on the upper and underside - see here:

 

http://www.mincbergr...page=spad-vii-2

 

It doesn't have the comfortable view as the albatros, but the SPAD is a powerful plane.

You should give it a try some day. The SPAD XIII with it's twin guns, it's engine-powerful speed

and climb, and the stable dive of a rugged airframe make it possible for the pilot to always

dominate the situation, or to leave it.

Edited November 4, 2011 by Olham

[Shiloh 12]

Thanks for clarifying Beard and Olham. I knew the victory decals were prominent in WWII but thought maybe someone had adopted it earlier on. Nice site by the way.

 

I did start a campaign with a Spad VII pilot and flew some missions but the one thing that really turned me off was the less than 500 rounds (472 I believe) that I started a mission with. At the time my accuracy wasn't good and I was chewing through ammo before I could get a good chance at a victory. What you said about the speed, diving ability and durability reminds me of the SE5a Viper. Does the Spad XIII carry more rounds?

[+elephant 36]

I think Spad XIII had 400 rounds per gun...

 

Here is a rare example of victory markings in WWI:

 

 

[Shiloh 12]

.

You should give it a try some day. The SPAD XIII with it's twin guns, it's engine-powerful speed

and climb, and the stable dive of a rugged airframe make it possible for the pilot to always

dominate the situation, or to leave it.

 

Well I took your advice Olham and started up a Spad XII campaign with the American 13th starting in July, 1918. They are at Toul near Verdun and I thought I would benefit from the quieter region with a new craft I haven't flown before. I mixed it up with some Fok.D.VII's from Jasta 19 with a couple of aces and survived so not a bad first flight. The sights on my guns seemed way off otherwise I might have had a victory or two. Like you said I was able to escape trouble when I became outnumbered by hitting the throttle and running toward my lines.

 

I utilized Lothar's mod as well for the between-missions immersion and that was pretty interesting.

 

 

I think Spad XIII had 400 rounds per gun...

 

Here is a rare example of victory markings in WWI:

 

 

 

Thanks Elephant. I often wondered when that started and think it's one of the coolest things on WWII craft. This way you can just look at a guys plane and tell how badass he is.

Edited November 4, 2011 by Shiloh

[Olham 164]

Survived another great fight with Jasta 32, against Escadrille 90. There was one Nieuport 24 amongst the French,

that carried British roundels. I think his name was Pierre Weiss (which would be a German family name)???

Anyway - a lot of action east of Verdun!

 

 

Edited November 6, 2011 by Olham

[theultimat 5]

Wonderful shot Olham! Also, I have no idea why, but I just managed to have a flight almost consistently at 30 fps! I decided to take a screenshot of my first victim, a Fokker D.VII. I had no idea the skins were so detailed on normal resolution too!

 

 

[Olham 164]

Oh yes, they are. The high-res is only less pixelated.

If you want to have a look through the immense fund of skins in OFF, I recommend to download the freeware

IRFANVIEW here:

 

http://www.irfanview.de/

 

When you have it installed, you go here (whereever the sim is installed):

 

CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields > campaigns > CampaignData > skins

 

You will be amazed what you find there!

[theultimat 5]

Thanks for the tips, Olham! Downloaded Infranview a while back for dealing with sprites for some game I used to mod, but now I have DXTBmp, which works in the same way I think. I haven't looked around much yet, but the quality and detail of the skins just amazes me. Well done, Devs!

[Olham 164]

Just finished the work on another plywood fuselage for my Albatros. This time I found good textures

of Birch plywood, as they had used according to Vintage Aviator. Think I like the new one better.

 

Edited January 31, 2012 by Olham

[nbryant 8]

Olham you are a wizard as usual. If I may hunbly offer one critique. The plywood appears to be one continous panel based on the color bands running through the port side. Shouldn't each panel differ?

 

A not related question if anyone should know. Will P4 offer us a set of generic templates to allow those of us interested to explore our creativity?

[Olham 164]

If I may hunbly offer one critique. The plywood appears to be one continous panel based on the color bands running through the port side.

Shouldn't each panel differ?

They are all seperately done differing panels, nbryant - not so well visible in the glaring sun, maybe.

 

A not related question if anyone should know.

Will P4 offer us a set of generic templates to allow those of us interested to explore our creativity?

Well, even now you could already use each Jasta's basic (non-ace) skin as a template.

Or you use my latest Albatros D.V and D.Va skins from the download section - they carry no individual markings.

 

PS/Edit: Birch plywood doesn't show much characteristic grain.

 

.

Edited January 31, 2012 by Olham

[nbryant 8]

Ok, I see the differences between the upper panels and the side. It struck me differently at first.

[Olham 164]

As I said, with Birch plywood, you do not get noticable characteristic differences between the panels.

You can see that in the picture I took from the Albatros D.Va building photos of "The Vintage Aviator";

left is uncoated; right side is coated.

And damn - the right pic shows me, that I have forgotten some of the nail lines!

 

 

Edited January 31, 2012 by Olham

[Olham 164]

Still not found another campaign pilot to get merged with. But the new Jasta 15 guy is a promising candidate.

His first sortie was a great fight with the new French Nieuport 24.

The enemy squadron carried a black rooster emblem. Cheekily they attack the Jasta 15 patrol far within the

German line, and bitterly they paid for it - 5 of them were shot down, while we had two damaged craft.

 

My wingmen worked like perfectly fine clockwork. When my ammo was out, I guided them and distracted the

opponents - and they killed two within one minute! I think this could be the right Staffel.

 

 

[Olham 164]

Thought I'd have some quiet flying for the evening, and so I activated my Jasta 19 pilot at Buhl-Lorraine, Alsace.

Well, that was miles off - those Frenchies there gave me a hard time! Although we literally jumped them, they

turned with the speed and grace of swallows, and I really had to earn my victory.

Then - don't halloo 'till you're out of the wood! - came their ace! He had been waiting in the glaring sun. He shot

me up, it was hell. I saw a fireball overtaking me and I thought "Hey, what's that? A meteor?"

But it was my own Daimler Benz engine, which he had shot out of it's compartment!!!

Well, I made it gliding down and landing in one piece, thanks to Helmut Kranich - my wingman save the rest of

my Albatros and me. Who said, Alsace was quiet? Not in my sector, in June 1917!!!

 

 

[Olham 164]

Had to put my Jasta 15 crate down after getting shot up in a crossfire between two R.E.8 bombers.

Boy, those fellers know how defend themselves!

 

[carrick58 23]

Nail Lines: I had assumed that all were hand made but the lies seem too perfect. Now I wonder if they had some kind of Nail Gun or a Taped over Template to Nail the panels .

any one Know how they did it ?

Edited February 17, 2012 by carrick58

[Olham 164]

A pity, but the "Vintage Aviator" build photos do not show that, Carrick.

But they had to "hit" the fuselage frame spars with their nails, so the lining had to be quite accurate.

I would perhaps draw a fine pencil line, and set the nails along that.

Of course, if done by hand, you could expect they had the best handcraftsmen to do the job - back in

those days, this aircraft was what nowadays the F-18 is.

 

[+elephant 36]

Please don't flame me Olham, but you should switch places between the band and the cross on your new Jasta 15 kite.

The cross is placed in the OAW style, also the serial is not valid for a D.III...

 

[Olham 164]

I wanted the colour band aft of the crosses, that's why I picked an OAW-built Albatros for that design.

I don't always go nitpicking for historical correctness.

Did OAW also build the early D.III, or only the later version?

[+elephant 36]

Only later...

Many differences between the two planes, except from the most obvious... (the rudder).

Check out the D.III serials as well: