Your longest lasting pilot

[Launchbury]

My main pilot just said hello to the grave after exactly 1 month (16 Sept. to 16 Oct.), 24 missions, 9 hours and 10 kills. I was wondering how long your longest guys have lasted, for length of career, number of missions, time in the air. Has anyone lasted a year?

 

BTW my missions seem high but a lot of missions started in the rain so I scrubbed them immediately. It would record a mission but not any flight hours.

Edited July 2, 2009 by Launchbury

[SirMike1983]

During periods of aerial dominance of the plane I'm using, I've had pilots go until the next release of OFF came out. This was the case where I had a pilot start in N.11, move up to N.17, then into Spad VII. Then OFF 3 came out and he naturally retired with Phase 2. This is partly because those allied planes were facing Eindeckers and Alb. D.IIs, which I beat up on (especially E.III vs N.17). It's a lot harder to last in a Spad XIII vs. D.VIIs in OFF 3. The AI is better in OFF 3 too. So I guess to really answer this, you'd have to limit it to OFF 3 pilots.

Edited July 2, 2009 by SirMike1983

[CaptSopwith]

At the moment? About a day and a half....

[Guest British_eh]

Pilot have been enlisted flying the DR1, SE5a, SE5 Viper, Sopwith Tripe, N 17, and occasionally the Brifit, Camel, and DVII. In P2 I had 6 or so pilots over 17 hours. In P3, the longevity has been abysmal, at a high of 4.33 hours :{.

 

All pilots were created at the start of each planes introduction, and flying with an "Elite" or "Good" squadron. Settings are at 100% Realism with Hardcore DM.

 

Apparently I need so help /assistance/ more luck, or an invincible pilot like Uncleal.

 

 

Cheers,

 

British_eh

[Hellshade]

I had a pilot last 168 real life hours (7 actual days!)

 

Then I came back from my Honeymoon. I think he died 2 missions after that.

 

Hellshade

[Rickitycrate]

I had a pilot last 168 real life hours (7 actual days!)

 

Then I came back from my Honeymoon. I think he died 2 missions after that.

 

Hellshade

 

You need to get married again. Simple.

[Duce Lewis]

My top guy was 9 hours in a DVII, May/June 1918

Don't know the other particulars as I just delete them

[+Olham]

My best one so far - still no 17 hours!

[CaptSopwith]

My best one so far - still no 17 hours!

 

You're nearly there though!

 

...though I probably just jinxed your pilot. Might I recommend carrying a lucky rabbits foot next time up?

[+Olham]

No use - he is deceased since some time - crashed into a SPAD he just shot up.

I only wouldn't erase his log yet.

Edited July 2, 2009 by Olham

[CaptSopwith]

No use - he is deceased since some time - crashed into a SPAD he just shot up.

I only wouldn't erase his log yet.

 

Lot of that going on lately!

[Hellshade]

You need to get married again. Simple.

 

I just got married on June 20th. I spent the next week Honeymooning in Key West. Just beautiful there. The only reason my pilot lasted a week is because I didn't play OFF. Anyways, I'm going to do my best to get married only once. That said, I sure wouldn't mind another week in Key West!

 

As for actual pilot lifespan. I don't think I've even broke 5 hours yet...and I cheat with labels, TAC, unlimited fuel and warping. I do have air activity on Heavy though. That does make for an awful lot of good action, but a short life as well.

 

Hellshade

[JimAttrill]

My BE2c pilot made it to 23 hours and one kill. Met his end last night. I think he only lasted that long because there weren't many EA around in 1915....

[Macklroy]

My longest lasting pilot hit 22 hours before he was killed in an accident on the runway, when his wingman got a little overzelous with the throttle and smashed into his craft killing him instantly.

 

DOH!

 

My second longest is my current pilot at 12hrs.

[Peeppu]

68 hours with 56.sq. Shot down by infernal Archie during bombing attack on ground targets.

[+Olham]

Hellshade: ...and I cheat with labels, TAC, unlimited fuel and warping. I do have air activity on Heavy though. That does make for an awful lot of good action, but a short life as well.

 

Well, TAC and warping are even allowed in DiD Standard, so it's not really regarded as cheating.

Unlimited fuel is not necessary. Look into the briefing - at the right board it's said how far the whole

round trip will be. Choose a different flight, if you want it shorter; then fill in 150 - 200 % of the

amount of petrol in - that should work (well, sometimes combats take longer, but then you must only

back behind your lines and land anywhere there.)

 

For the activity you want: my advice is, set it on normal or medium or how it's called.

Then enlist three pilots.

1. low action/activity: 1916

2. medium action: 1917

3. high activity: 1918

 

Simple as that.

[+Winder]

My BE2c pilot made it to 23 hours and one kill. Met his end last night. I think he only lasted that long because there weren't many EA around in 1915....

 

 

 

I believe that you deserve an OFF MOH.... well done!

 

The only way to survive in OFF is to believe that you will die and to preserve your butt!!

 

Its hard to convey that in a game but it is what it takes to survive...

 

WM

[Creaghorn]

Hellshade: ...and I cheat with labels, TAC, unlimited fuel and warping. I do have air activity on Heavy though. That does make for an awful lot of good action, but a short life as well.

 

Well, TAC and warping are even allowed in DiD Standard, so it's not really regarded as cheating.

Unlimited fuel is not necessary. Look into the briefing - at the right board it's said how far the whole

round trip will be. Choose a different flight, if you want it shorter; then fill in 150 - 200 % of the

amount of petrol in - that should work (well, sometimes combats take longer, but then you must only

back behind your lines and land anywhere there.)

 

For the activity you want: my advice is, set it on normal or medium or how it's called.

Then enlist three pilots.

1. low action/activity: 1916

2. medium action: 1917

3. high activity: 1918

 

Simple as that.

 

 

warping maybe because of time issues (but with a little bit bad feeling). i warp till i get pulled out the first time. rest is in realtime. but why tac on DiD??? that's the cheat of the cheats? labels are too big time cheating because you don't have to look for specks, but only for big letters on the screen. it's a different (more realistic) world in the theater when you have to scan the skies for dots in the distance.

IMHO screen res is no argument for using tac, because the specks are quite realistic visible. and the default cockpitview is too far. as soon as one enters the cockpit, he should zoom one notch. the world looks more realistic then. then a plane next to you at the airfield is a plane, not a hobbits scaled down toy . just a tipp. try it. then one will also see specks more realistic.

 

sorry, didn' want to sound bitter, but was surprised tac is "allowed" in DiD standarts. IMHO it should definitely not.

[+Dej]

My only killboard pilot: Llewellyn Rhys, 56 Sqn. RFC is still my longest lived at 113 days, 36 logged flights, 19 hours (not 18 as on killboard). Killed in a collision with a friendly aircraft - as often seems to happen once past 17.5 hours. Died on 25th July 1917.

Edited July 3, 2009 by Dej

[CaptSopwith]

So would it be safe to say at this point, that no one has survived the war and reached 17 hours at the same time?

[Rickitycrate]

Ich habe 17.4 uhr mitt mein deutsch flieger, tot ist tot. Er is tote!

[+Olham]

Very few aces, like Udet, had a great kill tally (which shows they saw action) AND survived the war.

But soe did.

Creaghorn, as far as I remeber, had already some 60 hours? Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Creaghorn, you are right about the TAC, with the exception to mention, that the AI can see us as if

they used TAC - they ALWAYS find you.

But my next DiD pilot, I want to fly without - just for the thrill of more reality; however far he may get.

[Creaghorn]

Very few aces, like Udet, had a great kill tally (which shows they saw action) AND survived the war.

But soe did.

Creaghorn, as far as I remeber, had already some 60 hours? Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Creaghorn, you are right about the TAC, with the exception to mention, that the AI can see us as if

they used TAC - they ALWAYS find you.

But my next DiD pilot, I want to fly without - just for the thrill of more reality; however far he may get.

 

 

actually i had about 185 hours, but i am not sure. got to check and post it . my current one has something 100+ right now, began sept.1916 and currently i am in may 1917 with 16 kills confirmed. once i got shot at, at treetoplevel and had to crashland. i landed smoothly, but short before ditching my pilot got wounded, but not lethal and i still was able to keep control(heard him scream). back in menu it was just a logged flight. to be honest and fair to myself, i put him into hospital for 10 days (advancing day for day). we will see how long he will do it .

 

i must say that i very rarely get surprised by enemies. maybe i am just trained enough for it, constantly scanning the skies and groundarea, but almost always i see specks in time to react. but sometimes i get surprised too, and since i always lead (i decide when to attack, not AI leader who always attacks everything) it mostly hit somebody from my formation first. of course i feel bad then because i didn't do my job good enough. but this is what i call realism.

 

please try it olham. it's such a difference in thrill and realism.it's not "that" bad with AI. otherwise i wouldn't survive so often that long. to be honest, the 17h mark is rather no problem and i don't really pay much attention to it. the thrill finding somebody, or getting surprised, scanning the skies, not knowing if you are stalked, looking for your mates who are maybe still fighting with 5 enemies, and you got lost and have to find them. that's all things you don't have with tac and labels and stuff like this. tac and labels are really an immersion killer.

and try to zoom the overall view one notch. the distances and sizes look more realistic and specks are little easier to see. by the way, your FPS will jump also at least 15 frames.

clouds on 5. AI can't see through them.

always lead. so you won't fight 5 times each sortie. you can't fight what you can't see, and AI is going to see you less either.

 

and most important, mostly sim pilots die a lot and soon because their attitude is not about surviving. too many frank lukes around. but if one knows he will create a new pilot he won't have not at all the attitude he would have in REAL. in REAL he would be much much more selective, much less heroic, much more smart/cowardish. because there is only one life. that's why i'm not impressed by 30 kills in 5 hours in 2 days. lot of flying hours in DiD without visual aids are impressing me .

 

just imagine you are alone in a bar and 3 guys are looking for trouble with you, who are twice as big as you and obviously stronger and maybe have got knives. you will consider your advantage and disadvantages in seconds and decide what to do. you will fight only if absolutely no other possibility, because you know it's about your life or at least broken bones or something. you wouldn't go to them looking for trouble. but in a game you would. what i am trying to say, that is how the approach in this sim should be. what you do in real.

i am sure with the right attitude everybody would survive much much longer.

[+Olham]

Creaghorn, you must be the most honest DiD Campaigner here, I assume. So, put that pilot into Siggi's killboard - he belongs there.

 

Admitted: I am always SEARCHING for trouble; that's why I'm with Jasta 28w in Wasquehal.

And right: in real life I would not act the same way (at least I hope so - Lol! Although I have recently been like that,

and was very lucky I suppose: 4 guys, as wide as high, came with their sport bags from our Fitness Studio, filling up

the whole sidewalk. I rammed right through them without stopping. They shouted "Eyh!'s" and I looked round and said,

that even bodybuilders couldn't fill up the whole sidewalk. They went on - perhaps it flattered them).

 

As I said earlier: once that one of my recent pilots dies, I will start one the "Creaghorn Way" at last.

[UK_Widowmaker]

Hmm..Longest lasting Pilot?...now there's a thing!

 

Not sure I've had one of those yet!