Knights of the Sky series

[Broadside uda Barn]

Saw a post regarding this series over on SimHQ awhile back.

There are 8 parts to the series here on youtube.

enjoy!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmu-UdAAKdY...feature=related

 

 

Interestingly, they state that the average life expectancy of a pilot in 1917 was 12 days. I had remembered 2 weeks, but

it's pretty much the same.... However, 17 hours is a lot different than 12 days in OFF.

 

Uda

[+Olham]

Maybe, the sorties were not that long? But true - even if you have 1-hour-sorties, and 2 per day,

you would have about 6 days - not twelve. And often they had three sorties, and more than one hour.

[rabu]

Excellent film, thanks! They actually said it was 11 days, but that still sounds like a lot longer then 17 hours. Does any one remember where the 17 hour phrase came from.. maybe it was for the French?

[+RAF_Louvert]

Times of the sorties varied a lot based on the objectives of the mission, distances to be flown, weather, and contact with the enemy. From the books and reports I've read it would appear that patrols by scout flights were on average about 90 to 120 minutes long, (barring contact with the enemy), and during peak periods scout pilots could fly upwards of four missions a day. The same holds true for the B/R flights with the exception of the long recons, some of which could last six to seven hours. However, there are just so many variables it would be hard to come up with any sort of true average, so it's likely that all these various number of days and/or hours are each as accurate as the other. Suffice to say, a new pilot's life expectancy at the Great War front was brief.

 

Cheers!

 

Lou

[77Scout]

I believe the 17 hour figure is typically quoted in relation to 'Bloody April' of 1917 and refers to the typical British pilot (primarily the hapless two-seater crews ), who the Germans were downing in doves at the time due to the superiority (mainly numerical) of the Albatros fighters.

 

Basically the 17 hour figure was as bad as it got, but would not necessarily be applicable to other times/places/air-services during the war, hence the quoting of various statistics that even if they vary from one another, may all still be correct for a given situation/time-period.

[Canvas Wings]

I believe the 17 hour figure is typically quoted in relation to 'Bloody April' of 1917 and refers to the typical British pilot (primarily the hapless two-seater crews ), who the Germans were downing in doves at the time due to the superiority (mainly numerical) of the Albatros fighters.

 

Basically the 17 hour figure was as bad as it got, but would not necessarily be applicable to other times/places/air-services during the war, hence the quoting of various statistics that even if they vary from one another, may all still be correct for a given situation/time-period.

 

 

Yes, that is what I remember as well - the life expectancy of "less than two weeks" and, if I remember correctly, an "average age of 19 years" was a classic "worst case" statistic based on Allied losses during Bloody April. (however, sometimes I have trouble remembering what I had for breakfast two days ago, so...) suffice it to say, the odds sucked.

CW