Sweatin in the Cold Thin Air

[Duce Lewis]

What a hair raising experience

I was in a 5 on 5 dogfight, Camels vs. our DVII's

Sent the top most Camel down in smoke then had a look round

 

Everyone seemed in good shape 'cept the wingie with a Camel on his tail

Rolled over and plunged to the rescue ...hopefully in time!

Pulled out slightly below him and came at his Starboard side

 

He saw me coming and countered by rolling over the top of me

Hauled back trying to Immelmann onto his tail

Barrol rolled of the top in his direction and ...then it happened

 

There he was exactlty opposite and above me, both of us looking into each other's cockpits

Both in a CCW barrol roll at about a 30 deg dive angle

Down we went, neither giving up the roll, round and round we went

 

Using TrackIR to look straight up, I couldn't see any of my crate, just the plan view of the Camel

The background flashed rythmically, blue, brown, blue, brown, on & on

Worse yet, he ws gaining the advantage, I was sliding forward in the spiral

I looked down on his twin Vickers and could see the slit of his cowl opening, my cockpit was equal to his prop

 

Tried desparately to widen the spiral and slow down, but the controls were nearly at their limit in the roll

Slid back even with him but forward again on the next go-around

Redoubled my efforts and finally started sliding back

 

Got behind him and he made a break

Had a close shot and drilled him with a long burst between the top wings

Smoke billowed out and he broke into a spiral down

 

The end was anti-climatic as the chase was the exiliarating part

Felt sorrow for the fellow as he was quite talented

"Come on back up, let's do that again!"

 

Finally snapped out of it and got back to the business at hand

...but that was the wildest 6 spirals imaginable

Not quite a rolling scissors, but a harrowing experience nontheless

[Olham]

Great report, Duce! Wow - I yet want to meet one so good! Was he an ace?

[Duce Lewis]

In all the excitement I forgot to check

Must have been though

He was too good!

[zoomzoom]

Hehe, sounds like the account of the fight between Udet and Guynemere. At least I think it was Udet. Although they were locked in head on passes instead of a death spiral, the vibe was the same, one above, one below, each staring up into the others cockpits.Each trying desperately to get purchase on the other.

 

ZZ.

 

Oh yeah...then Udet's guns jammed!! Reaaaal bad timing.

[Olham]

Zoomzoom, see my thread about "Dogfights" - there you have that scene again.