aerodrome layouts

[Waldemar Kurtz 1]

I'm curious, because they seem to have a lot in common from one field to another. is it like Red Baron 3d where there are basically 6 or 7 different lay-outs and they get recycled over and over again?

 

on a lark, I've tried comparing some of the in-game aerodromes to historical photographs and maps of the actual aerodromes and was surprised to see that some of them look quite different! but, I imagine there must be serious limitations to what's possible in the game world: Chocques, to pick one such nightmare, has two different roads intersecting the aerodrome--which seperate the hangars from each other and the actual take-off and landing field. Flez and Cachy are even worse--as they span over such large spaces you'd practically need two or three different fixtures to accomodate all of the fields. and we haven't even touched upon the massive French airfields south of Verdun which were probably bigger than a lot of the villages nearby.

Edited August 18, 2009 by Waldemar Kurtz

[Guest British_eh]

In Mission Builder there are perhaps 20 some odd Aerodrome layouts, some are WW2 though. You can peruse them by putting them into a Mission and flying over them.

 

Cheers,

 

British_eh

[Bullethead 12]

However many layouts there are, why do so many of them have a wall of trees right at the end of the runway?

[Hasse Wind 46]

However many layouts there are, why do so many of them have a wall of trees right at the end of the runway?

 

That is so true! I've tried strafing the trees, but they won't go away.

[Von Paulus 8]

However many layouts there are, why do so many of them have a wall of trees right at the end of the runway?

 

I've been asking the same question myself.

[stumpjumper 3]

HEY AT LEAST WE DONT HAVE THE DEADLY WINDING MAN GRASS FROM PH1

[shredward 12]

However many layouts there are, why do so many of them have a wall of trees right at the end of the runway?

 

This ain't Kansas Toto!

[Bullethead 12]

I've tried strafing the trees, but they won't go away.

 

When I've become squadron commander, I've tried to order the ground crew to cut them down, but that doesn't work either

[+Polovski 460]

Always need a tree or two to crash into. Where's the fun with a boring old flat field?

 

Locals brought those from nearby and re-planted them when the last lot were cut down.

 

We will have 494 new individually created airfields for P5 maybe ;). Just needs someone with a spare 2 years to research them in detail from old books, photos, memoirs etc, and also make notes as they change with enemy capture, then simply make them all, and finally simply place in the right location in 12 copies of the landscape (the front line moves so each airfield is placed 12 times). Any volunteers? ;)

 

We can certainly do some of course. We shall see.

[Waldemar Kurtz 1]

Always need a tree or two to crash into. Where's the fun with a boring old flat field?

 

Locals brought those from nearby and re-planted them when the last lot were cut down.

 

We will have 494 new individually created airfields for P5 maybe. Just needs someone with a spare 2 years to research them in detail from old books, photos, memoirs etc, and also make notes as they change with enemy capture, then simply make them all, and finally simply place in the right location in 12 copies of the landscape (the front line moves so each airfield is placed 12 times). Any volunteers? ;)

 

We can certainly do some of course. We shall see.

 

I'll take that hint! I can't do much more than research right now--but I've already come up with info on a few aerodromes. I'll send you a private message with more details.

[Guest British_eh]

YES POL, an excellent idea.

 

Whilst I am not such a great gardener, I am sure there are a few green thumbs out there who would be happy to lend a hand. In fact, perhaps peruse my reply to the POLL question to see how the greatest resources, (cheap labour), can be available to the OFF Team!

 

Cheers,

 

British_eh

[Dej 17]

Always need a tree or two to crash into. Where's the fun with a boring old flat field?

 

Locals brought those from nearby and re-planted them when the last lot were cut down.

 

We will have 494 new individually created airfields for P5 maybe. Just needs someone with a spare 2 years to research them in detail from old books, photos, memoirs etc, and also make notes as they change with enemy capture, then simply make them all, and finally simply place in the right location in 12 copies of the landscape (the front line moves so each airfield is placed 12 times). Any volunteers? ;)

 

We can certainly do some of course. We shall see.

 

Happy to volunteer my services if that'd help. I've all Mike O'Connor's Airfields & Airman books and the trench maps I'm looking at as part of my Google Earth WWI Aerodome Mapping project often show layout for 1918 as well as an aerodrome marker... only for Central Powers at the moment, unfortunately.

 

I'm sure Shredward's onto it all though anyway.

[+Polovski 460]

No one noticed I said p5 ;) Well we can consider doing some (maybe key ones) for P4 but it's a lot of work as I tried to hint at lol.

[Dej 17]

No one noticed I said p5 ;) Well we can consider doing some (maybe key ones) for P4 but it's a lot of work as I tried to hint at lol.

 

I noticed. But given the way you guys work I thought P5 was probably a good bet Anyway, offer still stands. No credit expected, improvement in OFF is reward enough.

[Pips 5]

A field I would dearly like to see correctly rendered would be La Gorgue, so named because of the nearby village.

 

46 Squadron was based there in May 1917 when Arthur Gould Lee (of "No Parachute" fame) joined them. It was his first operational Squadron and his comments are most illuminating. The following (abridged) quote is taken from his book.

 

"I arrived about teatime, and haven't had a chance to fly yet. We're pleasantly situated directly alongside the River Lys, near the village of la Gorgue, with two towns within easy reach, Merville and Estaires. But - there is no aerodrome! At least, nothing resembling the kind I'm used to, vast stretches of grassland like Neatheravon and Portmeadow.

After a quick journey in a Crossly from St. Omer to Merville we came along a cobbled, poplar-lined road until suddenly we slowed down and turned off left, past a sentry, into a cindered area surrounded by numerous huts and tents, a line of Leyland lorries, and a large wooden shed, the end one of a row backing on to the road. These were the hangers. In front of them, on a long cindered stretch which was the tarmac, stood a few Pups, attended by a sprinkling of mechanics.

But no aerodrome. Only a wide field of potatoes. The driver pulled up by a modest hut with oiled silk windows, a sort of overgrown packing case, with the RFC ensign flying above and a gas alarm flanking the door. As I got down from the Crossley I asked 'But where's the aerodrome?' The driver grinned, pointed to the potato field and said 'There's a criss-cross of cinder tracks in the middle of that.'

 

The following day Lee had his first flight.

"The aerodrome is a shocker, a sort of Union Jack of cinder tracks five or six yards wide, running among the potatoes and other crops. You taxi out for about 150 yards, with an ack-emma holding on to each rear interplane strut, to a cindered space in the centre some thirty yards square. The mechanics are there to stop you dropping into the drainage ditches that flank the tracks, a necessary precaution, especially in a side wind, when the Pup can be darned difficult to taxi. If you run off the track when landing, over you go on your nose with a broken prop at the least. Both Courtney and Williams, who've only been here twelve days or so, have had landing crashes, and they warned me to be careful; as the CO gets in a frightful tizz when that happens.

When you get in the air you can't believe it's an aerodrome. The tricky cinder track criss-cross makes it stand out clearly from the surrounding fields, so it's bad for camouflage reasons. Apart from that, you've got a big acerage of mixed crops flanked on one side by a river lined with poplars, and on the other by a row of hangers, backed by more poplars, also telegraph poles, on the main road. Whoever picked this place as an aerodrome must have been completely off his rocker.

As if that was not enough the farmer and his family worked the fields at all hours on the day. It was a common sight to see one of the family members patiently standing by the cinder track waiting for a pilot to land so they could then continue with their work."

 

I know it would be hard to model (if not impossible) the taxiing to the take-off area. But it would be fun to still have the layout correctly textured. It would indeed make the aerodrome stand out on returning from patrol, and you could always test your skill by langing in the right area. :)

[OvS 8]

I've been asking the same question myself.

 

 

I love the trees at the end.. it's that sense of urgency to get the hell up fast! Plus when you're coming in broken, there's that 'oh sh^t' feeling if you're going to make it over the tree line or not.

 

I think it adds just a little sprinkle of immersion to an other wise easy way to land (a huge open field).

 

OvS

[Hauksbee 103]

No one noticed I said p5 ;) ...

Sure we noticed. The silence is because we don't want to break the spell. Great news.

[shredward 12]

A field I would dearly like to see correctly rendered would be La Gorgue, so named because of the nearby village.

I know it would be hard to model (if not impossible) the taxiing to the take-off area. But it would be fun to still have the layout correctly textured. It would indeed make the aerodrome stand out on returning from patrol, and you could always test your skill by langing in the right area. :)

 

Droglandt, the home of Naval 10, was very similar - it was set in the middle of a swamp, errr drained lowland, and they had to lay a cinder track to keep the Tripes from sinking out of sight as soon as they touched down. Very easy to spot from the air. We hope to one day have a few of these landmark dromes sprinkled about - it will make seat of the pants navigating a real possibility.

Cheers,

shredward

[Pips 5]

That would be so cool!