Enjoying the Eindecker in MFJ 1

[Olham 164]

I know - stuff like this belongs into the "Screenshots" or "Combat Reports" threads.

But I'd like to bait some of you for early war flying. It's the hardest in the sim, to even

only stay aloft in a craft like the Eindecker, and I admit, that I crashed the kite in my

first sortie. Became imprisoned, but managed to escape after 19 days.

 

The time did me good - I was more careful next sortie. By the north sea, we suddenly

got jumped at by 4 Bristol Scout - they shouldn't have tried that; none of them returned.

And I really managed to shoot one down in my funny plane - without crashing myself!

 

Who knows - perhaps this will be my first pilot, with whoom I get far through the war?

Once he gets an Albatros D.II, it must be like Christmas.

 

Couldn't resist to put some paint on the kite, and the yellow band must still get right.

Hope, my pics make one or the other try flying in 1915 or 1916.

 

 

[themightysrc 5]

Excellent stuff, Olham.

 

Have you had a gander at the Reports from the Front thread of late? I've been posting the (mis)adventures of Captain Victor Timm, 2 RFC, and a BE2c pilot in 1915. I've found that the dear old BE is actually a pretty good match for the EIII, and the only real advantage that you have (apart from unimpeded vision to the front) is that you'll be faced with rather supine opposition, as BEs are apparently set to huddle defensively and to try and escape by toddling along at 75mph. You should bag a few, as long as you don't lose height. Once that happens, you'll struggle to regain altitude - all I do is to order the flight up another thousand feet or so, and the poor Fokkers are, er, Fokked. Having said all that, the default height for BEs seems to be about 5000 feet, so you'll be able to swoop on them.

 

Can't tell you very much about the Bristol Scouts, but I'm hoping that when I've satisfied Major Douglas (see the diary!) with 30 hours in combat and rejoined Home Establishment then I'll be able to pass on the juicy goss about them (the aircraft, not the Home Establishment, that is).

 

Cheers,

Si

[TrollBreath 0]

I already have every intention of doing so once the game arrives. To start later is the war when playing Red Baron always seemed to be to be a bit of a cop out, and even now just playing Red Baron 3D until the game arrives I've started my career in Sept 1916 (as early as I could as a German) and have gone up once so far in my E.III (and succeeded in totally crashing the damned fool thing of course).

[Slartibartfast 153]

Well I normally go against these crates in a Sopwith Strutter RNAS I know its a bit later but its great fun turning them to matchwood... and the rear gunner is great for keeping them off me...

[Hasse Wind 46]

Painting your Einie before achieving ace status? What would Herr Boelcke und Herr Immelmann think, Olham?

 

The BE2 is a very enjoyable plane to fly and go sightseeing. It has no bad habits at all and behaves very gently. Unfortunately it was kept in service for far too long, and became nothing but a flying coffin by 1917. But that doesn't prevent me from enjoying my current early war career in No 12 Squadron, September 1915. My pilot is Second Lieutenant Charles Fuller. Below you can see him flying on a recon mission near St. Omer, France with his observer Lieutenant Robert Carter. No Einies to be seen.

 

 

[Olham 164]

themightyscr: all I do is to order the flight up another thousand feet or so, and the poor Fokkers are, er, Fokked.

 

 

Troll, you should take the freedom of enlisting various pilots in various times of the war, to enjoy all the crates.

You won't bring one pilot through the whole war anyway. At least I don't know anyone whomade it.

 

Slarti, the Strutter is of course far too superior over the Endecker. I wonder if I can survive, until we get at least

we can make it. But in the first sortie we met Nieuports - very tough; they curve like hell!

 

I don't know, what Boelcke and Immelmann would think, Hasse Wind - they are army aces, and I am a Marineflieger.

My Staffelführer, Oberleutnant zur See Gotthard Sachsenberg, only shrugged and said: "If it makes you feel better..."

Then he walked away to get himself a grog.

Do you never meet Einis? And if you do: what are you doing then?

[Ras 0]

Olham, what Jasta and time are you flying in? I've been thinking of starting a career early in the war and with the scout. I might as well see if I can spot you

[TrollBreath 0]

Oh, I'm sure I'll try out other time periods, Olham. But I do love to start early in the war and go as long as possible, it's a huge challenge.

[Olham 164]

Olham, what Jasta and time are you flying in? I've been thinking of starting a career early in the war and with the scout. I might as well see if I can spot you

 

Careful, Ras - the Bristol is no problem for us, while it's strange weapon attachment

makes it a difficult plane to hit something with. I'd much prefer the DH-2 (but I'm not

sure, when it arrived).

I started with the new founded MFJ-1, Mariakerke, April 1916.

[carrick58 23]

Started a new campaign in a N-11 BeBe. I get up and down Ok Mostly but cant hit a sausage with the gun.

[Olham 164]

Yeah, must be hard with a wingtop gun. You need to get real close, I assume.

[Dej 17]

I'd much prefer the DH-2 (but I'm not

sure, when it arrived).

 

The irony of this may amuse you, Olham.

 

Whilst No. 24 Squadron were the first to use the DH2 in earnest (appears in game with them 07/02/16). The first DH2, the Prototype No. 4723 was attached to No. 5 Squadron in France on 26th July '15 for service evaluation. However, it was shot down by a German Naval Pilot on 9th August '15 and crash-landed in German lines, thus gifting the German forces with Britain's latest scout.

Edited July 27, 2010 by Dej

[Hasse Wind 46]

 

Do you never meet Einis? And if you do: what are you doing then?

 

 

Very rarely. I try to avoid them. But if nothing helps and there's nowhere to run, I'll fight back. I've done it against Albs in 1917 while piloting the BE2 (though not with very good results!), so it's easier against Einies. It would be something to shoot one down, but mostly I hope to disrupt their attacks so that I can retreat safely. If my pilot lives long enough to see the day when No 12 gets their Fees in the spring of 1916, I expect to kill all Einies dead. Good times.

[Creaghorn 10]

let's meet in the mess olham,

 

i have a campaign for the last several weeks as a roland jockey for the marine. we are also at mariakerke. i started at may 1916 and currrently i'm in early august of 1916. what do you say about our mechanics? they are good, aren't they? and ghent is just a car-ride away. oh, and by the way. i've seen lately on recon missions deep behind enemy lines some new scout types. first of all there are appearing more of some kind of newer Nieuport scouts. they are somewhat larger and powerfull. also there is an unknown biplane type i have seen from above parking on enemy airfields. they have also rotary engines as long as i've seen, and they have a rather short fuselage, but bigger wings. the lower wing is as big as the upper one. recently one of them even followed us, but lost us in a cloud. sometimes we exchange shots with the two seat pusher "vickers" when passing, but we try to avoid the single seat "vickers", because we have some job to do.

oh, and do you know the small cafe in ghent, schorle morle (le joure l'amoure)? great little place with lot of nice dames. i'll take you there next time

Edited July 27, 2010 by Creaghorn

[Olham 164]

do you know the small cafe in ghent, schorle morle (le joure l'amoure)? great little place with lot of nice dames. i'll take you there next time

 

We haven't had much free time yet. We had to set everything up, did flying and shooting training

and adjustments on engines and guns. We have been bathing up north in Breskens once, were

we also visited the fortress. In a beautiful Café we had Belgian waffles with cream and cherries;

that was a wonderful afternoon.

I'll keep your offer in mind about the "Schorle Morle" - sounds exciting.

[Slartibartfast 153]

themightyscr: all I do is to order the flight up another thousand feet or so, and the poor Fokkers are, er, Fokked.

 

 

Troll, you should take the freedom of enlisting various pilots in various times of the war, to enjoy all the crates.

You won't bring one pilot through the whole war anyway. At least I don't know anyone whomade it.

 

Slarti, the Strutter is of course far too superior over the Endecker. I wonder if I can survive, until we get at least

we can make it. But in the first sortie we met Nieuports - very tough; they curve like hell!

 

I don't know, what Boelcke and Immelmann would think, Hasse Wind - they are army aces, and I am a Marineflieger.

My Staffelführer, Oberleutnant zur See Gotthard Sachsenberg, only shrugged and said: "If it makes you feel better..."

Then he walked away to get himself a grog.

Do you never meet Einis? And if you do: what are you doing then?

 

Greetings Herr Olham,

 

Normally I fly RNAS in the Strutter and the last time I flew I was leading a strike against one of your Airfields when a flight of 4 of your Einnes came up and promptly went back down again matchwood making time I am afraid...

 

At present I am not flying as I am in Vienna for at least another 6 weeks possibly more if I move to this wonderful city, but I plan to get back into the fray flying that wonderful little strutter with a new pilot as my last one got shot to pieces by flak while strafing an army base... not a good day in the office wasn't for the Germans in the office at the army base either as they had a Sopwith Strutter parked in it... ho hum...

[DeathJester 0]

I've been flying mostly during the earlier years with Esc Laf, and I personally can't understand how EIIIs could have survived very long.

Sure, I've been jumped when I get a bad case of target fixation... Normally though, any EIIIs I see in the air are Earth bound quickly.

For you guys out there that enjoy the bebe, targeting isn't all that hard - just use the "cap" on the engine cowl and the cross of the wires

as aiming points. Ideally you want to close to less than 50' giver or take, and fire at just below the wires. If you are into long range shooting,

which is much harder with the tracer mod, firing at a point just above the "cap" usually lands solid at around 250' if I remember correctly...

[RAF_Louvert 101]

.

 

I love flying the early years...always have, even back in my old RB3D days. There is just somthing about following along with the progression of the War that does it for me. And if I am lucky enough to survive beyond the first six months or so there's another feeling that comes of being one of the "old hands" in the fight. I am currently flying my first real campaign ever on the German side of the mud, as Paul Blum of FFA 48 in the spring of 1916, and have been posting his letters home in "Reports From The Front", (just posted another one today in fact). I truly hope he will be a survivor.

 

Cheers!

 

Lou

 

.

[DeathJester 0]

You've got it Louvert; I enjoy the early years for exactly the same reason. I would enjoy starting as

a Jasta pilot, but I can't handle an EIII to save my life. I'm planning on starting a two seater game soon though...

[Olham 164]

You could do it like Manfred von Richthofen: fly the Roland C.II first, then change to a Jasta

when they get the Halberstadt, or even the Albatros D.I / D.II.

[Slartibartfast 153]

Thats why I love flying the Strutter as the Bebe is too flightly for my taste saying that I am more an Attack Pilot I love being able to shoot planes down but also enjoy the ground attack missions as well... gives me more variety in my flying...

[Olham 164]

Good points for the Strutter - another carreer I never tried, but should do!

When does it come out first?

[Slartibartfast 153]

Its a 1916 plane... the great thing I love is that you get the synch'd Vivkers up front and your gunner can keep the bad guys off your tail a bit like an early War Bristol Fighter... oh and you get to carry bombs internally as well to cause trouble down below... and it is honest enough to keep you out of trouble... if you treat it right...

 

The reason I keep flying it is that I want to get to know how to fly a plane without jumping all over the time period. Learn how to get the best from it and what its negative points are.

[Olham 164]

Any trickyness I should care about?

[Slartibartfast 153]

Not really if I remember rightly as I havn't flown my trusty Strutter for about 6 weeks...

 

She isn't too fast but she moves really well she can hold her nose high and when she stalls its normally to the right side and it can be a bit unexpected recovery is simple point her nose down and she gains speed... Turning fights can be interesting as she does loose height in a dogfight especially when turning hard try to be gentle with your turns in the fight. She has enough speed to close with an Einie in a chase... Apart from that she flies to my mind really well, though as with all early war Aircraft she is underpowered...