Olham 164 Posted October 29, 2011 If you need to add something new to your OFF experience, you should try flying by map. You could easily do that in the Alsace region in late 1916/early 1917, as the enemy air activity is not so bad there. You may think, you could be surprised too easliy by enemy craft, if flying without TAC? The opposite is the case. Flying over own terrain, you will always get warned by Flak or Archie. You can see an enemy aircraft spec EARLIER than the white "Bogie"-Label would appear. And you can scan the skies, cause you're not forced to check that TAC constantly! I have checked the lakes and some railway lines in that area today, and they were damn precise. You can easily do that yourself: fly your craft over a lake or rail crossing, pause the sim, and then check the Latitude and Longitude in the red text (press "Z"). Note those numbers, and check in Google Maps later; you can type in for example: N 48 57 6 E 6 38 57 and you will get the lake "Etang de Mutche" - which is next to my airfield Morchingen. I have flown from Morchingen to our neighbouring field Buhl-Lorraine by just following the lakes there. On the way back, I followed the railway - and it worked fine! And as for the waypoints: if you are the leader, you can fly your own route. Just make it close to waypoints, but following railways or lakes, and you will be fine. And for finding your own airfield again, you could still use the ingame map, which also shows your course - if you think you must do that. After some time, you won't need to do so anymore - you will know where you are. There are various maps of that region already for download, but I will also upload 4 new parts of a map for the whole area. You can glue that together, or use the single parts. Throw away all crutches and go a step further - navigate your ways yourself. It is much easier than you may think! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
77Scout 3 Posted October 29, 2011 Totally agree Olham. Using the TAC means you will never get lost, and you will never be surprised. Using paper maps better simulates what a WW1 pilot had to deal with and is challenging and fun (well, for me anyway). I know not everyone has the time (or eyesight) to fly in real time with no aids, but for those who can it is great. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olham 164 Posted October 29, 2011 I can also not do it all the time, Scout - but it's great, when I have the time to do so. The new maps (4 parts) are available in the download section now.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wayfarer 5 Posted October 29, 2011 It's true that when you start looking out for landmarks whilst navigating by map, you do start to recognise where you are. I have reached the period of Third Ypres and have flown so many missions over that area now that I took off last mission and reached the objective area before realising I hadn't even got the map out. For some compulsive reason, I always use the TAC as I get near the objective to ensure I fly over it - it just feels like I am not cheating! The AA does not, of course, help once you are across enemy lines but, as Olham says, you scan the skies instead. I am flying in Flanders and the maps are by no means perfect but it does give a feel more like the written accounts - even down to the getting lost sometimes! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bullethead 12 Posted October 29, 2011 Whenever I join a new squadron or my squadron moves to a new base, I always take time to fly around the local neighborhood learning landmarks. Hey, this base is near a creek/road/railway that I can follow home. Wow, there's a nunnery with a convenient landing field adjacent. And look, here are some friendly flak concentrations in handy places if I'm being chased home. When I was flying 2-seaters in the DiD campaign last year, this habit saved me on nearly every flight. The weather was almost always total crap with thick low cloud and freezing rain, but I knew that if I followed a certain creek and turned when over a specific bend until I was lined up with a particular clump of trees, I'd be perfect for my final landing approach even though I usually couldn't see the airfield until I was right over the threshold. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olham 164 Posted October 29, 2011 Good tips there, Bullethead - all very useful for those, who will try "flying without crutches". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
