Wayfarer Posted May 7, 2014 Posted May 7, 2014 Continuing circuits in my pilot training, I realised I had previously misinterpreted some of the instructions I had been given ( my mind works at an angle to most people's) and that I should follow my instructor down to land immediately he did, and not make another circuit myself first. And I did really good. My approach line was perfect ... and I can prove it! If it hadn't have been perfect, when I overshot my instructor at the last moment and landed before him I would have been off to one side and he wouldn't have run in to me. Yes, I know I was hospitalised, but I didn't actually crash! It's important not to lose sight of that ... or your instructor for that matter. Quote
Olham Posted May 7, 2014 Posted May 7, 2014 Mmuahahahaaa!!! You know how the game goes in the army? It is always the lower rank's fault - never the officer's. Quote
Wayfarer Posted May 8, 2014 Author Posted May 8, 2014 At least, with five hospitalisations out of eleven training flights (and I wasn't even the pilot in the first two) that has to be some sort of record, surely. Another point has occurred to me, I've already written off four aeroplanes in training, if I destroy another British machine will that make me a German ace? Quote
Olham Posted May 8, 2014 Posted May 8, 2014 I've already written off four aeroplanes in training, if I destroy another British machine will that make me a German ace? Well-ll, from the statisics point of view maybe - the British will shoot your for that though. Quote
JimAttrill Posted May 8, 2014 Posted May 8, 2014 Hee Hee! There seems to be at least one pilot about who is not as good as me! It's pretty hard to crash a BE2c and I have about 50 hours so far. No enemies in sight yet in March 1915 .... Quote
Olham Posted May 8, 2014 Posted May 8, 2014 Wait, Jim - one day you will encounter your first Fokker! Quote
JimAttrill Posted May 8, 2014 Posted May 8, 2014 (edited) I'm waiting for them. When should they arrive? I fly the BE2c from the observers seat so I may be able to get them if my AI pilot is any good. Edited May 8, 2014 by JimAttrill Quote
Olham Posted May 8, 2014 Posted May 8, 2014 The first Fokker E.I arrived at the front in June 1915, followed by the E.II in July, and the E.III in August. Quote
Hauksbee Posted May 8, 2014 Posted May 8, 2014 Wait, Jim - one day you will encounter your first Fokker!I do not understand this whole E.III/B.E.2 thing at all. Lately, I haven't been flying much, but a week ago I felt the need to blast something out of the sky, so I set up a QC with 5 B.E.2's (strung out in a line nose-to-tail)and pounced on them with my new, improved E.III (Hellshade wrote up a much improved engine mod so I don't stall out continually)I got my arse handed to me. The point was rammed home that, like any two-seater, B.E.2's can be very, very prickly and should be approached with caution. So...where did this whole "Fokker Fodder" reputation come from? Did the Fokker's really decimate the B.E.2's in 1916? Quote
Olham Posted May 8, 2014 Posted May 8, 2014 I guess that in the beginning of air combat, every plane shot down air to air was still a sensation. The first German fighter pilot received the "Pour-le-Mérite" after only 6 or so victories. When MvR got his, they had to down 16 or even 20 enemy planes. So I guess the early shocks about getting shot down and falling out of the sky, made the early descriptions much more monstruous than they would be later. Just a guess. Quote
Wayfarer Posted May 8, 2014 Author Posted May 8, 2014 Hee Hee! There seems to be at least one pilot about who is not as good as me! It's pretty hard to crash a BE2c and I have about 50 hours so far. It's the obsessive concentration on trying to keep to the speeds and heights given in the flight instructor texts. I end up doing weird manoeuvres to try and keep spot on. I didn't wreck them with anywhere near such frequency flying missions in OFF. I've wondered about the E.IIIs myself. I actually found Roland two seaters more tricky because the observer could get you from a greater range of angles, and the OFF Rolands seemed far more manoeuverable than the Fokkers. Quote
JimAttrill Posted May 9, 2014 Posted May 9, 2014 (edited) The BE doesn't have much of an angle of fire from the front observer's seat. It's going to take me a long time to get to June 1915 from March 1915 one day at a time. Pity I can't accelerate the calendar Which Pol says is not possible. Edited May 9, 2014 by JimAttrill Quote
corsaire31 Posted May 9, 2014 Posted May 9, 2014 You can always skip some days with the manual advance. Or make a lousy landing and go to hospital for a couple of weeks ! Quote
JimAttrill Posted May 9, 2014 Posted May 9, 2014 I'll just have to avoid those high-tensile steel fences! Quote
Hauksbee Posted May 10, 2014 Posted May 10, 2014 ...I guess the early shocks about getting shot down and falling out of the sky, made the early descriptions much more monstruous than they would be later. Just a guess. Without checking squadron records, I suspect you're right. Quote
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