ST0RM

Here is a picture I found online of the Red Desert in south-eastern Afghanistan, south of Kandahar. It edges the river just south of the city outskirts. I brought this up in the last Beta thread, but found this photo showing more detail. http://www.defenselink.mil/dodcmsshare/hom...-7665E-002a.jpg I was looking through some of the stock WoI textures and the red ones for the rocky mountain regions seem to match pretty well.

I wonder if you could add some shipping lanes to parts of the rivers. Add some small sanpans or gunboats. They would be better for Armed-Recon missions, but might do ok for Anti-Shipping.

I like it. I've always have a soft spot for the Tante Ju. Very nicely done.

I've received the PMs and emails with the various pits, but haven't had the time to try them all yet. I'll do so this week and see what works best. Thanks for all the interest. Jeff

Fatman, doubtful. The XA-38 Grizzly was a two-off prototype that didn't make it into service. Most modelers are busy with building aircraft to fill the gaps left by the default plane-set. But you can never be sure. Maybe someone is interested and will take up the task. -S From Wikipedia: The Beechcraft XA-38 Grizzly was a United States ground attack aircraft, fitted with a forward-firing 75 mm cannon to attack heavily armored targets. The first prototype flew on 7 May 1944 but after testing it became obvious it would not be ready for the projected invasion of Japan, and furthermore it used engines required by the B-29 Superfortress — which had priority. It was thus canceled after two prototypes had been completed, and remains a fascinating might-have-been. Design and development The United States Army Air Forces awarded the Beech Aircraft Corporation a contract in December 1942 for two prototypes for their Model 28 "Destroyer". The requirement was for a powerful ground attack aircraft to replace the Douglas A-20 Havoc, with the ability to hit "hardened" targets like tanks and bunkers. This capability was achieved through the cannon with 20 rounds, mounted in a fixed position on the nose (very visible in photographs) as well as two .50 caliber (12.7 mm) machine guns firing forward. Defensive armament consisted of remotely-controlled ventral and dorsal turrets, each armed with twin .50 calibers (12.7 mm). There were to be two crew members, a pilot and an observer/gunner in the rear cabin, using periscope sights to aim the guns. Testing On 7 May 1944, Beech test pilot Vern Carstens flew the XA-38 on its maiden flight from the company's Wichita airfield. The aircraft proved satisfactory in all respects and better than expected in some, including top speed. During testing, the XA-38 prototypes were flown by U.S. Army pilots and serviced by military personnel, proving to be reliable and establishing a high level of serviceability. The armament proved especially effective and had it not been for wartime priorities shifting in 1944, the aircraft would most likely have been ordered in quantity, although the B-29 had priority for the Wright R-3350 engines. Instead, one prototype was scrapped and the other, intended for the USAF Museum, had an unknown fate. Specifications General characteristics Crew: 2 Length: 51 ft 9 in (15.8 m) Wingspan: 67 ft 4 in (20.5 m) Height: 13 ft 6 in (4.1 m) Wing area: 626 ft² (58 m²) Empty weight: 22,480 lb (10,197 kg) Loaded weight: lb (kg) Max takeoff weight: 32,000 lb (14,515 kg) Powerplant: 2× Wright R-3350-53 air-cooled radial engine, 2700 hp (2,013 kW) each Performance Maximum speed: 376 mph (605 km/h) Range: miles (km) Service ceiling: 27,800 ft (8,500 m) Rate of climb: ft/min (m/s) Wing loading: lb/ft² (kg/m²) Power/mass: hp/lb (kW/kg) Armament 1 × T15E1 75 mm cannon (20 rounds) 6 × Browning .50 caliber (12.7 mm) machine guns (2 forward-facing, 2 in ventral turret, 2 in dorsal turret) 2,000 lb (907 kg) of external stores

Nice story. Sounds a lot like the real stories of the guys who routinely flew up in Pack 6. You have to love how well the TW series can sometimes immerse you. Well done! -S

Understandable. Thanks for the what you've done already.

My Grandfather was with the 5th Army and in the initial wave when they invaded Italy through Salerno. Previous to that, he fought in North Africa. He spent the remainder of the war in Italy, and was being shipped over to the Pacific when the Japanese surrendered. My Step-Mother's father was with the OSS in the CBI theater. Before he passed away, he was writing a book on his experiences. I had the chance to read some of the notes and view pictures. It was pretty cool. Sadly, the book has not been completed and probably won't. None of the sons have the drive to complete it and it all just sits in a box. My step-mother wanted me to have it because I actually have the most interest in it, but since I'm not blood, they all said no. Too bad.

The work at their site is amazing. Some minor discrepancies (the USAF pilot wearing Russain gear), but otherwise gorgeous.

The Kiwi Scooters are still languishing under wraps at RNZAF Woodbourne. According to some sources, it is doubtful the airframes would be good for anything beyond spare parts.

Michael, Hey, I've got a complete install dedicated to your terrain and so far, I'm loving it. Getting to see the country from this level versus 26,000ft is something else. Anyhow, I was wondering if you thought about expanding the map south through Pakistan to the lower coast? That way you could position a carrier for CV ops. Just a thought.

ATSI hasn't done much Adversary work for quite some time. They lost a jet in 2003 and since then, has sold off some jets to BAE, and leased some to ATAC and another French company. As of late, they are on contract with Boeing flying chase for the KC-767 program. This Flanker has some important interests with companies other than the US military. It will be used for some test jobs, which did help it get here quickly.

Sorry JM, but you're mistaken. The speedbrake is behind the aft set of mains and is separate from the gear doors.

ViperBAT32, Buy YAP2 and you'll get your Huey. For the Apache, 2 weeks

I want to go to war someplace other than a desert. The chafing is killing me. I want a new tanker. I want a hot woman to serve me ice cold margaritas while being fanned with palm fronds. (see want #1 as I'll combine wants to make this all work out) I want newbies to stop making demands I want people to read the Knowledge Base more

Murphy's, check this out. It will fix the problem you have with the missing guages and textures: Knowledge Base Cockpit fixes for SF2V -S

People were calling it vaporware for several years now. It's been pretty much a running joke. Amazing it took this long for them to finally say it themselves.

Configuring the aircraft for VTOL landing a good ways out is the way I've done it. Finding that right amount of thrust and the nozzle position is the key. The speed brake is pretty useless (at least to me) once you get the gear down. Practice...

Whoops, my mistake in regards to the 90th and the 3rd. Too quick with the fingers.

You were partially correct. The 90th TFS sent jets to Incirlik, Turkey for ODS.

Happy Birthday Gents. Dave, be safe! -Jeff

Continuing Mike's list of aircraft used: Soviet MiG-29 Fulcrum-A Tu-22PD Blinder Tu-22M2 Backfire Il-76 An-12 An-22 Su-24 (1984) Afghan L-39 An-2 An-24/26/30/32 I started incorporating some of these aircraft in a fresh Wings over Afghanistan install, last night. By keeping the years they flew as accurate as possible, I shouldn't have any problems with a L-39 going against a F/A-18F.

Gustav, Those are some beautiful screenshots! Please post more as you do them.

5 threads on the front page alone. He's on a roll...

Which sim? Do you have the most current weapons editor?