JFM

Understand, man. Seems we've seen the same movie, only in different theatres. BTW, love Maiden.

Sorry to learn you are without work. I've been down the daddy daycare myself for several years. Next year they'll both be in school until 3pm everyday and I can work during the day like a normal person, rather than into the wee hours of the morning.

Damn, you're the Henry Ford of skinning! Takes me weeks to do one.

Richthofen sent his Werkmeister Holzapfel out on errands in rear areas to find red paint. For these flights he had a blank authorization form signed by Richthofen because his search was as random as the trail he followed--who knew where he would find what was required? Thus red was procured from a variety of sources, including captured Allied red dope, and the exact color and shade of red varied widely. Regarding the Dr.I, "the triplane used a linseed oil protective varnish finish, [and] ordinary oil paint, suitably thinned, could be used without causing any interaction with the cellulose dope." (A. Imrie, The Fokker Triplane, 1992, p. 81.)

Since a trojan wiped out my drives last autumn, I back up every single day. Done automatically.

There is absolute proof as to which airplane Richthofen flew when killed 21 April 1918. The ID of the machine was gleaned from RAF intelligence reports which indentified the werks nummer of the downed triplane as 2009, which belonged to 425/17. It also listed the engine number as 2478, which matches the Fokker Acceptance Sheet as the engine fitted to 2009, which the Fokker Acceptance Sheet further indentifies as 425/17. Without question, Richthofen flew Dr.I 425/17 when KiA 21 April 1918. Photographs and existing fabric show this plane was all red, save for the white rudder. Richthofen's combat report (from 20 April, which listed 425/17 as the plane flown) described its appearance as "red painting."

Ever see when you drop bombs near a cluster of troops that, if they survive, one will hold up a sign that says "Ha! You missed!"?

Most of MvR's planes weren't entirely red. Not even his famous D.III Le Petit Rouge, the upper wings of which retained the three-color factory camouflage through late April 1917. Maybe Albatros D.1177/17 (although he only described it as having a "red body" and there is no 100% identified photo of it painted entirely red). The rest were partially red, even Dr.1 425/17 as it appeared in mid/late April 1917 wasn't all-red. His Albatros C.IX was all red, but it was unarmed and he never flew it in combat, of course. (152/17 was eventually painted all-red and put in a museum but when he scored with it, as his combat reports describe, it was partially red and looked like 477/17 and 127/17.) BTW, I love Ronny's work!

I really don't have much interest in Jasta 11 but I'll check it out.

Hi sp0nky, Have you written Lowengrin himself about this? Perhaps dash off a letter straight to the source for the best answer. If you do that, please report back here with your findings because I am curious.

Regarding getting chased across the lines: Last night I was testing a Walfisch and ventured across to deliver some packages to an English aerodrome. Afterwards we got involved in a frantic knife fight with those deadly Sopwith Strutters. I was practically dragging my wingtips through the barbed wire dealing with two of them, and we exchanged many hits. At an advantageous moment (I was pointed toward friendly lines and had gained a little altitude to dive just a bit for speed) I broke and ran for it. One of them pursued for a bit but when I checked for him a ways back in friendly territory, he had disappeared. So, at least in that instance, he let me go, although I do not know if this is because he was shot up as badly as I was.

Well, gee, I wonder whose machine I'm starting with? I'm also working on this guy's Eindecker, although he never scored with it, plus I'm doing every other plane he ever flew. I thought about doing some other Kasta 8 machines but the photos I have show them (Walfisch) with the round rollover cage and no forward firing Maxim. Could always throw accuracy to the wind, I suppose. And, a generic "sky camo" machine would be ultra-easy to whip up. Once I get the spinner holes and tail crossfield lined up properly (large pita) I'll be done with the basic template. After that it's mostly just swapping out specific markings.

Don't worry, Bucky! But is there any way to have a view that at least looks down from the cockpit, as if through a hatch? I don't need a Norden or anything. If I could look down then I could practice when to drop from a specific altitude/airspeed. Guess I can do that by TIRing over the cockpit; I'll have to work it out. I've been skinning a Walfisch in spare time but perhaps I'll hop in a Gotha tonight instead.

Slightly OT: Any way to get a bombsight or at least a view looking down at the ground without going external?

Yes, Hasse, perhaps he had access due to the military. This report does not name the drug. He was operated on under "chlorethyl anaesthesia," and after the wound was sutured he received a "tamponade with iodoform gauze," a "pressure bandage," and the tetanus antitoxin. Some days later (eve of the 13th) he was given morphine. The rest of the records just mention administering various ointments and hydrogen peroxide, no other drugs.

The medical records I have regarding Richthofen's wounding of 6 July 1917 indicate, in part, "Receives 20 U. tetanus antitoxin."

Hmmm. I was going to post that this worked for me but didn't notice where the planes landed because I didn't fly that long. The planes were all on the airfield for takeoff, however. Grabbed the new file. Will install. Thanks for this, Quack.

Flight simulators are to real flying and war as looking at a Playboy is to real f***king. It ain't even close. Real warfare is a living hell and not something I would activly seek, especially if science fiction were reality and provided me the chance to become embroiled in a conflict nearly a century old and based on political interactions long archaic. Why? Ever see how much blood can spew out of a gunshot wound to the head? (Here's a video example--WARNING, EXTREMELY GRAPHIC: http://www.bestgore.com/suicide/budd-dwyer-suicide-video-footage/) That's bad enough, imagine if it was the observer of your FE2? No, no thanks. War is not for me if I don't have to, and I don't. I would risk going back for an evening to leave several digital cameras and camcorders with various Staffeln so today we wouldn't have to tear our hair out over exact colors and markings. Maybe that's too much technology. Maybe just a thousand rolls of color film.

Alright, I'm going to attempt this. Stand by to hear from my lawyer...

Indeed, Over the Front still publishes. The last issue was Volume 24 Number 4, Winter 2009. Volume 25 Number 1 Spring 2010 will be out shortly.

I voted in that poll at SimHQ. I voted "20%", only because I couldn't select anything lower than that. I followed RoF from the KOTS days with more anticipation than I have ever had for a sim. Alas, it has been the biggest sim disappointment I have ever encountered since I began flying sims with FS95. I can enjoy RoF's FMs, but little else. Once in a great while--when I actually want to fire it up and the sim decides it will work--I might have some fun with less than the usually strong disappointment and lingering feeling of time-waste it provides. Sometimes. Other guys love it; more power to 'em. I've downloaded the latest ROF patch/update but haven't messed with it too much, except to see if it installed--my computer hung, so I know it had. Thankfully there's FE and OFF and WOV and WOP.

Thanks, gents! (Notice how I don't come here screaming and cursing that something doesn't work? I *know* it's user error!) I just grabbed Laton's effect so I'm off to check it out.

Hello, Let's cut to the chase--I barely know how to send email, let alone mess with files. I put your smoke into the effects folder (FE1) and then went and shot down some wingmen real fast to see the effect. Nada. Please tell me the proper location for this file.

Looks like a Sopwith 2F1.

Hi, Quack. I was just kidding about how you spent your time! But, yes, every single stock Alb skin has the port rudder logo backwards. Not only with FE, but RoF and OFF as well. I can't tell on yours because of size/angle of screenshots, etc., but I can see that the Lubbert skin's logo is backwards for sure. No fault of yours, though, since you probably just used the stock version. But, eh, go for it! I'm just an Alb pedant, I confess. Anyway, I've been working on my own skins to get rid of the various little erroneous things that drive me nuts (some of which are on the Alb skins I uploaded here a couple years ago!) so I'll cease foisting that upon others.