RAF_Louvert

LOL! Well Olham, I was over in Germany when they opened the first one in West Berlin in 1976. So...yeah...maybe. Cheers! Lou

I don't believe anyone is trying to fool you Olham. It really is getting to be a smaller world. The human web and six degrees of separation. It wouldn't surprise me too much if I found out I've been to a restaurant you've been to as well. Cheers! Lou

When close counts, you'll want to use the Albatros Double-Edged Platinum Plus razor. It shaves you like nothing else can. And be sure to finish up with Albatros Lilac and Castor aftershave. Just a splash and you're ready to face the world with confidence. Remember what Olga says. "I love a man with a close shave. Makes me want to drink and do foolish and naughty things."

Maybe I'm missing something here, but why can't Jim go into his "pilots" folder and copy and paste his "PilotXClaims", "PilotXLog", and "PilotXDossier" files, ('X' being the numbers for each of his pilots), into a folder in his documents and then simply drop them back into his newly reinstalled OFF? I seem to remember doing this with one of my pilots when I had to reinstall the game. Cheers! Lou

Impressive record there Macklroy, very impressive indeed. Don't you just love the immersive quality of this sim? That was of course a rhetorical question. Cheers! Lou

I agree with Olham, that is a very nice spot to have as your "OFF" home Rickitycrate. Who's your decorator, Eddie Rickenbacker? Cheers! Lou

Well the world is getting even smaller Rickitycrate, because if you are referring to Tinucci's in Newport I have sampled their cuisine many times. Most of my wife's immediate family live in either St. Paul Park or Woodbury and Tinucci's is one of their favorite spots to go and grab a bite. Outstanding full menu, great Italian dishes, rotisserie chicken to kill for, and one of the best Friday night fish frys I have ever had anywhere, and I have been to a lot of fish frys in a lot of places in this little ol' world. Cheers! Lou

Steve Drew, your dive bombing routine sounds much like mine, and I do make use of the dive brakes Pol mentioned when flying the Strutter. The accuracy of this method is surprisingly good. However, there are ocassions where diving down and bombing at low level is not advisable due to EA capping the target below, or extremely heavy ground fire. I have read quite a bit over the years and until the last year of the War high level bombing was very unreliable, but done none-the-less out of necessity. If you haven't done so, you should try your hand at hitting the mark from about 5,000' up. It is very challenging, and when you do drop an egg onto a hanger or RR depot or such, it is a VERY rewarding feeling. As I mentioned earlier, I uploaded a new bombing mission last night to our downloads section here, and it will require just such high altitude bombing if you want to maximize your chances of survival. Give it a try. Cheers! Lou

I do so love the Python boys! And you know what they say... "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!" Cheers! Lou

Hasse Wind wrote: I have been working out the controls over the last year for that very thing, and when I get the small spare bedroom upstairs to call my own I will begin the build of my full-scale WW1 cockpit gaming center. :yes: Cheers! Lou

rabu, I can't speak for the others, but my main tower sits on the desk because I have two others on the floor already. And yes, they are all being used. Cheers! Lou

A "Quick Combat" it most definitely was NOT! If you want an interesting and challenging match-up, try putting yourself in an RE8 and do battle with a single DIII ace. Start at 5000' on a nice summer's afternoon in 1917 and see how long the fight lasts for you. I just gave it a go against Rudolf Berthold of Jasta 14 and it was 20 minutes of some of the best B/R vs scout fighting I have had in a long time. My gunner was doing his best to knock ol' Rudy down as was I when he would, on rare ocassion, cross my nose. We battled all the way down to treetop level, trading shots all the way. It did eventually come to a close when the Kaiser's finest got the engine of my old bus and I had to set it down in a field. What a rush! It is this sort of thing that sets this WW1 air combat sim apart form all the rest, IMHO. Cheers! Lou

OK, now that's neat Olham. I rather like the deer-in-the-headlights look on your "ancestor's" face. Cheers! Lou

Absolutely outstanding work! Next to the Camel the N24 is my favorite plane to fly and fight in. One of the few Allied planes that, IMHO, can really hold it's own against a well-flown DVII. Many thanks again to you sandbagger and to all the OFF devs. Your efforts are very much appreciated, in fact, they are deserving of an award. Any of you collect WW1 medals? I'm serious. I would gladly go about locating an original WW1 Croix de Guerre for each of you. I have two of them already myself. What do you think everyone? CdG's for each of the OFF devs? Cheers! Lou

Boy, isn't that the truth Cameljockey. And yet each is somehow different. Cheers! Lou

BigJim, I had the same experience the first time I went balloon hunting. Popped three gas bags, flew back to camp happy as a puppy, and then...nada. Not even the opportunity to write the claims. Perhaps the devs need to have a little message after your land that says, "Feh! Who do you think you are, Frank Luke?" And Olham's advice about the EIII is spot on. Unless you are going against a BE2c, or a DH2 and you have the alt, you will likely end up quite dead. Still, if you're like me and have a fondness for the early war years, the EIII is fun...and challenging. In fact, there are nine of them in the latest mission I just finished and posted over in that particular forum. Cheers! Lou

Winston, if you need the white reflective sticky tape I have rolls of it. We use it regularly striping ambulances and fire trucks. And it does work to simply stick a tab on each of the top outer corners of a pair of glasses and another about 2 1/2" up on your forehead, (or hair). I've tried it. Cheers! Lou

. (Inspired by British_eh's exciting "Dover Straits Mission") May of 1916. The War has been raging for twenty-one months and shows no signs of ending any time soon. Information has just been received that the Hun have constructed a small but important servicing yard on the Belgian coast east of Knokke for their ships that travel and patrol the North Sea and beyond. It is vital that this yard be destroyed in order that we might hinder German naval operations in this area. Your assignment is to lead your flight of eight BE2c's up along the coastline and do as much damage as possible to the target facility. You will have escort in the way of five DH2's from 29 Squadron that will meet you over your aerodrome at Koksijde. Make best speed to the target and try and keep your altitude when bombing as you will likely encounter not only enemy scouts but also heavy ground fire if you get too low. It has further been reported that a German cruiser is patrolling the waters near the shipyard. Good luck, and God's speed. Cheers! Lou

File Name: Knock the Knokke Shipyard File Submitter: RAF_Louvert File Submitted: 11 Jul 2009 File Category: Maps, Missions, and Campaigns (Inspired by British_eh's exciting "Dover Straits Mission") May of 1916. The War has been raging for twenty-one months and shows no signs of ending any time soon. Information has just been received that the Hun have constructed a small but important servicing yard on the Belgian coast east of Knokke for their ships that travel and patrol the North Sea and beyond. It is vital that this yard be destroyed in order that we might hinder German naval operations in this area. Your assignment is to lead your flight of eight BE2c's up along the coastline and do as much damage as possible to the target facility. You will have escort in the way of five DH2's from 29 Squadron that will meet you over your aerodrome at Koksijde. Make best speed to the target and try and keep your altitude when bombing as you will likely encounter not only enemy scouts but also heavy ground fire if you get too low. It has further been reported that a German cruiser is patrolling the waters near the shipyard. Good luck, and God's speed. Click here to download this file

Good Morning All, As I get deeper and deeper into the BHaH experience I continue to find ways to tweak it more to my liking for the historically correct. One of things that has bothered me about the claims process is that even if you were to down an EA on your own side of the mud, in front of God Almighty and the King himself, there is NO hope of confirmation unless one of your own flight members sees it. This is just not right. Soooooo. I have begun to write up my claim reports in these instances citing a "Ground Witness", afterwhich I go into my Control Panel and temporarily change to the "Easy - No Confirmation" setting for that one claim. In this situation I believe it is honestly in keeping with the DiD tradition and is far more historically accurate. Here is an excerpt from my Pilot Claims Log of the last such instance concerning this situation: 20/;4/;1916 ;15h;8 ;Flanders ;Abeele ;Patrol Friendly Front Lines ; Flying: Airco DH2. On this day claims: ;1 ;Roland CII . ;During afternoon patrol, flying at 7,200', I became separated from my flight in heavy cloud cover. Dove down under clouds to take a bearing and encountered two enemy B/R planes, (Roland type), slightly above and ahead of me at about 6,000' and just our side of the front lines. EA were heading northwest towards Ypres and were attempting to use the cloud base as cover. I turned after them and followed for approximately five minutes. I engaged both as they began an attack on Bailleul Town aerodrome. Put approximately 120 rounds into the trailing craft, which began smoking badly and shortly thereafter fell into a vrille and was seen to crash in the woods just south of the airfield, at 15:02. I managed to inflict some minor damage to the upper starboard wing of the second EA, but he flew away to the east and I had to break off the attack and land at Bailleul Town due to a punctured petrol line. Was greeted by Flt. Cmdr. Archibald Blevins, who congratulated me and noted he would personally provide confirmation of the kill. He was also kind enough to place a guard around the downed aircraft, and had his mechanician repair the petrol line on my Airco and check it over for my return flight. Phoned back to squadron and had a lorry despatched to cart the EA back to camp for inspection. Witnessed by: Ground Witness Archibald Blevins Status : Confirmed ; Let me know what you think of this practice and if you agree or disagree with the logic. Thanks. "THREE CHEERS FOR OFF! UP WITH THE KING, AND UP THE KAISER'S!" Cheers! Lou

. Here is my home town, Lester Prairie, Minnesota. And the family manse, Chez Larson. I've travelled around this world a fair bit over the years and seen many a wonderous place, but there's no place like home. Cheers! Lou

A "fixer-upper" I see HomeBoy. I have one of those myself.

My father, Louvert Larson, was 100% Norwegian. My mother, Marilyn (Fagerhaug) Larson, is 50% Norwegian and 50% Swedish. My father's family name in Norway was Albertson, but it was changed to Larson when my great-grandfather came over around 1895. The generally held belief is that the name change was affected due to my great-grandfather slipping away to "Amerika" in order to avoid a twenty-year conscription into the Norwegian army. But who knows. All I know isss dat I'm about as close as yer gonna get tooo a pure-blooded, tird-yeneration Skandahoovian-Amerikan. But I yust kan't deside ef dat's a blessssing or a curssss. Cheersssss! Lou

BigJim, my longest lasting DiD pilot tried that same strategy, but managed to escape after about three months and should soon be able to give Hellshade's idea a try. BTW, you can read about Squadron Commander Albertson's daring adventure in his latest letter to his brother in the "Reports From the Front" section. Cheers! Lou