RAF_Louvert

. Just to be clear Lewie, what year are you referring to for the months you noted of the DR1's use in Jasta 26? (I am quite sure I know full well what year you mean, but just for general edification). .

. Wow! A lightning fast answer that is correct and then some. Well done Dej. Oh, wait, wait! Dej, you noted "early 1917" for the time period on Loerzer's DR1. That is not quite right Sir, but you have still earned 2 1/2 points. That means there is 1/2 a point out ther for someone yet to claim on this one. Also, the next picture will be posted at 2:30 a.m. GMT, May 6, (which is 10:30 p.m. May 5 on the east coast of the US). Be ready everyone. .

. Could be, Dej...could be. And do you have the answer already Sir? If so, go for it! .

. Everyone ready for round two? Thinking caps on then, here is the next picture: And here are your questions: 1. Who was the pilot that flew this paint scheme? 2. Which jasta did he fly for in this paint scheme and during what time period? 3. Who flew with this pilot as his observer until mid-1915, later becoming a famous ace in his own right? Good Luck All! Lou .

. I agree with you Olham, 100%. I love flying without any of the in-sim aids, and navigating by "paper" map is a blast. But, as we've discussed many times in the past, that is one of the great features of OFF; you can fly it however you like. .

. The various nations' Unknown Soldier tombs and memorials are the most fitting tribute to all the fallen heros of all the wars around the world, IMHO. There is no need to know their names, they were all a part of us. "No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as any manner of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." (John Donne, 1624) .

. Love 'em all. The MP boys, (and Carol), are still in my top five favs of "British" humour. .

. The more the merrier, so join in Shiloh and Lewie and Hasse Wind, and all! Not to worry about HitR Lewie, I just won't use any of the N28 or DH-5 paints. I'm easy to work with. .

. In my experiences flying small aircraft I have been surprised more than once by another plane that just suddenly seemed to appear from nowhere within half a mile of me, (or less). I have also spotted other planes as far away as 6 to 8 miles on a nice clear day. But I would say the average likely distance for seeing a small plane in clear weather is probably around 2 miles and under. I am always amazed at just how hard they are to spot when I'm up in the air with them, (at least for me anyway). .

. Work has me away for the rest of the day, so I will instead post the next picture at 7:00 p.m. GMT, May 4, (that's about 25 hours from now). That gives you all a bit more time to brush up on your OFF paint ID skills. Cheers! Lou .

. There you go Olham and Dej! And, while technically May never flew for 9 Naval Squadron, I will allow the answer as OFF lists him in that unit. For whatever reason the sim does not show the RAF squadrons after the April 1, 1918 merger of the RFC and RNAS. You both gave excellent answers with good additional information. The standings after the first round: Dej.............3 points Olham........3 points Next picture will be posted at 7:00 p.m. GMT, May 3, (that's in little less than 7 hours from now). C'mon folks, join in. This should be more than a two-horse race! All you need is to look through the skins to find the bulk of the answers for this contest. Lou .

. Ah yes Herr Olham, I should have noted the time AND date for the posting to eliminate just such confusion. So, on this one, I will award points to anyone who gives the correct answers between now and 12:00 noon GMT, May 3rd, 2011 of the Gregorian calender. Consider this one a freebie to all those competing. However, I will not indicate if anyone's posted answers are correct or incorrect until the time I noted above. .

. Alrighty then, here we go Gents. It's time to play, "Who's Paint Is This" ! Here is the first picture: 1. Who was the pilot that flew this paint scheme? 2. Which squadron did he fly for in this paint scheme and during what time period? 3. What is historically significant about this pilot, and how did he come by his nickname? Remember the rules, have fun, and best of luck to all! Lou .

. Well Dej, I'll post the first picture at 11:00 a.m. GMT tomorrow, and see who shows up. If it turns out you're the lone player, then the book's a lock for your collection, Sir. .

. I'm afraid my budget is quite a bit thinner these days, so the prize will be the book I mentioned in the original post. I hope that will be something folks would want to compete for. I know it isn't a WWI order or medal, but still... .

. Oh I seriously doubt that Olham. I'm betting you will do just fine. . .

. Outstanding Dej! You've given not only the correct answers but also ideal examples of the kind of information that should be included in said answers. You've noted Mai's rank at the time he flew this kite, as well as it's ID number. And you've shown your sources. (Word of advice to all those competing: When in doubt it is always better to give more information rather than less.) Well done Dej, if this one had counted you would have been awarded three points for your efforts. I will give others some more time to read through everything here thus far and get familiar with the contest before posting the first of many pictures to come. .

. Very good Javito, you will not be disappointed with that fine book. Now, drop Alex an email and I bet he sends you an autographed card you can place in the front of it. .

. Oh yes Si, AGL's "No Parachute" is one of the best of the personal WWI pilot writings. Javito, AbeBooks has a fair number of offerings on this one in the $40 to $50 price range. The work of Lee's that is nearly impossible to find at any price is "Open Cockpit: A Pilot of the Royal Flying Corps", which yours truly manged to finally snag an old ex-libris copy of, (and for a very low amount too). I have not read it for over 30 years, and am really looking forward to enjoying it again once more. .

. That's because they are usually having to take off from and land on paved runways. It's likely the exception at the old airshows hosted on grass strips where they are actually back in their element. Good footage BTW, thanks for posting it Carrick. .

. Good luck Javito, I hope you can get it for that opening price. If you do it will be the bargain supreme for that volume. .

. Soppy, all very sound advice here, and I agree completely with the above suggestions. I will also add that if you do need a PS, the Diablotek RPM series offer excellent features and a lot of bang for the buck, although you couldn't really do better than Plug Nickel's generous offer. Free is the best deal of all. .

. Stefnuts, another excellent book that gives a very good historic overview in a more literary style is Aaron Norman's "The Great Air War". Published in 1968, you can usually find original hard cover copies at eBay or AbeBooks for under $10. Cheers! Lou .

. Creaghorn, I think your NASA-tested pedal fixation device / disposable flight extender storage unit makes perfect sense. Plus, when you're wearing those you don't need to be quite as concerned when that crafty enemy suddenly appear from nowhere with guns blazing and scares the crap out of you. I know they work quite well for me in that situation; much tidier. .

. Soppy, I congratulate you most heartily on attaining you MA in History, well done Sir. Best of luck on your PhD. Very sorry to learn of your bad relationship luck however, and I hope you will be able to bounce back from the wreck without too many scars, (though such scars can give one character over the course of one's life). My pleasure to treat you to a round to help repair the damages. Barkeep! Another Jameson for our Captain here. And three fingers of Tullamore Dew for me, next to a fresh cup of hot coffee with just a touch of cream. Cheers! Lou .