RAF_Louvert

. Yuppers, I have taken full advantage of the audio aspect of OFF on many occasions, (all of which just happen to be when I'm home alone). I just wish my volume went to 11, cuz at's one more than 10....innen it. Gives a bloke that extra little push over the cliff...dudden it. .

. Welcome back to the campaigns Slarti, you are right down in my region. My current pilot Paul Blum, formerly of FFA48 and now of Jasta 16, had a lot of practice with the Walfisch. Come in level with just enough speed to set the main wheels first, this way you can see where you are headed and the rudder still works effectively. Once you are firmly on the ground throttle back completely, (assuming you haven't done that already), and allow the tail to drop on its own. Provided you do not have a lot of crosswind you should be good from that point on. With TrackIR I found that I could actually get up partially out of my chair and could see past the nose as I taxied up to the hanger. You can also crouch way down and look under the top wing but you won't see much until you are quite close to the hanger, (or tree, or turck, or whatever else might be in your path). After a few practice landings I didn't find the Roland C.II that bad, and it is a treat to fight in, as two-seaters go. BTW, here is Paul's ongoing tale, if you haven't already seen it: Paul Blum's Story Good luck Slarti. Cheers! Lou .

. Good Morning All, There are so many wonderful WWI air war paintings by newer artists, but I was wondering this AM how many of you are aware of some of the classic works "of the day". This is one of my favorites, by George Horace Davis, titled "Closing Up". It was completed in 1919 and here is the skinny on the artist, courtesy of the Imperial War Museum: "George Horace Davis was a little-known landscape painter who served in the RAF. He had instituted the aerial manoeuvre diagrams used in training pilots in the fledgling service, and was commissioned by the Air Services sub-section of the Imperial War Museum to paint two of these manoeuvres. The difficulty inherent in painting an eye-witness account of an aerial battle, and the emphasis placed on technical details and accuracy by the Air Service sub-sections, (a common feature of IWM commissions), makes Davis' work more literal and illustrative than that of painters such as Sydney Carline or CRW Nevinson. It is not the thrill of flying or the view of the landscape from the air that interests Davis, but the heroics of the toy-like planes as they chase each other through the skies." There are many other "classic" works from the WWI period and if you have a favorite from that era please share it with us here. And understand, I am not putting down the newer works in any way as I love many many of them as well, but in this thread if you could please keep it to paintings done during or immediately following the Great War that would be ideal. Cheers! Lou .

. Dej, Farre's work is outstanding and he did indeed pioneer the genre. That portrait of Guynemer is one of my favorites of his. Olham, that Handley Page painting by American artist Bertram Sandy is another good one. He did one called "The Scrap" which I like too, (though I don't have a copy of it to post at the moment). Rickitycrate, you really should get that copy framed and up on the wall of your flying room. And I agree, it does remind one of OFF encounters. Here is another contemporary work I've liked for a long time, done by Austrian artisit Max Edler von Poosch; from 1917, it is titled: "Kampfstaffel D3, über der Brenta-Gruppe" (D3 Squadron over the Brenta): Keep 'em coming Gents. Cheers! Lou .

. Beauty of a cooler there Cameljockey, I should pop one of those on my 9800GTX+. If you don't mind my asking, what does one of those AC units cost? I know the single-fan Arctic Cooler on my CPU was about $50 US. .

. HELLOOOOO Thomas Cambrensis! Welcome to the OFF forums and community. New guys buy the drinks! Cheers! Lou .

. Did anyone else notice that river at the very top edge of photo number 4? It appears to not only wind it's way through the fields, but also has trees along it's banks and looks as if it actually changes width as it goes along. Could it be, or my steely blues deceiving me? .

. Thank you Hood for the congratulatory words. It warms me ol' heart to know folks are enjoying Paul's story. Cheers! Lou .

. Welcome back WM, great news about getting your W7 issues sorted out. Now get in there and fly, Fly, FLY! .

. Greetings All, Leutnant Ritter von Blum flew his first combat mission with his new outfit, in his new Alb, and as a flight leader. It went less than well. Paul Blum's Story Also, I have divided the story into several pages and added nav buttons at the bottom of each. It was getting large enough that having it load as a single page was taking quite a while. Cheers! Lou .

. I highly recommend the cautious approach in the OFF campaigns. Not only is it more realistic in terms of the numbers of kills you will accrue, it also exponentially increases your odds of survival, virtually speaking. When I'm feeling like having a "shoot 'em up", I jump into QC with a pilot specifically created for the job. .

. Thanks for the input and the words of warning Gents, I am sure young Paul will take them all to heart. And an angel on his shoulder certainly couldn't hurt, given the situation. .

. OH SWEET MAMA! Look at those hedgerows along the field edges...look at those roads winding through the French countryside...look at that cockpit detail...and a 2-seater MS! Excuse me whilest I go put on a dry shirt, I seem to have drooled all down the front of this one. .

. Will do. I'll take care of that for you when I get home tonight, Olham. .

. Many thanks Olham, I appreciate the true German feedback on this story as I am writing it as an "outsider". Yes, Paul has a wonderful single-seater now to fight in, and I must say that the D.II is a joy to fly. Far more responsive than I remember it from my last go-round with it. Also, I too am very concerned for this pilot each time he goes out now as I have such a vested interest in him, (as I did in his gunner Karl). When the crash came in the forest I was chanting, "Please send him to the hospital...please send him to the hospital..." This time the dice roll went in favor of young Blum, but not for poor Karl. I heard the death scream from the rear cockpit as the Bebes were showering us with lead on the way down and it made me sick. Who knows how the Devil will throw the dice on the next roll. Very exciting, and scary. .

. TKS Olham, glad you like it. I will be out for the rest of the day, but if you wish I could send you the generic .bmp file for my Alb D.II that you could use for a base to build from. It would save you some time and work. Let me know. .

. Very true Sir. Which is why I used the rib detail from the lower wing when I reworked the upper. It has a much better look once the wing has been adjusted. The original upper wing ribs are too course and fuzzy when compared to the lower wing. .

. Actually Olham, even though 28w was formed earlier you can't join it in OFF until April 1917 and it is stationed in Flanders. Paul has been assigned to Jasta 16 at Ensisheim as of December 1916, and I took the liberty of using the tail stripes of the Württemberg jasta since young Blum was given a knighthood by the King of that region. I also used the Württemberg crest to represent Ritter von Blum's new status, and of course kept his personal emblem from his time in FFA48 flying with his friend and gunner Karl Weimerann, (God rest his virtual soul). The dark blue color is simply because Paul likes the look. As to being the earliest "ace" with a full paint scheme, it is possible on the Gerrman side of the lines, but of course the French had been showing them for months at this point, (i.e. Navarre's all-red Bebe). BTW, I completely reworked the top wing of the Alb D.II so that the ribs now line up as they should with the trailing edge scallops. Cheers! Lou .

. Nice shots Olham. I'm still in the Alsace myself, and here is Leutnant Paul Ritter von Blum's latest mount: Much has changed in the young flyer's life as of late. Lou .

. Welcome back Slarti ! Beer's on me Sir. .

. Sorry to read about your W7 woes Widowmaker. Hope you can get them sorted out PDQ. .

. As you wish Dej. Many things have changed for the young flyer. Paul Blum's Story Lou

. As always Hellshade, you've put together another outstanding group of videos. Well done Sir. .

. Well, at least they walked away from it, which makes it a good landing. BTW, the Stearman was the very first plane I ever flew in, at about age 10 or so. Been a fan of flying ever since. .

. Greetings All, The latest adventure has been added to the young flyer's saga. Paul Blum's Story Cheers! Lou .