RAF_Louvert

. Yes indeed, something very much like that. My old one is getting far too big and baggy for me now. .

. Good on you Olham! Yes, with age should come a certain amount of modesty, and more for some of us than others, (me being among the 'some'). And interesting that you should mention outerwear. My reward to myself when I hit my goal this year, (apart from the leaner me), will be a new A-2 leather flight jacket. And a good quality one too, not one of those cheap knock-offs. .

. Yes, shame on me Sir. But my Gawd it was fun ... and delicious. Best of luck with your program as well Paul, you will succeed! .

. Well Gents, as many of you know last year was the year I finally got serious and brought my weight back down closer to where it should be. When I stepped on the scale January 2nd of 2012 and saw that I was nearly 248 pounds something had to be done. So, with an image of the trim French ace George Guynemer serving as inspiration I took on my 1,200-calories-a-day menu and an exercise program that included calisthenics, isometrics, and a lot of vigorous walking. And, in August last, I hit my goal weight of 186 pounds and maintained it for three months. I then went to see my doctor who was very pleased at my success and was more animated in his congratulations than any doctor I'd ever seen be animated about anything. However, as doctors seem particularly fond of giving with one hand whilst taking with the other, he went on to say that given my age, build, and BMI I should, ideally, be down around 175 or so. Feh ... what do doctors know. I said I would think about it but that I intended to take a respite from all the dieting for the last couple of months of the year, what with the holidays coming up as well as half-a-dozen different family birthdays. So I quit counting calories but did keep up with my exercises and vowed I would step on the scale again January 2nd of 2013. YIKES! 60+ days of parties, rich foods, and winter weather took their toll with a far greater and swifter vengeance than I would have imagined. I knew my pants were starting to feel a bit snug and after New Year's day the scale told me why. Up 21 pounds from where I had been when I visited the doctor! Sooooooooo, it was back to the program. I chose a new inspiration for 2013, British ace Albert Ball, and built a new desktop to honour the young hero and to get myself pumped each day about hitting my new goal of 174 pounds, (I am going to assume doctors do know something). I also made a medal that I add a palm to for each week I lose weight and I hope to see it silly with laurels by the time I am through. I've already shed 12 pounds of the holiday weight and am really stoked about this again. Here's to being the best we all can be! (plain iced tea in those mugs for now Gents) Lou .

. That aeroplane would be one of the Rumpler C.VIIs that were delivered to Belgium after WWI as part of Germany's war reparations to that country. I know, I know ... show off. .

. Greetings All, I was doing a bit of research this AM and remembered a set of books I'd read quite some number of years back that pertained to WWI naval operations at Dover: "The Dover Patrol, 1915-1917" by Admiral Sir Reginald Bacon. Chapter 19 of Volume II deals with the air services of the patrol and the 60-some pages are well worth the read as they are rich in dates, events, people, and planes. Both volumes are available in various formats for free online, and for your convenience what follows is the link to Google Books offering of Volume II: The Dover Patrol, Volume II The chapter ends with a wonderful poem about a balloon attack carried out by Flight Lieutenant Colin Roy MacKenzie on 7 September, 1916, while flying a RNAS Nieuport Bebe. Here is a scan of said poem: Love how descriptive it is, and the bit about counting to five after firing the rockets shows this was written by someone who'd actually been there. And it's really quite moving at the end, IMHO. Lou .

. Here's wishing all you fine folks and your families a safe and happy New Year. Let's hope it's better than 2012. .

. Wow Typhoon, bad luck in many ways, but you are fortunate to be alive after that wreck. Speedy recovery and better times Sir. .

. 2013! WOOOO HOOOO! Kidding. You know I love you Devs, and all that you are doing. Just keeping things light around here. .

. A very Merry Christmas to you and yours my friends. And peace on earth, goodwill to all. .

. Yes Britisheh, I am also surprised how long it has been. It was two and a half years ago when I posted the following, looking forward then to Christmas 2010: It was funny then, but less so now. And yet, little Louie still waits in hope. .

. Looks like I am in the majority as well. Turned 58 this last November. .

. I'd say what's been keeping me away but then Olham might accuse me again of unnecessary word repetition, and I wouldn't want that. http://simhq.com/for...tml#Post3691247 .

. Greetings All, Yesterday I was fortunate enough to purchase the following item from a gentleman in France: An original 'B' series French pilot's brevet, number B17318. For those interested in such things here's a bit of history. Depending on which source you wish to cite, somewhere between 17,034 and 17,704 French military pilot certificates, (brevets), were issued between early 1911 and November 11, 1918. Up until late 1916 pilots were presented the paper 'brevet' and would wear a cloth arm band, (on the upper left sleeve of their tunics), showing the propeller and wings of the aviateur's trade. However, beginning in September 1916 the French military introduced a metal badge to be issued to newly brevetted pilots along with their paper certificates. The official version of such badges carried a 'B' designator in front of the serial number. These 'B' badges continued on into 1925 at which point the prefix was dropped. In addition, the 'B' badges were issued retroactively to pilots who had been brevetted prior to the 1916 change date. The unfortunate part to all this is that the badges and certificates were not numbered together. For instance, Brigadier André Coutelot of SPA 77 was issued brevet number 11,139 on January 10, 1918, while receiving badge number B9074 on March 24, 1918 from the Pau School. Another documented example shows Sergeant Jean Belleil was issued brevet number 8775 on September 22, 1917 from the Etampes School, along with badge number B6934. The military flying schools were given allotments of badges to issue to pilots upon successful completion of their training, which resulted in the numbering being even more random. Also, the badge itself did not technically belong to the pilot but was considered property of the French military and had to be returned should the pilot lose his flying status for any reason other than a combat injury. These returned badges were then reissued to newly brevetted pilots. Add to this the numerous replacement badges issued for those that had been lost, (or stolen by the comely mademoiselle as a memento of her evening with l’aviateur courageux), and it becomes nearly impossible to tie a specific badge to a WWI French pilot without concrete documentation. If you wish to further complicate matters, (and who wouldn’t at this point), military pilots who so wished could apply for an international civil certificate, issued by the Aero Club of France. In the above cited example of Sgt. Belleil, he applied for his international civil certificate and was awarded number 8592. Now you have one pilot with three different ID numbers assigned to him and none of them match. The system was not revised until sometime in the mid 1920’s when at least the military certificates and badges were given matching numbers. Though I have not been able to locate primary sources to support this, there is mention made that 18,000 'B' badges were originally ordered and supplied during WWI, (according to supposed merchant records). This does not mean of course that all 18,000 were assigned during the War, but it’s a safe bet most of them were, given the total number of pilots being brevetted by the end of the hostilities. This seems further supported by badge number B22707 being issued in 1920, which would place the badge numbers in the 17,000 to 18,000 range likely being issued by War’s end or shortly thereafter. Regardless of when exactly the badge was originally issued, it is still a beautiful period item that will look very nice on the tunic of the aviateur's uniform in my flying room. Can't wait for it to arrive. .

. Simon, a most heartfelt soldier's salute to the memory of your father. His sacrifice and service are an inspiration. Rest in peace Albert George Falla. .

. Well that is a very good thing. You never know when a website is turned off just how it will come back on. Perhaps someone over at SimHQ should tick the 'auto renew' option before the next payment cycle comes around. .

. Now there's a thought, Matt. .

. There is usually a 30-day adminstrative 'grace' period in which the original domain owner can renew the name. However, bids can be placed on the name now and if the grace period lapses the high bidder gets the domain. A bigger issue might be when the folks at SimHQ renew their domain, they may find that their data bases are all screwed up from being pulled offline. Let's hope not. .

. I get a message that says SimHQ domain was not renewed and we can now bid on the name. Ooops. .

. Very nice Robert, well done! .

. Salute, Flight Lieutenant Walker. Fly with the angels now, Sir. .

. FokkerDviiOAW, welcome to the asylum. As has been rightly pointed out new lads do indeed buy the drinks and I'll have an nice pinta' red. To the two-seater side of OFF/WOFF, I am very hopeful for additional features, (being a dyed-in-the-wool B/R man myself). Fingers crossed! Cheers! Lou

. Actually Slarti, it is very nice in a lot of ways. If you'd like to discuss it just send me a PM. .

. Well you're the fjord master, so get busy man! .

. No, sorry Slarti, it is in the 'other' sim whose name must n'er be spoken in these halls. If only OFF had an MP side. I'm afraid I've had some of the Kool-Aid. Glad you're still enjoying the Strutter, and let me know if you can't lay hands on that Pup, I can go digging through my paint files if need be. .