RAF_Louvert

. Oh yes, we've posted links here to the British Pathé films on numerous occasions, but it's always worth posting again. I have spent many enjoyable hours viewing some of the 1000's of films that are available at their outstanding website. TKS Olham. .

. Yuppers, that's the sound of a VW engine converted to aircraft use. Excellent power plant for those light little replicas. I bet that kite weighs less than 500 pounds sitting on the grass ready to roll. UL's and EXP's are a hoot! .

. I've never seen that title Carrick, and I wonder if it isn't a reprint under a new name of an older book on the subject. If you are interested in the life and times of the RNAS and the pilots who flew with that service here are a few excellent reads to add to those already listed by Uncleal and TaillyHo: "In the Teeth of the Wind: Memoir of the Royal Naval Air Service in World War I", by C.P. Bartlett "The Spider Web", by T.D. Hallam "Australian Hawk Hawk Over The Western Front: A Biography of Major R S Dallas", by Adrian Hellwig "Air Command: A Fighter Pilot's Story", by Raymond Collishaw "A History Of No 10 Squadron RNAS in WWI", by Mike Westrop "With the Flying Squadron", by Harold Rosher "Green Balls: The Adventures of a Night Bomber", by Paul Bewsher "The Flatpack Bombers: The Royal Navy and the Zeppelin Menace", by Ian Gardiner "Naval Eight: A history of No 8 Squadron RNAS", by E.G. Johnstone There are many others. Cheers! Lou .

. Well, I wasn't personally slighted by any of this, but I'll have a pinta' red ale and a bag of salt and vinegar crisps thank you very much Pawgy. .

. WM, I am very, very glad that you and Max will still have some more quality time to share and I hope your old pal will have a wonderful final run. I know what it is like to lose a beloved dog, I've personally had to go through it on numerous occasions over the years. So to have a reprieve in that situation really is a Godsend. I had to have our old lab Goldie put to sleep a couple of years ago because of cancer. She hung on for nearly a year after the diagnosis and mananged to be in pretty good health up until the last month. That was hard, and the day I had to finally bring her in was one of the toughest I've had in a long, long while. I stayed with her as she fell asleep for the last time and I swear the look on her face was the one she nearly always had: that of gratitude and joy. I wept like a little boy as I brought her back home to her final resting place, and I weep still when I think about it...am right now as a matter of fact. As you so rightly noted WM, people who don't have a connection with dogs will likely never understand it. But those of us who do know just how much these four-legged friends become a part of our lives, and how deeply they touch our hearts. .

. Yes Gents, the maps are in color and are quite large. Here is a scanned example of just one of the dozens of maps included in the two map cases that accompanied the original set of books: As you can see, there is a great deal of additional information and detail found on these. Cheers! Lou .

. I loved MST3K! My kids and I used to watch it every time ti was on. Good times. And Duke, yes, the original host was by far the better. .

. So pretty. No doubt that second one you have there Olham is a very harmonious bird to fly. .

. Campaigns are all scripted mission sets Olham. It's been a while since I've flown an IL2 campagin, and interestingly enough the last one was with the Flying Tigers. The landscape can be pretty when it's up close, and the water animation is beautiful. But OFF is light years beyond in terms of dynamic campaigns. .

. Ah yes, I remember 29 as if it were only 27 years ago. Here's hoping your birthday is a great one Soppy! .

. You are more than welcome Gents, happy to help. Bullethead, I had a hunch the "Naval Operations" set might be something you could make use of, given the sim project you've been working on. Also, once you receive the books and see what is included in terms of the maps you might want to consider the following two additional purchases as well: Map Set to Volume I Map Set to Volume III The first set has 18 maps and the second has another 46 maps. If memory serves there are two more map cases that accompanied the original book set, and if I happen to run across those for sale at a reasonable price I will get you the links. Cheers! Lou .

. Aaaah, got it. Now if I could just remember where I put my check book. .

. My memory continues to grow shorter while my ears grow longer and I'm lucky to recall...things...from...I'm sorry, what were we talking about? .

. Isn't that the truth Wodin. It's been almost 50 years since I became enamoured with WWI aviation and it's stronger now than ever. .

. Well done Panama Red, I hope you refer to the set as often over time as I have. And my offer about the map scan still stands, so if you or Hasse Wind, (or anyone else with this set), need a chart or two just let me know. Bullethead, the same company is offering the equally complete set on WWI naval operations as well, if you're interested Sir. WWI Naval Operations 5 Volume Set Nearly as much reading here though, so the time issue may still be the same for you. .

. The peasants in that movie really are revolting. .

. Welcome to the OFF forums Tbolin, and soon to the virtual skies above the front! You are going to love this sim, and I envy you your first mission in the WWI kite of your choosing. But even after 1000 missions the excitement is nearly the same, as I and many others have found here. Now then, a nice mug of fresh hot coffee with a touch of cream, and two fingers of Tullamore Dew my good lad! Cheers! Lou .

. Wonderful work so far Dej, very "moody". I look forward to the finished scene and would gladly use it as a screensaver on my flying computer. My one suggestion might be to downsize the door rails and roof edges on the hangers. What you currently have looks a bit too heavy in construction. But honestly, that is only my opinion Sir. .

. Captaine Vengeur, it does look a bit like the Order of the Iron Cross but without the banner on the bottom stem of the cross. Of couse as you have noted, MvR never received such an award anyway. I'm betting it is what ever the props man had handy when they were shooting the scene. Probably something like the Royal Order of Cracker Jacks. .

. Good Morning Tone12. IIRC, the other download is for the Saitek Profiler, (as noted by Jarhead), and while you don't need that, it is a nice little utility. I have run my pedals with and without it and they work just fine either way. Ras has pointed you towards the primary change you need to make for the WWI kites so you should be good to go. That link posted by Stickshaker looks useful as well. Of course, if you have them running the way you like, you could just leave well enough alone and go fly. Cheers! Lou .

. P12, with the Dardanelles "Fez in the Hoop" add-on pack. .

. hee, hee...sorry about that Rugbyfan. Also, like Olham, I am very interested to know what Creaghorn's dream encompasses. Please consider sharing it here with us. .

. Greetings All, Right now on eBay the Battery Press is offering it's seven-volume hard cover reprint of Raleigh and Jones "The War in the Air: The Part played in the Great War by the Royal Air Force". Price: $199.95 US dollars. Here is the link: "The War in the Air" They currently have over 10 sets available. Let me say, this is the best price I have ever seen for the entire reprint of this absolute definitive work on the subject. Here is a brief synopsis of some of what you will find in this massive set, (courtesy of the Byrd Aviation Books website): Vol. I Deals with the beginnings of the navigation of the air, the invention, gradual improvements, aerial forces of the British Empire, achievements in 1914. Vol. II Dardanelles Campaign, Western Front to Battle of Loos, Battle of Somme 1916, RNAS. Vol. III Flying Operations in German East & Southwest Africa, air raids on Great Britain 1914-1916, supply, recruitment & training 1914-1916, Western Front, Battle of Arras, 1917. Vol. IV Aircraft with the Fleet 1917-1918, U-boat Warfare, Naval Air Operations from Dunkirk, Battle of Messines, Battle of Ypres, German Offensive, First Battles of Somme, Battles of Lys. Vol. V Raids on Great Britain, Air Operations in Egypt, Darfur & Palestine, Fall of Jerusalem, Campaign in Mesopotamia, Air Operations in Macedonia, Naval Air Operations in Mediterranean & Near-Eastern Waters. Vol. VI Creation of RAF, Supply, Manpower, Independent Bombing Force, Operations in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Persia & India, Italian Front, Mediterranean in 1918, Naval Air Development & Operations, 1918. Appendices Describing in detail the war effort of the British air weapons, includes numerous tables and charts. What the reprint does not have are the map cases that accompany Volumes III and V, and the only way you will ever get those is to purchase the original Oxford University Press edition printed between 1922-1937. Keep in mind that said original sets cost between $1,200 and $2,500 depending on condition. While I am extremely lucky to own one of the near-mint, complete, original sets that used to reside in the RUSI at Whitehall, few others are so fortunate. However, if you do happen to purchase one of these reprints and during the course of your studies find you need one of the accompanying maps, I might be persuaded to scan and assemble an electronic copy of said map, (there are more than 50 such maps and many are quite large, so I won't be doing the entire set for you, but I would do one or two here and there as needed). If you are looking for the best single information resource concerning the RFC/RNAS/RAF in the Great War, this is it hands down. Cheers! Lou .

. Not stupid at all Creaghorn. I've a similar story to tell and did so a while back here in another thread about going back in time. Allow me to quote myself from that thread. I've had this eerie feeling, ever since I was a very young boy, that I served in the air at least once before. One of the earliest recurring dreams I can remember involved me sitting in the glass nose of an airplane as it was plummeting towards earth. I had a machine gun in front of me and various instruments clustered around where I was sitting. The entire dream was simply me sitting in that glass nose watching the earth come up at an incredible speed, seeing the 360 degree horizion that wrapped around me disappear as this large grassy field filled my forward view. The last split second went into slow motion as I watched the muzzle of the gun dig into the dirt, and the tall waving grass push aside as the glass nose entered it. I could see the grass flattening as the glass came within a millimeter from the ground...and then I would wake up, every time. Never any sound in the dream...just dead silence all the way through. And it was in color because I remember how green that grass looked, more vivid than any green I've ever seen. As I grew up I explained the dream away as being some memory from when I was a baby and my parents had me plopped down in front of the TV while they were watching some old war movie that this scene was from, and it had embedded itself into my subconscious. Now for the spooky part. When I was in the USAF I got to go through a restored B25 Liberator. As soon as I approached that plane my childhood nightmare came back as vivid and strong as it had ever been in my youth. I was overcome by a feeling of absolute dread, I wanted to leave but I was compelled to go forward. As I did so the feeling got more intense by the second. By the time I'd crawled up into the "greenhouse" I could hardly breath and I thought my heart was going to pop out of my chest. Still, something kept pulling me in and I sat down in the seat, and it was as if I'd gone into a trance. I felt like I was someone else, I knew where everything was. My hands went as if they were on auto pilot, checking the gun, and then the bombsight. There was a moment where I was sure I'd passed out. And then, I snapped back and jumped up and got the hell out of there, completely terrified. I am not someone who scares easily, but I can honestly say I've never been so afraid of something in all my life as I was of that, and I have never gone back near a B25. Make of it what you will. I still can't decide, if it is nothing more than a movie memory imprinted on me as a baby, or if it came from "another life". I've never been a big believer in past lives, but this experience does make me wonder about it from time to time. "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." . And CaptSopwith, many thanks Sir for your high praise of my earlier post in this thread. Much appreciated Sir. .

. My love affair with WWI aircraft began on Christmas of 1962 when my younger brother and I were each given a model kit: my brother receiving a Fokker DR1, and I a Sopwith Camel. After we assembled the relatively simple little kits, we staged endless dogfights above the braided rope rug Western Front of our living room, and while the battles may not have been historically accurate they were none-the-less exciting. We spent that entire winter reinventing WWI aerial combat to fit our limited knowledge and arsenal, and my admiration and interest for the real world inspirations of those Christmas gifts from long ago still remains. There is something inherently elegant in the simplicity of the Great War aircraft. Their beauty lies in the very necessity that created them, and it is a timeless beauty indeed. Deceptively strong and durable despite their seemingly delicate appearance, they served their pilots and crews beyond well. And while they were not all equal in terms of strengths and weaknesses, they are all equally amazing in their own right. And their evolution in four years at the various fronts was a true miracle of reinvention and urgency. From wings of gossamer with nothing more threatening to offer the enemy than a wave, to deadly armored birds of prey capable of destroying an opponent in a heartbeat: all in 48 months. Little wonder there is such a romance about these craft and the men who flew and fought, and lived and died in them. I have been blessed with occasions over the years to sit in the cockpits of a few of these wondrous planes, and to say that the connection I felt to the past was ethereal and intense would be one of my classic understatements. Still, I can only imagine what it must have been like…all those decades ago…piloting such craft in the hostile sky. But then I’ve always been blessed with a very good imagination. .