Flyby PC

Anybody listen to the BBC Podcasts about WW1? The latest one featured first hand witnesses of Zeppelins over Britain. By all accounts it sounded like an express train overhead. There was also considerable cheers and celebrations to see the first one shot down over London. (It wasn't just London or the route towards London that was hit, Nottingham, Hull, and other places were bombed too. Never knew that really). One lady described one as a silver cigar in the sky when flame suddenly apppeared. Cheers went up as people realised it was hit, and next the whole thing was in flames but hung there for a long, long time. It gradually fell to pieces and still in flames it slowly fell to earth. It's another one of those war time sights which features people dying, but at the same time, it must have been a spectacular thing to see.- But it doesn't sound like shooting one down caused a Boom! type explosion.

No worries. It should be fine, but it's taken from a Boys of 60 Mission pack, and I don't know if PD or Stump modified it in any way. I think the Zep is straight out the box and OFF friendly...

Did it work OK? I've never put it into P3.

Heyyyyy! I just noticed I passed my 1000'th post and I'm elite now! Happy eliteness to me, Happy eliteness to me.....

I'm a little bit confused. When and why have we started calling P4 - OFF2? I don't mind the confusion, what's in a name? But am I missing part of the plot here? All of us old socks have already got P2 and mine is very nearly worn out. All the aircraft are clapped out, the war was a stalemate, and everybody is very low on ammunition. We were already discussing an armistace when P3 came along.

You have an email UKW. Don't worry Hasse Wind, it's an old one of mine, and shot so full of holes he'll never get it to inflate.

I'll have one somewhere... I'll check soon as I can.

Guys, maybe don't cry havoc and release the dogs of war just yet. Take another look at that ROF thread. Ignore the Jason's comments, go right back to the start. That whole thread is bashing ROF, and one expression of disappointment after another. They're not happy with AI tactics, paid a lot of money but single player is dull, etc. etc. (Please don't pick up on the content itself, it's not important, just the theme that ROF is being repeatedly criticised). I know Jason's comments were stupid and aimed at OFF, but reading more about it, is there perhaps a sub-plot going on here where Jason suspects the grumbles in the ROF community are perhaps co-ordinated have something to do with OFF? When people are gripeing about something they're not happy with, positive references to OFF do appear as frequent comparisons. Put yourselves in Jason's shoes and you might begin to see such posts as OFF friendly trolls. I'm not excusing Jason's comments, nor defending him for saying them, but if you look at the earlier parts of the thread, it is a frustrating kind of thread for a developer to read through. Add perhaps a little paranoia that OFF is the enemy and there are OFF agitators inside the ROF wire, (when we're not), and suddenly Jason perhaps becomes less of an idiot and perhaps a guy who's frustrated, under attack and under pressure and just lashed out at 'somebody'. He does go on to say how everybody hates him etc. Can you imagine one of our Devs saying that? I don't think he wants a war with the OFF community. I think he needs reassured we're not the enemy and that we want ROF to be a success as much as he does, - just in the same way we'd all like the ROF community to be supportive and constructive about OFF whenever it comes out. We are a small niche community but we have a lot of common interests. There is certainly room in this town for both of us. So come on Jason, get a grip of yourself and start building some bridges and making some friends. It's very good for business.

I'd agree with that Olham, but I'd add that a good forum is a delicate creature. It doesn't take much bad blood to poison the whole tone of a place. Comments like those of Jason are really much better for all of us by not being said in the first place.

If you want another apology Tamper it'll cost you $20 to download.

That's just bad form. I take it Jason's not the official ROF lawyer, who would presumeably read up on the concept of liable/defamation before baselessly accusing decent people of theft. The guy is just an idiot with a big mouth. Move along people. Nothing to see here...

It's all quite simple. Barmy Offers Club has a new member. Welcome aboard Rambling Sid. Outstanding effort sir. :clapping:

OK fellas, one question, at 46, and having to pay for the training, do you think it's too late to think about a flying career? I know the best flying jobs will get scooped up by hotshots with hours and hours of military/services experience under their belt, - but what are the chances of a non-ex-services pilot being able to make a living? I'm not greedy for money. So long as there's food on the table... Big outlay I know, but if it can be done, is it worth it? What are the chances I would I spend the next 20 years looking at a very expensive piece of paper sitting above the mantlepiece kicking myself for being an idiot? I'd welcome your opinions. This is the UK, but hey, if you're willing to contemplate one big change in lifestyle, why not two.... Edit - This is not a mid-life crisis. Never had the opportunity before, and not even sure I have it now, but if all the planets lined up and I got lucky, I reckon I could just about swing it, - but it would be a one-way ticket.

Never sat in the pilot's seat, but been in enough and hanging out the doors of enough flying machines to know I'd like it. I've jumped out of Hercs, Chinnooks, Balloons, and hung out the open doors of helicopters and hercs again. I once was first man out the herc and got a cracking view of the countryside standing in the open doorway for several minutes before the go. No fear or reservations, felt I was just born to stand there. If you want me to be totally honest, I was young, fearless and 'up for it' back in those days, and frankly, driving the plane seemed rather dull by comparison with what I was doing at the time. My Dad died when I was young, but I think some fatherly advice round about that time wouldn't have gone astray. He was career RAF, and I reckon it's a safe bet he'd have had a word in my ear. I know it's different, actually being in charge of the aircraft, but I know I could do it. But yes you're right, doing it and liking it aren't the same thing. All I can say, is one time on the train North from Brize, the train was packed, and as we filed through the packed train, we passed through the guards van which had the doors open as the train sped along, with a gale of a breeze blowing in the doorway. It was just like we were back in the aircraft dying just to get out the door, and after 2 weeks jump training at brize, you so very nearly had a full stick of plain clothed paratroopers jumping out a moving train. Nobody did of course, but when we talked later, every last one of us had had the same idea.

Well, I'm kind of half serious. I get the living the dream aspect of doing it, but it's such a big price tag to overcome. I've never 'not' done anything because of money, there's always been another way, but whatever way you look at it, you need big bucks to become a pilot. Why oh why didn't I think about this when I could have joined the RAF? I was happy enough to get paid for jumping out a military aircraft, was it such a gigantic leap of faith just to think about driving them? Well yes it was actually. Thing is, I'm not unhappy doing what I'm doing. We're just in a rutt and I don't see the way out. To explain in briefest terms, over the last 9 years, we've been ahead of the game, and trying to re-invent structural stonework as a viable new-build option. Stone's eco-credentials are outstanding. Ok, not heat retention, that's the weakness, but sustainability, durability, recyclability, low energy embodiment in production, are all top performers, not to mention peerless aesthetics and prestige. We anticipate a 200+ year design life for our properties, whereas timber frame in the UK has a 60 year lifespan. Thing is, with this cursed credit crunch, we can't get building them. Drives me nuts. Everybody gets paid a fortune, (ok not everybody), but people bang on and on and on about lowering the carbon foot print of the building trade, and there are seminar after seminar about how this can be done but yet nobody will give us the time of day. I am sick to the back teeth, really, sick to the heart of me with all the rampant hypocrisy of this country. All this talk of Environmentalism and saving the planet is a meal ticket for bus loads of freeloaders who may have power, but don't have a clue. I've just had enough. I want progress, or I want out. And frankly, getting out seems a lot more likely to happen than making progress. Flying has been a long term ambition of mine, but a pipe dream due to the cost. But if I did pack my bags and turn my back on stonework, well, perhaps I could just about swing it, - but it would clean me out. I don't mean airlines or jets, but slow, 'fun' planes, like tours or communters, crop dusters, or just private hires. I've even thought about helicopters, but again, the lightweight end of the industry. True confession? I'd like to build my own plane and fly it. (Edit - Just to add, the heat loss with stone has been a problem, but we reckon we've cracked it).

OK, No3 was taking the !"*!, - but I do see Osama and Popeye. I'm with you Rambling Sid.

Here's another one, but it MIGHT be a sublime image... Anybody else see this face 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, or is it just me?

Had some spinach and saw this...

I see one... But I turned on my Oxygen Bottle and it went away. I see one... But I turned on my Oxygen Bottle and it went away. Edit - How spooky. - I honestly didn't type that twice.

I think we're further up the expotential curve these days. It's all relative. It takes a greater amount of change to be noticed to the same degree. Changes now improve what we've got, (sometimes vastly), but in the old days, the new 'thing' in town totally superseded what went before and turned your careful investment into junk. It's still expensive to keep yourself at the cutting edge, and I sympathise with people who have to do that, but a few steps back from the cutting edge, the world's a happy place. The PC's I have now will provide all I need for the foreseeable future - in a business sense at least. If one dies, I don't need a mortgage to replace it. If I want to stay current with the latest games and performance, then I may choose to do so, but it is a choice I'm at liberty not to make. I realised early on that when buying a PC, you needed to identify what you needed it to do, buy a PC that did it, then never read a computer magazine or visit a PC shop again until you were ready to buy a new PC. There are special events, like the P4 release, which often turn into those special occassions when you do look to upgrade and treat yourself, - it's then you realise just how obsolete and clunky all your other stuff truly is, but you've up to that point you've been blissfully unaware of how far behind you've fallen.

Don't they say there are only 7 stories in classical literature? Everything else is merely a variation or compilation of those 7 originals. A debt that must be paid, A hidden virtue being found, a love triangle, a fatal mistake in a perfect plan, a good man who can't be kept down, and a troubled boy meets girl love story a la Romeo and Juliet. That's only 6... Lord of the Rings also has the religious parrallels with Gandalf being resurrected like the Messiah etc... May be, but all the same, it's still breathtaking and inspiring that Lord of the Rings was written by one man. Best book (or trilogy) in the world IMHO, - and by a country mile. No 7 - The loss of a precious gift. (EDIT - No pun intended on the precious gift). Edit 2, Slightly off topic, I respect your opinons, but I don't feel the same way about the Kamikaze. I'd recommend you read Knights of Bushido by Lord Russel of Liverpool and see if you still feel the same about the noble Bushido.

I'm glad to be here too. I had my own issues for leaving the last place, - but that's ancient history now. Combat Ace has been a cut above from the very beginning and the OFF forum has thrived here. :drinks: 3 years already??? Wow. Time flies when you're having fun, and flying time is fun when you have OFF.

You kind of think that's going to happen. "Do-it-Yourself" news coverage. The first PC I ever owned didn't have any hard drive at all, but two big floppy drives, I forget if they were 5", 7" or 9", but 3.5" floppy discs came much later and were a big step forward. Windows? DVD's? Ha! Weren't invented. A mouse? Forget it. It worked as a word processor, but we are talking primitive. I think Dos was the operating system. How I wish I'd kept hold of it now. Antique at 30 years old. Seen this? It won't be long before were all cyborgs with PC implants. http://www.bbc.co.uk...nology-17190918 For all the progress I've seen in my lifetime, the one area which has been slow to keep up with expectation is perhaps 3d / Virtual reality. Even in my 20's, some 26 years ago now, architectural CAD was getting into virtual reality, and the expectation was that games and 3d worlds you could enter wouldn't be far behind. I suspect somebody somewhere is working on something impressive, but it's not mainstream as I thought it might be by now.

Did I see Dr Who running about in that? Nevermind integrating a flight sim, they should integrate google earth. I could go my holidays anywhere without the expense of actually going there. Dive Scapa Flow or Truk Lagoon in safety or travel to any time forward or back wherever the programing existed. Wouldn't be real, but you have to ask if that would matter.... Get your arse to Mars,...Get your arse to Mars,... Get your arse to Mars....

I love hearing stuff like this. I really do. It's the little bits of detail which these stories include which makes history so priceless.