Olham

I read a test report from one RFC pilot (can't remember who), who found the Albatros very different to the RFC's nimble and agile light craft, but he also noticed positively, that the Albatros was a "calm", well balanced and easy to fly type, which he could imagine made aiming and shooting much easier. He also noted the great overall vision you had from it's cockpit. As Hasse Wind said, you will find her heavy and far less responsive, when you come from a nimble turn fighter, but on the other hand, I find those turn fighters always too nervous for aiming and hitting anything. It is surely a question of what you get used to - and I love the Albatros' predictable, reliable behaviour. What is LOD? In my sim, the undercarriage doesn't disappear (see my screenshots).

Ah, TSmoke, you are finally one person (maybe the only one) who understood my FOV essay. Your FOV is quite "zoomed out" indeed, but that's the great about it - everyone can sttle for his own. Personally, I have the same 1680 x 1050 resolution, and I use a Field of View of 24 x 15, with occasional zooming in one notch in combat. When I want to recognise some distant planes, I zoom in a lot, like using glasses.

She is more than just an enthusiast, JFM - she really is a von Richthofen; a relative of MvR. Here are family photos: http://www.flickr.co...s/58692169@N02/

Thank you, TaillyHo. Yes, I like skinning, and since the Bf109s I flew in WW2 sims, I always prefered to have a black spinner. Looks more like a threat, I find.

Don't know, but when I flew in early or late darkness I could see it from high up, and pretty far from me. And it definitely follows the historical patterns.

Raiding the enemy airfield at Ablainzeville, my Jasta 2 pilot saw how the German artillery literally pulverised the field. Or so it seemed. He didn't expect to find anyone there anymore, but he found several Nieuports outside the hangars, and then he was shot at from many guns and angles. He shot holes into 3 of the Nupes, while the shockwaves of the explosions around him hit his wings and his chest. Big lumps of soil rained on his Albatros. Then his radiator got hit, and he returned. He managed to fly the craft at half throttle all the way back to his field at Bertincourt.

(The Bordeauxred Baron blushes so deeply, that he makes his name all honour) "Vell, ahem - ssank you, Sir. Vee Hunz are not used to complimentz really..."

Hun officer 1: "Vy muszt vee alvays play der dark rolez?" Bordeauxred Baron: "Becozz vee can play zem vizz moszt style! Mmuahahahahahaaaaa!!!!"

Alright then, first you make sure, that in "Workshop" on the left side, the screen ratio is on 4:3. If it was not already, select that. Maybe you have to restart the sim to activate the change. Try these three possible FOV settings; they are all in the right ratio (width : height) of your screen res. You should find one that suits you most. 19 : 15 (will be more zoomed in - cockpit large and close to you) 20 : 16 (medium) 21 : 17 (will be more zoomed out - cockpit smaller, more remote) There is no "righter or wronger" one - they just are more or less zoomed in, and you decide which feels right. It can even be, that you feel so crammed in a Nieuport cockpit, that you zoom out one notch, while in an Albatros, you want to zoom in one notch. That is all still possible ingame (see "Conrols"). But one of the above should be suitable for the basic view.

The Field of View is the players setting of how much his view shall be zoomed in or out. Higher numbers mean a wider and higher Field of View = more zoomed out - you get more of the total, but therefor also more remote. Lower number mean a more zoomed in view - everything is closer to you, but therefor you also see less of the total. You can easily understand the Field of view by starting a QC flight, and zooming in and out. You will notice, that also your own cockpit will get bigger or smaller. Bigger, closer cockpit = more zoomed in = smaller numbers in FoV. Small, remote cockpit = more zoomed out = higher numbers in FoV. Of course, the numbers of width and height need to be in the correct relationship to your screen resolution. To get that right, see my sticky thread about FOV. I also offer you, to calculate three possible settings for your monitor, if you write your resolution here. .

Looks like a picture from a nightmare - lost landing in no man's land. That reminds me of that strange WW1 animation film someone had once posted. Does anyone remember what it's title was, or even where to find it?

Reason No. 1 for me to lose a pilot is collision. I just had a sortie with my 1918 Jasta 37 pilot, who is not one of my "serious" flyers. Still though, I try not to do any careless or too extreme flying. Now, when I was chasing a Camel, I could have found my end despite all care though. RL ace Ernst Hamster decided to chase the same craft, and as the Camel was hampered already, he performed barrel rolls to reduce his forward speed. That way, he must have seen me in the last second. We had almost collided. A real close shave that was. .

Yes, Rumey was a fighter type. No. 56 Sqdn RFC were often called the "Richthofen Hunters" by the Germans, who thought that had been their major task - to bring MvR down. About the mods: yes, it is all very easy to do. 1. download the free "Generic Mod Enabler" here or elsewhere: http://www.softpedia...oad-105848.html 2. Install it 3. create a folder in your sim's folder, called "Mods" 4. download the desired mods from Bletchley (he has several time periods, each for active and passive areas) 5. move the unzipped Mods into the created folder 6. open Generic Mod Enabler. You'll see Bletchley's mods in the left frame. Click on the one you want active, and then on the right-arrow. The mod shall now be in the right frame, for use. To deactive a mod, click on it, and then on the left-arrow, and it will be in the left frame again. Sounds complicated? Only, cause you don't se it yet. Follow the steps and you'll see, it's easy.

Yo - now a skull and crossed bones...

Duke, a way to write the Umlauts without having the very keys, is this: ä = ae ö = oe ü = ue You see, you just need to add an "e".

Cheers, George - good to see you alive and well!

Yes, this is a skin I made some weeks ago, before the corrections. The template is as good as ready now - maybe I upload it today.

Wow, looks like you shot down an ace there? Have you tried to set up more AA in your graphic card's control center? You'd get smoother wires.

Regarding myself as a gentleman with good conduct, and knowing very well, how long my brain needs in the morning to realise, that my body has already got up, I just assumed you were not quite awake yet. It has three good reasons, TaillyHo - one was, that another thread got me to realise, that I mostly only fly from late 1916 to late 1917. Also, I wanted to have an Albatros D.Va pilot, in an active area, to test Herr Prop-Wasche's new FM, and Bletchley's 1918 mod. (Both are excellent by the way!) TSmoke, the "greentails" were Jasta 5. My avatar shows the craft of Josef Mai from that Staffel. That craft with the green checkerboard you "photographed" is the Albatros D.V of Jasta 5 ace Fritz Rumey, 45 victories. He was one of the three leading aces of Jasta 5, they were called "the golden Triumvirat" (the others were Josef Mai, and I think Otto Konnecke). Firtz Rumey died after a collision with an S.E.5a, when his parachute failed to open. Here is the man: http://www.theaerodr...rmany/rumey.php The aircraft James McCudden refers to, and his description of the others around it, sounds more like an Albatros D.V from Jasta 11, the "Richthofen Staffel". There were two planes with green tails - that of Alfred Niederhoff, and that of Kurt Wolff. I guess it was Kurt Wolff, the boyish ace (33 victories) with the nightcap talisman. http://www.theaerodr...many/wolff2.php .

The "Red Arrows" sure are one of the most famous stunt flying squads, and this video is only damn to short, cause it would have been great to see a bit more, combined with Status Quo's great classic "Pictures of Matchstick Men". Now, where's the record?!...

Maybe, in times of savings... I saw them live once in 1973 in Cornwall, and no one can budget me on my memories.

I'd like to see your Camel again then in "high res" then, Widowmaker.

Good pics there at "Wingnut Wings" - I should have gone there first. "Black 13" would be tempting, but I like the "9", cause it looks almost like the Albatros had eyes. As there seems to be no "9" in OFF, I will keep it - just looks good. And the rudder - well, there were so many exceptions in most Jastas, that I will make this one. The Lozenge just looks great behind the black, IMHO.

Good question, Duke! They didn't have the obvious name like in WW2 - Deutsche Luftwaffe. As they were part of Deutsches Heer, the name must have been "Luftstreitkräfte des deutschen Heeres". But I honestly never read it like that anywhere. The commanding General was called "Kommandierender General der Luftstreitkräfte", so it may be they were just called "Luftstreitkräfte" (air forces). Perhaps one of our historians can shine a light on this question?

When they are all as good as the Albatros D.Va, then he made his masterpiece, Duke. He doesn't make the plane at all any sort of "ueber" - it just feels more right, it's heavy, but it doesn't blubber like a dying soap foam machine at 11.000 feet. Excellent job!