Olham

PS: ...not sure, what you English guys have on the keyboard position of our German "ö" ? Can anyone tell, what key is for "Padlock view" on English keyboards?

Pawgy, maybe you are in "Padlock view", which is switched on and off by pressing "ö". So please try pressing "ö" again, to get back to hat switch view.

Pawgy, you should go to "Controls" and make sure your joystick is selected in the second frame. Also, you may have to switch through the views with F4. You should come to a cockpit view with a working hat switch.

Well, he had seen unrest and strikes of German workers in ammunition factories, after the fall of the Russian Tsar and the rise of the Bolshewiks. He must have been aware of what would happen in Germany, if the war would go on too long. And that "flying too low behind enemy lines" - wasn't that totally against his own knowledge and advice?

Great job, Dej! You'd almost expect some mechanic or even Major Hawker coming along to check the kite, any minute.

TrackIR's camera is not only sensitive to direct sunlight. It may also show wrong reactions, when you have a window with sunlight behind your monitor, and when you are wearing strong glasses, or glasses with no anti-mirror coating. In these cases, a small dot of light - the reflected window in your glasses - may confuse the camera.

Great - after three days of packing things, moving furniture, cleaning and stuff, I found time and a rig to come here. I'm still in Norden until thursday, but will look in here occasionally. Can't be without you all for long, until I begin to miss you. Now let me see what we have today...

Brownred without rum - our brew is strong enough without that stuff. I once ordered a "Cornish Cream Tea" in Cornwall, England, and was glad to get a pot with tea of exactly that colour. The waitress also placed another pot with hot milk or water next to it. When she observed, that I filled my whole cup with only the strong brownred brew, she hastened to advise me, that it should be mixed with that hot water or milk, but I said it was okay and great, and drank it like it was, with only a spoonful of cream. She kept observing me all the time, as if she waited for my collapse or explosion. That island tour is funny to hear about. I don't have FSX and don't fly civil sims, but the tour must be looking like this more or less then: Our area is badly documented yet by satelite pics - we don't seem to be of any military interest - and that may be the reason why is is so badly rendered in FSX?

Yep, TaillyHo and 77Scout should be right - my path was for Windows Vista. Welcome "between heaven and hell", Wombat! With that name, I dare to guess we have another member from down under? If you like, send me a PM with your town and country, and I will add you to our OFF Forum Pilots Maps. And don't forget: new lad buys the drinks, okay? Today, I think I'll have Chips with salt & vinegar flavour, and an Old Speckled Hen (always wanted to know how that tastes).

"You'll neeeeeeeever walk (and fly) alone!..."

If your stick has not enough buttons, put that "toggle scroll/snap view" command on some keyboard key easy to reach - like the space bar.

It ain't hard to set up TrackIR, and you basically need to set only two command keys: - re-center - precision Flying the sturdy Albatros, I never use "Precision", which is like stiffening up your neck and body, to be able to aim and hit better (use it in the twitchy kites!). Well, and "Re-center" will always center your forward view with only one knob pressed. TrackIR is easy to set up, and easy to "learn" - all you need to do is to look where you want to look. Don't think about HOW it works - it WILL work.

We Ostfriesen are drinking a lot of tea indeed! I prefer a blend of best Assams. It is called "black tea", but should be looking golden brownred - hmmm!!!!!! Getting you on the bicycle! Boy, after another week of family and moving stress, I am loooooonging for the cockpit of my Albatros!

As Lewie says: press "Escape" and go to "Controls". You should asign a joystick key to "toggle scroll/snap view". During flying, the panning view is nicer, but in combat, you may prefer "snap view". I can only recommend TrackIR though - it is not cheap, but soooooo much greater, cause it will be the first time you can be the pilot looking around from your cockpit. Since I found the right distance for mine, I can even look down left and right the cockpit sides, to follow enemies, who are crossing underneath my plane.

Thanks, rwmarth! Wow, TaillyHo! - to see the Bristol Scout in a successful combat - how long have I waited for this!

This was something I have rarely ever done - I let an opponent go. We had attacked a flight of 4 Sopwith Pup with a clear advantage in height and number. Two Pups went down under the guns of my wingmen, while I engaged a third one. But the first burst from my 08/15 LMG made my guns jam! The poor feller - his craft had several holes - froze in sheer terror. He didn't do anything but fly towards his lines. When my guns got clear, I lined up behind him, came clso and closer - and couldn't fire at him. He didn't try the faintest evasive manoeuvre; he flew straight on! Has I fired, I would have made minced meat of the boy. But I couldn't. I waved my wingmen back and flew the last two miles to the lines with him to make sure nobody else attacked him. I could see him clearly in his cockpit - staring forward. I could read "Ad Aura" on his fuselage, under the cockpit. At the front, I turned away. My wingmen must have been wondering, what that was. Well, I think it was a "mental jam" of my killer instinct. Turning away from him, I thought: "Hey, Tommy-boy - make something good of your life!" Anyone ever did something like this?

Well, I am glad I didn't miss anything yet. Will check again on Tuesday. I know, that the family always comes first.

smilingmonkey: ...and tried not to annoy Uncleal with too many noob questions... He loves to be annoyed like that; quite the little masochist he is!

Lou, I often wonder what treasure there may be among your many books and pics. Thanks for sharing - didn't know this one.

...and I always thought, the Germans had built the most frightening monstrosities!

MvR didn't fly scrambles, he preferred to meet the guys, when he had a better altitude advantage. But they can be fun, if you are in a light, fast climbing scout. And of course: select "Manual advance" in "Workshops", to avoid missions you don't find appropriate.

AIR DEPARTMENT SCOUT "SPARROW" http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww1/f/2293/9/0/1

You guys "haven't left a good hair" on that kite, as we say in Germany. It would have looked truly great in "The magnificent Men and their flying Machines".

It was actually a bit worse: Stachel had assigned to the pilot, he should land, and wasn't firing at the craft anymore. Then the rear gunner came up again. He had not noticed the hand signs, and took up firing at Stachel again. After that, Stachel shot them up - or down. The Germans on the ground now thought, that the eager Stachel had forced the British craft to fly to his field, only to shoot it down for all to see. Everyone was quite upset - no one had seen, what really happened. Being sick is like that - a fever can obscure the brain quite a bit. I wish you a good and quick recovery, Captain!

I just read a passage in Kilduff's "The Red Baron", where MvR and another pilot shot down two photo recon aircraft. And for the first time, I understood, how easy it might have been, because Kilduff explains, that these recon craft had to fly a straight set path to get the pictures right. They both went down. Now, there may be some heroism involved, as they were escorted by Triplanes. But then, the German Albatros had an altitude advantage and came down on two-seaters, shot them to pieces, and could withdraw up and away with the speed advatage they had gained in the dive. That made it clear to me again, that most of this "air combat work" was not at all heroic. It was just a strategic necessity to kill these two craft - not more. Like MvR shooting a bison during one leave - what the heck is so great about shooting an animal from a distance with a good gun and maybe even telescopic sight? I feel much the same with the fact, that most aircraft were probably shot down without the victim even noticing the other craft approaching, until the impact of the deadly rounds. Not to speak of the German Luftwaffe newbies at the end of WW2 getting shot down like nothing - they could hardly fly their craft straight. A military necessity - maybe - but no grand deed.