Olham

Naw, I never said that, did I? I also fly mostly one side - the German side. It's from the immersion - it warps me back in time and history, and where would I have been fighting? German side. (But for OFF II I am planning to fly serious campaign pilots on British and French side too). It's easy to be a good dancer in a Tripe, you know? But I'm joining that dancing business with wooden clogs on, every day. You saw how hard it is - turn-fighting is not the only art in here! Damn, now I answered before I checked out your videos - will do now.

I bet that those wealthier Londoners, who had thought they had managed to stay clear from the war, and possibly made good business earnings through the war, were now calling loudest for something to be done against the Gotha menace. Chaps, there is a fine mission in the downloads, which RAF_Louvert has written for me: "Olham's Gotha Escort" http://combatace.com...escort-mission/ Fly the Albatros and try to accomplish both mission tasks - it's a thriller, if you fly it without Labels and TAC! .

You seem to have a better memory than me about my own things, elephant. But now that you say it, there comes a feeling of déja-vu... Damn - I get old... .

Yes. If you can get at them. Mmuahahahahahahahahaaaaa!!!!!!! .

Just did a stroll through the archive of historical b&w photography at the "Wingnut Wings" website. Always worth another visit - the collection seems to grow slowly, but steadily. http://www.wingnutwings.com/ww/ I found these Gothas at St. Denis aerodrome. They must be 20 bombers, ready to start for a raid against England. I had never guessed, that so many of them were sent out on a single raid. Quite frightening! Edit: we will have them in OFF II soon! Well, maybe soon. In two weeks. ... ? ...

I couldn't find a real aerial night view, so I faked one from a picture of Dumbarton Castle. But you get the idea - moonlight has different tone and quality - but it is still light.

In nights with moonlight, you can see a lot from the air - your eyes get used to it, and the moonlight is often really bright, when there are not too many clouds. Especially rivers and other water surfaces reflect a lot of light and are helpful for navigating.

Well, maybe one possible tactic - but it feels bad, doesn't it? Or are you one of those pilots who rushes into the mess at lunch first, to make sure you get all the puddings of the pilots you left behind?

Isn't it really bad? I see, you know exactly what I was talking about. Good luck for the future!

What a convincing interpretation!!!

Not sure wether it was Arthur Gould Lee or Cecil Lewis - one of them described how they had to fly at dusk. When they wanted to return to base, it was meanwhile totally dark, and they had to find it first. The ground crew would light cans filled with petroleum or something like that, when they heard engine sound. They also had strong lamps, which were shining in a direction opposite from the front lines over the runway; and also only switched on, when an aircraft approached. The author once made a landing guided by a light - of a motorbike on a country road! If you never read "No Parachute!" or "Sagittarius rising" - do it! Both books are absolutely great!

Thanks to Carrick, who posted links for the "Bloody April" docu parts on YouTube. Now I looked into them and found filmed assembly of an Albatros D.III - never seen that before! Great stuff - thanks again, Carrick! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=000n3XP5dso

Shiloh, I can't say "enjoy it", cause it is quite hard in wide parts, but you know what I mean. "Das Boot" is for me one of the top rank films about the second world war. Although the author Lothar Buchheim found it still too movie-like, I as one who has not been there, find that it brings the whole story, the claustrophobic athmosphere closer to me than I sometimes wanted. After watching it, I needed a shower - I felt like stinking from oil, bilge water and two-weeks-old sweat. From all I've read here in this forum before about the film, it is able to make you feel deeply with the submarine crew - no matter which nationality - and that makes it at the same time a "war movie" and an anti war film IMHO. .

I came to OFF Phase 2 in October 2008, and since then, I was flying most aggressively in the years 2009 and 2010. It changed slowly but surely during 2011, and I thought to myself that it isn't too hard to collect lots of victories, while I couldn't get hurt, and when I didn't bother, if my pilot died. I simply created a new one. But during 2011 I began to care for my wingmen more and more, and I realised, that it felt better to bring some of them back alive after a fight, instead of returning with lots of kills - but alone. I began to use my wingman commands even better; I avoided any risky fights (so I avoided lots of them); and I concentrated mostly on helping them in their fights. I still got enough victories collected that way, but not by far as many as before. Still though - it was much more contenting. Now we all know, that the enemy AI won't let you step out of fights easily, and so it was still hard to bring more than one or two wingmen back. But today I managed to do so - all six of them appeared, when I signalled to assemble! What an overwhelming feeling, to see your six comrades coming from all angles, climbing towards you! I was really touched and had goose skin! It had not been an eventless patrol - we had first attacked 3 R.E.8 bombers, and then we had clashed with several Nieuports of the aggressive Escadrille 82: the fight was going up and down and round about, until we were at treetop level. But keeping my wingman behind me (with the "Help" command), I could attack each and any Nieuport, which started to pester one of my men. My wingman kept my six clear. When it was over, I had seen 3 Nieuports going down - the rest had either run home, or they were also shot down. The flying back in fine May weather with all my 6 wingmen was accompanied by good feelings! I wonder if anyone else flies like that recently?

Not for me, von Paulus, I get 1683 - maybe because I have blocked all scripts? Anyway - maybe the Mayans could just not write it on and on for eternity. They would have chiseled a new one - had they not perished.

That count says 1683 days? That should be plenty of time for the devs - that's still almost five years. But hey, Pol and Winder - no reason to stretch it that long, okay?!

Yeah, we're all drooling for OFF II here, I guess. But the OBD Team is rather a small one, and they need to build a lot, and then to improve lots more of the old stuff, and then they must make a test version and check it intensively; the all found mistakes and problems must get resolved etc. etc. They are possibly the only team that will release only when they are ready with it all. And I know that they often work until 03:00 h - 04:00 h in the night. No begging will help us - they will release when it's ready. (You could perhaps try to bribe them, if you had a million, but I'm not sure if we would like the result then?)

Teil 3 Teil 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=9tlYWymFF70 ...und zuletzt Teil 5:

Undere englischsprechenden Freunde kennen diese Dokumentation bereits - nun gibt es sie auch mit deutschem Sprecher. Für akulawien und alle und unseren deutschen Mitgliedern, die nicht so gut Englisch verstehen. Duell am Himmel - Die ersten Fliegerasse (5 Teile) Teil 1 Teil 2

akulawien, here's a video from YouTube with coloured film, and a German speaker - enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHs-T3X1BP8&feature=related

Yes, I know. In OFF, when you fly the Eindecker, you can see the metal roll, over which the cables/wires moved to warp the wings, when you moved the stick left or right-

These early craft had no ailerons - they warped the whole wing via wires. At least the Fokker Eindecker did - not really sure about the Morane. Anyone here?

No, that is a Morane Parasol - the early French monoplane. We will get them in OFF II, which will hopefully make more people fly the early war time.

Yeah, the poor souls - flamers seem to make the killing even more violent. They crashed quite a bit off the lake though.

Lou recommended this site several times, and so did I - it is a bit diffivult to see it all through, but so worth it! I put together some rather unknow photos of French aviators, aircraft and locations. http://albindenis.free.fr/Site_escadrille/page_centaine.htm