Olham

Maybe they already had something similar to Dicta Boelke. - Attacked right out of the sun - Had advantage of height - Only shot when the enemy was close enough

Hey, that's a good pic for Bullethead. Typical Texan style - riding the biggest of all bombs into the biggest of all explosions (Lol!) That film was great!

No, I think, against the Mexicans that was. Or do I mix up things? I always read the name Fort Alamo - what was that fight then. Bullet?

In another thread, I posted an excerpt from the book "The Red Baron", were he reported, how he almost got burnt in his brand new first Albatros DIII. Had the plane caught fire, he would have been an ace with just 28 victories, hardly known by many today. And 52 more planes would not have been downed by the hunter, who called his victims "his friends". May he rest - together with "his friends" - in peace now.

Here's some excerpt from the book "The Red Baron", that may show, how close the shave sometimes is. Had he burnt that day, he would have been an ace with 28 victories - most people wouldn't know his name now, and 52 planes wouldn't have been shot down by him.. March 19th, 1917, Manfred von Richthofen received a brand new aircraft, the Albatros DIII; which he wanted to try out immediately. His flight encountered 9 F.E.8s of No.40 Squadron, patrolling over Oppy, west of Douai. "Now I am 50 metres away, a few good shots and then success is inevitable. So I thought. But all of a sudden, there is a big bang; I have barely got off ten shots when again there is a smack on my machine. It is clear I have been hit. At least my machine has been, [although] I personally have not. At the same moment it stinks something terrible of gasoline, also the engine slows down. The Englishman notices it, for now he shoots even more. I must break off immediately. I go straight down. Instinctively, I have switched off the engine. Just in time. If the fuel tank is punctured and the stuff squirts around the legs, the danger of fire is indeed great. Up front there is an internal combustion engine over 150 "horses" strong; glowing hot. One drop of fuel (on it), and the whole machine will burn. I am leaving behind me a trail of white mist. I know it very well from opponents. It happens just before an explosion." Richthofen was lucky. His engine quit altogether, minimizing the risk of fire, and his opponent withdrew. But he was still vulnerable, and checked constantly to be sure he was not followed. [...] Richthofen set down in a small meadow along the road to Hénin-Liétard. On this day, April 21st, 1918; 11h50, the was hit by the bullet with his name on.

Manfred flew more than one craft or type; here in BHaH, he is seen in: Halberstadt, Albatros (several versions), and the Fokker Dr.1. He might have even scored much higher, had he flown the DVII. The carreers of Allied pilots couldn't only get shortened by death, but also by emergency landing on German terrain. If it's true, that German fighter pilots didn't have to go far into enemy terrain, they had an advantage there. But the man von Richthofen was so much a hunter (much more than a good pilot), that, given a Sopwith Pup, an S.E.5a or a Camel, I'm pretty certain, he would have scored similarly high with them. But he had forced landings (at least one), and that would have taken him out and a POW, on enemy terrain.

Thank you for the info, Winder. As for the sales numbers, I have often thought about what could be done, but most actions cost money. It may also be a too long way for many, that they must also purchase CFS3. So I thought, if you could make it a "joint venture" with the Microsoft people (and CFS3 already in the same package) - they surely have impressive distribution ways. And even, if they let you have a third or fourth of the whole sales price only, it might be a lot more money, seeing larger sales numbers. This Sim would really deserve to be noticed more - I'm sure, everyone, who experienced it, would be excited!

Right now, then. Yes, I heard, that "kaputt" (broken) was his last word; and each time I remember that, a shudder and a gooseskin appear. Rest in peace, hunter.

Thanks, CJ, Rabu and Rickity. Bullet and Hasse, my plane has broken up numerous times now, without anyone being near me, except the opponent in front of me. I have switched "airframe stress" off now, cause I'm fed up with such behaviour. I don't feel happy with that; it's like a cheat; but they just break up too easily now.

Perhaps he wanted to learn to know you - and that was only possible, if he took you with him; to heaven or hell.

Hauksbee - come out to Campaign, man! Be a grown up pilot! (And suffer, like the rest of us - Lol!!!)

Hasse Wind: Looks like I won't be a Pfalz pilot for long though; Jasta 10 has Albatros D.V's next on the menu Wow, Hasse, Albatros D V is what I'm just flying with Jasta 15, in July 1917. Should be better a fighter than your defensive Pfalz. But be careful - the new aircraft stress model is unforgiving, and for my opinion, too hard. So don't dive steep! And even after a soft dive, pulling up can ruin your day. Until that is not changed, I will keep aircraft stress switched off. Wow, CJ, that's a great shot to show the new tracers. Is it tricky to install those?

Whoever voted "too easy": you should only vote about "campaign" flying. In QC, you can have some quick successes, and survive these single flights. But surviving 17 hours in campaign fighting with three or four sorties a day, is another match. Or did you fly in Elsass/Alsace, far from the front, for German home defense? Or British home def. with RFC 56, near Dover?

Winder: I have prepared a patch that allows some small leeway in workshop settings so as to still realise a 100% rating and now the player is allowed to make a few tweaks before the realism goes below 100% - thats the best we can do... That's more or less, what I thought to suggest, but now you're doing it already. Great. Another suggestion would be, that for the more defensive Squadrons/Jastas, enemy encounters are less often, less outnumbering, and no missions over enemy terrain (don't know, if that would be programmable). The rest must be done by the player then. I have created two pilots now, who I will only fly - wide awake - when I'm under no pressure and have enough time - when I'm not nervously keen on a success Also, there are "gunzablazing pilots" (who will have to be "reinstalled" very often).

Widowmaker, if you like the turnfighting of a Camel, then don't pick the Pfalz. I hughly recommend the Fokker Dr.1 - it takes some QC, to get used to it's instable behaviour, but then she is unbeatable in turnfights.

Can't say for the British; the Germans mostly had the wings in Lozenge first. But perhaps you find something here: http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww1/f/151/9

Well, at least you had a little break on your excursion. Great, that even in terrain we hardly would fly, turbulences appear; makes it sound even more realistic.

In "workshop", you can choose, how many flights you make per day. You can also click "manual advance" or how it's called. Then you can switch forward yourself. The density of enemy flights depends much on the time of war, when you fly, and were you fly. Some areas are very quiet. But you can enter the war a bit later. When coosing a Squadron or Jasta, you can also click the time forward; you see, were the Squad. was then, and which planes they got. When you come to the plane you like, just enter there. In early wartime, I think the Douai / Arras area is good for more action. But the air activity got more late 1916, early 1917; and is most heavy in 1918.

...if the plane had not broken up at the end. It was unpredictable. I had not been diving with more than 15°; and I had not noticed any warning (if it appeared, it must have been visible for only short). The fight was incredible; an adrenalin bomb - see "screenshots" thread for pics and report. But why should the Albatros break up so easily? I had not been hit by a single round! Now this pilot is lost to the POW camp. I'm really thinking of clicking the aircraft stress "off" - it happens too easily.

Everyone is talking about a more serious approach to the sim, and a way to survive it for long. But sometimes, it's just so much fun and adrenalin, fighting the "Olham-Way"! My flight of 5 Albatros D V from Jasta 15 had just crossed the lines for patrolling enemy terrain, when flight 1 was jumped at by 5 SPAD VII and a single Nieuport 17 from Esc.62. We climbed, until we could attack with advantage of height, while everyone was in a furball. From the top, I worked my way down like this: 11h13 First SPAD VII of Esc.62 destroyed 11h14 SPAD VII of Charles Alfred Quette, Esc.62, destroyed 11h14:36 Single Nupe 17 destroyed After this, I recollected my wingmen and climbed. In some distance, more planes were turning. We approached them higher up; they were two SPAD VII, fighting one Albatros. They killed it during our approach, and one SPAD climbed towards us. He was in for my revenge. We turned very tight, and I ordered my wings, to distract him. When he left the turn, that was his end. 11h21 SPAD VII of Francois Coli of Esc.62 destroyed What happened next, I can't explain. All the last minutes, I had not downed the nose of my Albatros for more than 15° (had the Horizon on!); nor did I get a warning about airframe stress (or it was very short on - I didn't see any). But my plane broke up im mid air! I pressed escape and exit; and then I got the message, I was now a POW for the rest of the war. I'm thinking of clicking the aircraft stress off - this happens just too often, and unpredictable; and I don't believe, the Albatros broke up that easily.

Well, in my case, we were 3 Albatros only. I let the wingies land first, and they did fine; I landed a bit sidewards, but they slowly rolled behind each other, without crashing.

DiD Campaign, with warps, TAC and labels sometimes, to identify targets.

Ziss is a typicall example of der crumpets way to fight - zey cannot destroy anyssink vizz der single gunz; can't even hit a barn; and so zey use zere planez to ram our craft out of ze skies; like vizz der bumper car on a fun fair! Huh!!

My neighbour, friend and "co-pilot", approaches this sim totally different to me. Whilst I crave for at least to achieve some 12 confirmed kills (after that, I'd go quieter), he is flying in Jasta 15, early 1917, when they were elite ranking, but defensive. He finds it rather easy living there; has contact with enemy only every third flight or so. When he has, the accompanying wingmen are very capable and useful. He has 12 hours collected now, and will surely make the 17 h easy. Me, I always entered the "hot spot offensive bring'em on" Jastas, and really took on every fight I could get. Resulting in me getting killed after 3 - 5 flights. I never saw any confirmed kills, cause it was so dark in my coffin. But now I have entered Jasta 15, too; in July 1917. Hope, this pilot will now last longer. I'll try my best!

How heart touching this was - I've seen my wingmen land! My neighbour came over to watch the first sortie of my new Jasta 15 pilot. We are stationed at Le Clos Ferme, Boncourt, 21. July, 1917. Udet is in our Jasta, too. Near Liesse field, we (3 Albatros D V uprated) spotted 4 Nupe 17, about to attack the field. We attacked them, and I saw, that these elite Jasta wingmen did far better than those of a poor or average Jasta. But the best was, at return, the landing. I said to my neighbour, that they always dissappear in a distance, instead of landing; but he said, they only do a very wide turn, before they approach the field to land. So, I went after them, and they seemed to fly away very long. But then, they performed a turn, and were heading for our field. I stayed behind them, and so I saw their landing for the very first time. A very nice scene that was.