Hauksbee

Whoa! Outstanding, Simon. Looks like the learning curve just flattened out. This is the best to date!

And well you might be. The spin went on and on, and I thought, "Is he making a video in which he dies? Now, that's bold!" And then you recovered.

Since you're going to go for perfection, the offer will stand for as long as need be. You may not be that far from it.

Nice going, Duck! In one of the all-time great 'Calvin and Hobbs' strips, Calvin is declaring, "I know life is unfair! I just want it to be unfair in my favor!" It looks like you cracked the code on that one.

Don't let it bother you that your guy triumphed over planes he outclassed; that's why new planes evolve. And, von Richtofen routinely bagged cripples and stragglers. Everything counts. If you don't shoot him down when he's in a BE-2, he'll come back at you in a Camel. Congrats on the Iron Cross. Hoch der Kaiser!

Might we assume you are from Quito? Certainly there would be no problem. But when you're sleeping at near sea level, and going to work at 10,000, there's going to be some heavy breathing going on. I'd drop down to 8,000 for the homeward leg.

And the learning curve never gets any flatter. Trust me. Nice looking furball going on, though. You might soften the more distant planes a bit to simulate atmospheric haze...and there may be one too many planes. Notably, the Albatros on the left. Dunno'. I keep going back and forth on that one. Still and all, a compelling image. Want to do another poster?

Great video! Great fight! A little slow at the outset, but once the fight was joined, a classic nail biter. Time after time, as you came 'round on his six, I was mentally yelling "Shoot! Dammitall! Shoot!" When he started to smoke, I was sure you had a flammer, but he seems to have landed safely.(?) Another surprise. Did you get all this footage in one fight? Also, the distance shots were unexpected. Most keep the camera closer in. But, nonetheless, visually striking.

Which rather begs the question: why don't we have more pilots in France?

It is heartening to know that even in a vicious, brutal war, people can rise to incredible acts of decency. But...was there any more information, specifically on Charlie Brown? I was wondering if, after that horrendus experience, did they send him up the next day? Any info on how many more missions he had to fly?

That is one phenominal story! And to think that neither pilot said anything for years.

A fox, crossing the Jasta aerodrome later that night, was heard to remark to a fellow, "Hobbits? Flying with Orcs? Now that is decidedly strange."

Apple has deemed this to be proprietary technology, including the 'look and feel', and as a result, is delaying the release of photos.

...and after they go to such lengths to keep them out sight! Bad ol' us.

Worse. It's second from the bottom in ranking.

"Ambling Armadillo" Now I understand why I get my clock cleaned so often!

While doing some web-searching on Boelke, I discovered this plane. It was not titled; I don't know what is; but I certainly want one. Can anyone help me out? I'd like to find some good 3-views of it...and some background.

What phenominal site! How did we ever live without the internet? Once again, well done, Olham.

Tried to add this picture , but couldn't do it as part of the edit of my reply. This is the model that Olham found. .

Umm...well, I was genuinely asking, but was not sure that 'Oskar Ursinus' was a real person. (you British are justly famous for dry wit) At first glance, it seemed to be like naming a large plane 'Cape Water Buffalo'...a critter that one would not trifle with lightly, but sounds odd if connected to a flying machine. So I did a search, and sure enough, he was as real as it gets. Quite an engineer, as it turns out. Had a passion for seaplanes and designed one with retractable floats in 1916 ( I think that's the one I want) but it was destroyed before it got out of the prototype stage. The link has a write-up of modest length, but, alas, no photo of him. (He died in 1952) http://en.wikipedia....i/Oskar_Ursinus

Coming from you, Herr Fliegermeister, that is high praise indeed. Thanks for the links. And to you, RAF_Louvert! I am assuming that 'Ursinus' means 'bear'? (an odd name for a seaplane.)

That's air combat for you. Blink, and it's over. In my case, I knew I really wasn't a 'CA Superstar', but I was hoping to grow into it.

Being a QC flyer, I knew there could be no way to link advancement to one's performance. That could only happen in the former Peoples Socialist Paradise where pilots are forced to fly on-line and results are tallied daily on Dzerzhinsky Street.

But since you are, can you come over and fight on my side?

I was about to start a thread of my own on this. I had always wonder about the rankings under our avatars. At the outset, I was struck by Olhams's "Elite Member" (in bright yellow/gold) and wondered 'How many did he have to shoot down to get that?'. Then as mine started to change for no discernable reason, I figured, 'It's a time-in-grade thing. Just like the real war: stay alive long enough and promotions will just happen. (Do these Dev's know their "Immersion", or what?) But 'CA Superstar'? C'mon! Fight it as I may, it forces a blush to these old, frost-bit, wind-burned cheeks.