dixieflyer

Olham, Well, and please take this in the spirit it is intended, Wikipedia which is about as authoritative as the back of a cereal box when it comes to historical accuracy, etc. It is a great jumping off point, but not a good source in an of itself for historical matters. I would highly suggest a website such as the Aerodrome ( http://www.theaerodrome.com/ ). This is a much better site, and it has a great forum where you can get questions answered for you by a great number of people that actually earn their living writing about WWI aviation. I am sure there are others. (I do not allow my students to use Wikipedia as a cited source in my classroom, I'm such a meanie.) Now, on to the D.VII, you misinterpreted my statement regarding its numbers. It was present in larger numbers than any other late war produced fighter at the time in the GERMAN AIR SERVICE. Here is a quote from Ray Rimell from his Fokker D.VII Anthology, Vol. I: "Much has been made of the fact that the Fokker D.VII was the only aircraft specifically mentioned thus in the Armistance terms, where it was decreed that all examples of this type were to handed over tho the Allies. Despite the inference that it was accorded this honour because of its outstanding quality and without disputing the excellence of its design and performance, it seems logical to suppose that the occupying powers, in order to suppress any resurgent action by militant groups within the defeated German nation, would ask for the surrender of that fighting vehicle which they knew to exist in the greatest numbers." (p. 1, Fokker Anthology, Vol. I, R. Rimell) Now, while I realize that Mr. Rimell is just as prone to mistakes as I or anyone else, I do consider him more of an authority than Wikipedia. As Godzilla1985 said, a lot of things (that are untrue) get said to the point that the lie or myth gets repeated enough that it becomes the truth. I hope this helps clear up my statement. BTW, while somewhat pricey, these three volumes are a great resource for any D.VII fan. I kind of balked at their initial cost, but I absolutely love them. (To be honest ANY publication from Albatros Productions is a worthwhile investment for the WWI aviation fan.)

Yes, it is a good site run by a great guy, Laserlloyd, over at the Aerodrome. Warren

Olham, a search of the history tells us that the reason it was the only a/c named in the treaty was because it was present in such great numbers, more than any other a/c. Warren

Well, to the best of my knowledge I downloaded and installed 1.30 first, but after the week that I've had, hey, anything is possible. That is probably it, operator headspace and timing on my part. Warren

Sitting Duck, I'm running XP. I did download the latest patch, oh, I guess it was yesterday, and I have not played it since then. Could that be the culprit? Warren

Cosmos, Seriously, and all kidding I have thrown at you aside, it really IS worth the wait. Very wise of you tending to domestic obligations and duties at this point. It won't hurt you to have some extra credit in your account when the game arrives. Warren

Agreed Rabu, Ken Foran's aircraft aren't just models, but art! I wish I had a fraction of his talent. Warren

Hauksbee, The D.VII was built by three manufacturers: Fokker, Albatros, and OAW. In terms of performance, if memory serves, they are pretty much the same, their main differences being mostly in terms of cosmetics, i.e.: different cooling louvres, dope/paint finish, lozenge pattern, etc. . However, the D.VIIF (produced by Fokker, once again if memory serves) had a different engine with higher horsepower. The F was produced in very limited numbers compared to the standard D.VII produced by Fokker and the contractors of Albatros and OAW. If you need to know more, or want verification, I will go dig in my files for the information. BTW, if you are really a D.VII fan and really love the mark, buy all three volumes of the Fokker D.VII Datafile by Albatros productions. Pricey, but worth it if you are really into D.VII's. HTH, YMMV, Warren

Goodness gracious Cosmos, waiting on OFF BHaH has made you quite grumpy. Yes, I remember Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe, does that make me a good person now? Gee whiz buddy, take a pill. However I do think you bashed the developers in your initial post. Warren Still not adding anything to the conversation

Yes, and I have seen reports that U.S. orders from Wingnuts have arrived, with free shipping, within one week. There are many more in the planning stages. We can thank Peter Jackson for starting what looks for all intents on becoming the premier WWI a/c modeling line. Warren

Dei, When I first met SWMBO, and thought of dating her, one of our first dates was to go stomping on a battlefield, I wanted to see what she was made of. She passed with flying colors! So, for the past 24 years, she's been used to this kind of thing, only now she has to put up with it from me and our son! Warren

I think your new PC will run OFF like a house on fire! Warren

Matt, it really is a great piece of music, I love listening to it. You did a fine job. FWIW from one who is ignorant of such things, Warren

Cosmos, If you can't wait a week for a great WWI sim, then maybe you don't really want one? Pull your "I'm a big boy now" panties up laddie and show some patience, it's worth it. Warren

When this book was first published they released a limited edition that had a CD in it with recordings of original engines. You can still get it here: http://www.aircraftrecords.com/productL_frame.html Speaking of nekkid a/c, don't forget that the Memorial Flight in France is doing a complete restoration of a Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter. you can see it here: http://memorial.flight.free.fr/indexuk.html Their work, amongst other researchers, has really changed some assumptions about these a/c, namely how the French manufactured machines were finished. Enjoy the site though. Your Madness May Vary, Warren

There was an article in OTF (Over The Front) within the last year or two that had a good article on German AAA during the war. I'll see if I can dig out the reference. Warren

Two of my favorites too Hellshade, and I cannot get the hang of them either. So many of the French aces that came off of Nieuports were very successful with these crates, and the two a/c (Noop vs. Spad) are so different. Completely different personalities to me. Warren

Hey guys, thanks for the answers/opinions. Siggi, Please don't misunderstand me, I don't want to "work the sim" to my advantage, just didn't know if there was something I was doing right or wrong. I wasn't whining about having my claims rejected. However, just as there was some kind of logic back then, no matter how ill-based it may have been, to rejecting a pilot's claim, there might have been some kind of logic in this as well. I was jut curious. Bottom line with me is this: I find my reward in the warm and fuzzy I get knowing I shot down some Germans, and doing my part. :i-m_so_happy: Warren

Hellshade, I have had the same thing happen. Call it fate, Providence, or whatever you wish. By the same token, I have had a pilot end up dead for almost no apparent reason. Go figure! Warren

Hi guys, first posting here. I have a question for y'all since you're on the subject of the claim form. In the past I have filled them out both ways, singly, and as a group. All I ever write is "shot x number of (whatever a/c) and it was seen to crash". Period. No dates, altitudes, locations, etc. The only thing besides the above that I added were the names of the witnesses. Now, on my career in the French Air Service flying Nieuports that got me 18 victories with only one rejection. Now, the other day I started an RFC career flying Pups. I put in claims for six a/c destroyed (one group of two, and one group of four). I wrote them up in the same was as those above, but all were rejected out of hand. Is there something I am doing wrong? Both were written up the same way. I would be nice to know if the rejections we get are due to a mistake we are making in filling out the paperwork, or if there is a problem with the claim itself. Olham, I always abbreviate NE,SE, NW, SW. TIA for your help guys. Warren