Luftace

Thanx so much OBD! Will definitely order as soon as that little button says "Buy Now!"

Here's the link Stiffy. www.wephaus.com These people are really good friends of mine and really know their stuff. I get most of my reenactment supplies thru them. Have a look around and send them an email explaining what you are trying to put together and if they can't get something, they very well may be able to point you to someone who can. Very good customer service and lots of neat items. May be able to get some leathers that are close to what you are looking for, just ask! As for me putting together a ww1 impression at all, no, not yet. But you have certainly given me inspiration to!

If I have some time to spare, I will be glad to search the net as well as contact some surplus/repro vendors i know. I started (and still do) doing ww2 german (wehrmacht, not ss!) reenacting when i was about 16 and know all about getting a decent looking kit together on a budget. I was able to get a basic kit for $50 which included ankle boots, gaiters, wool pants, suspenders and undershirt/sleepshirt.Of course now that I'm older and over the years have aquired pieces little by little, most of my kit is of higher quality repro items, but that takes time as you know. Anywho, I will talk to my contacts and see what they can tell me as far as cheap prices and close match cheaper surplus. Good luck and fun doing it!

Fantastic stuff Stiffy! Where would one begin to look to aquire their own collection?

Nee!!

I used to work at a 'Mom and Pop' hobby shop all through high school. Enjoyed that for the most part since I was big into military modelling, and still am. I had always had my sights set on an aviation career, particularly a pilot. Thought about joining the USAF, but saw they were over strength as it is and even slimmer chance of becoming a pilot there, especially with me not applying myself in school and chasing girls instead. I ended up joining the US Army as a Blackhawk helo mechanic, and after a little over a year of being out of my training and in a maintenance company, I was sent to a flight company and became a Crewchief, which is what I do now. I still may put in a warrant officer packet to become a pilot, but we'll see. I like what I do now most of the time, being able to turn wrenches on my bird while fly at the same time. (Not literally necessarily! lol)

Thanx Winder! Maybe I just need to go stirring up trouble a bit more often, eh? Ya'll never cease to amaze me with even the subtlest of details.

Yes, it was indeed used in Platoon. I actually have a funny story dealing with this. Ok, so where I and 7 other of my flight mates are quartered here (Afghanistan), we only have sheet plywood walls seperating our 8'x8' rooms, and as such, one can hear almost everything in his neighbors room. I play OFF when I get the chance, and sometimes watch the preview movies just for kicks and to listen to the score. Well, of course for those of us that play, we all know that Adagio plays immediately after Matt Milne's score, and if you are like me, have come to attribute this with OFF anytime you hear it. Well, my buddy next door happened to have Adagio on his laptop and would play it from time to time, and I could hear it. For the longest time, I didn't know if he was checking out previews for the game, playing a copy somehow or what. So one day after many many weeks of this, I heard him playing that tune and I poked my head in the door to ask him what he was listening to. He informed me that it was Adagio as he had heard from Platoon and I explained that it had me scratching my head because it sounded exactly like when I was booting up my game. He gave a listen to the intro music, and sure enough, we confirmed that it was indeed the same score included at the end. Any who, we both had a good chuckle, and I now know that Adagio was used for the movie Platoon as well.

Could be wrong, but I haven't seen different colored bursts yet depending on who's shooting. I also read the same bit of info in Capt. Rickenbacker's memoir and mentioned it awhile back in some thread many months ago. Would be very neat to see, and helpful in most situations.

As I've mentioned before in some threads, I am a Blackhawk helo crewchief in the US Army. Currently deployed right now, but have just over 500 hours as a 'back-seater', about 400 of which I have aquired over here. Aside from sitting facing sideways on either side, we always have to fly with our windows open due to our MGs on there mounts needing to be at the ready at all times. Sometimes while flying, I certainly do imagine what it would be like to have been doing so in WWI. Part of our job is to spot other air activity to give our pilots a heads-up. The contract foreign pilots flying Russian Mi-8s don't like to make many air-to-air calls for some reason, so we constantly have to keep our heads on a swivel to watch out for those knuckle heads. I have had a few close calls with a few of them I would not like to experience again, lol! When landing, or just checking out a point of interest on the ground, we usually have to hang out the windows for a clear view of the LZ and help call the pilots in safely, always being blasted with anywhere from 30 to 100 knot winds. Did I mention it's really cold the higher you get too? Most of the time my fingers are numb and bright red when I'm done with a flight, especially in the winter months due to having to hold the MG the whole time while flying and the wind constantly biting my fingers through my gloves. Gloves help, but only minimally. I'm a bit of a wimp as it is when it comes to cold having grown up in south Mississippi up until I joined the army, but I can only imagine what it was like for those guys in a completely open cockpit with no heater at all. (We have heat, but does us little good since the windows are always open.) So, being fortunate to have such a neat job, I feel privelaged to be able to say I know pretty well what it would be like to fly in an open cockpit. Hope You find my experiences useful in imagining what it's like if you have yet to have the chance to fly at all.

When I actually have time, and home in the US of A and not Purgatory, I mean Afghanistan, I like to.... Build models- aircraft and armor, ww2 mostly and compete at various shows. (BTW, nice stug you've got going there Siggi!) Pc games- mostly sims or strategy (love the combat mission series) Read- History, primarily both world wars and very indepth when it comes to certain areas that pique my interest at the time, i.e. i could easily spend a month or better researching a particular aircraft and its variants along much of the equipment and construction of it. WW2 reenacting-currently do german wehrmacht. My unit, 116 Pz Div., 2/228 Panzerjager Abt., specializes in anti-armor tactics. We currently have 3 replica panzerschrecks I fabricated a couple years ago, as well as a couple panzerfausts and various magnetic mines. Oh how the Amis fear us! (when they actually bring vehicles!) Draw/Paint- usually do a good bit of pencil sketching, but have been dabbling with watercolor painting. Music- enjoyed playing jazz music in high school, especially 30s and 40s big band, swing (played trombone), and my lovely wife has gotten me a new one (lost my other in Hurricane Katrina in '05) since I have been deployed over here, so hopefully can find a local jazz group when I get home and try to practice with them and brush up a bit. Also play the harmonica a little. That still needs lots of practice. On Saturday nights, I like to frequent the local stock car dirt track and watch the local boys race! I also have a 1935 Ford 1.5 ton truck I just purchased and am having it shipped to my place to await my return and restoration. I plan to add a stake bed and canvas cover to it and use it as a German vehicle for my reenacting. (You'd be surprised how many trucks they used that were actually built by Ford.) I think thats about it. I'm sure there's more, but haven't been able to do any of them for a year, so I've probably forgotten a couple! Moss Point Grumpy Bear? Does Pass Christian ring a bell? What a small world! Used to dabble with RC Flying myself with the club out at the fair grounds. Below is pic taken a couple years ago with a buddy of mine while doing some unit field training. Yours truly is holding the schreck.

Ditto Olham! I'm having a blast. It really is great to be able to discuss a much loved subject and share information with others of a like mind. Though my friends and I here (military) have a what you could say a 'brother-like' closeness, it is rare to find anyone that enjoys going in depth with such subjects as discussed on this forum. Most are fairly young men (including myself) who are much more interested in fast cars and motorcycles, or doing a good bit of drinking when we get back home.

Work on the prototype D.III started in late July or early August 1916.[1] The date of the maiden flight is unknown, but is believed to have occurred in late August or early September.[1] Following on the successful Albatros D.I and D.II series, the D.III utilized the same semi-monocoque, plywood-skinned fuselage. At the request of the Idflieg (Inspectorate of Flying Troops), however, the D.III adopted a sesquiplane wing arrangement broadly similar to the French Nieuport 11. The upper wing was extended while the lower wing was redesigned with reduced chord and a single main spar. "V" shaped interplane struts replaced the previous parallel struts. For this reason, British aircrews commonly referred to the D.III as the "V-strutter." After a Typenprüfung (official type test) on 26 September 1916, Albatros received an order for 400 D.III aircraft, the largest German production contract to date.[2] Idflieg placed additional orders for 50 aircraft in February and March 1917.[3] The D.III entered squadron service in December 1916, and was immediately acclaimed by German aircrews for its maneuverability and rate of climb.[3] Two faults with the new aircraft were soon identified. Like the D.II, early D.IIIs featured a Teves und Braun airfoil shaped radiator in the center of the upper wing, where it tended to scald the pilot if punctured. From the 290th D.III onward, the radiator was offset to the right. Albatros built approximately 500 D.III aircraft at its Johannisthal factory. In the spring of 1917, D.III production shifted to Albatros' subsidiary, Ostdeutsche Albatros Werke (OAW), to permit Albatros to concentrate on development and production of the D.V.[8] Between April and August 1917, Idflieg issued five separate orders for a total of 840 D.IIIs. The OAW variant underwent its Typenprüfung in June 1916.[9] Production commenced at the Schneidemühl factory in June and continued through December 1917. OAW aircraft were distinguishable by their larger, rounded rudders.[10] Peak service was in November 1917, with 446 aircraft on the Western Front. The D.III did not disappear with the end of production, however. It remained in frontline service well into 1918. As of 31 August 1918, 54 D.III aircraft remained on the Western Front. After the Armistice, Poland acquired 38 series 253 aircraft, as well as several OAW machines, and operated them in the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-20. They were primarily employed in ground attack duties. The Poles thought so highly of the D.III that they sent a letter of commendation to the Oeffag factory. The newly formed Czechoslovakian air force also obtained and operated several Oeffag machines after the war. As for the picture itself: Wreck of a German Albatros D.III fighter at Flanders (Belgium) in 1917. "O.A.W. D.3." is written on the tailplane, identifying this plane as one produced at the "Ostdeutsche Albatros-Werke" at Schneidemühl, Posen, Germany (today Pila in Poland). sourced from: en.wikipedia.org and commons.wikimedia.org

Well sure you can Jim! I know very little about this subject myself, and I kind of see this competition as a WW1 aviation crash-course. Just gotta take a little time and do some research, though the LVG really threw me off, I found references and even a few pictures on her, but for the life of me couldn't bring myself to conclude that was what was in the picture. Thanks Olham, I just hope that is enough info for what Lou is looking for. I spent atleast an additional hour after I posted trying to find out manufacture, model, exact function etc. on that little gizmo and turned up nothing. Plenty of info on Bosch magneto switches though! Those are the ones I'm used to seeing!

This is a magneto selector switch found in a spad xiii. Im guessing that each knob switched one of the 2 magnetos on and off prior to starting the engine. This instrument is actually quite small and is located on the "dash" just left of center below the air pump emergency shut off lever.

Thanx! Looks like we'll be right back at home soon!

Meant to mention I am referring to Photo# 13

This is a Royal Aircraft Factory Be12, as noted by the more powerful RAF4 engine, easily distinguished by the large air scoop designed to cool the rear engine cylinders as they otherwise recieved less airflow. Though a good idea, the scoop only had mediocre results. The B.E.12 was essentially a B.E.2c with the front (observer’s) cockpit replaced by a large fuel tank, and the 90hp RAF 1 engine of the standard B.E.2c replaced by the new 150 hp RAF 4. The B.E.12a variant flew for the first time in February 1916 and had the modified wings of the B.E.2e. It was rather more manoeuvrable than the B.E.12, but was otherwise little improvement. The B.E.12b used the B.E.2c airframe but had the 200 hp Hispano-Suiza engine. It was intended as a pure night fighter, and carried wing mounted Lewis guns in place of the synchronised Vickers. Apparently it had a good performance, but the engine was more urgently needed for the S.E.5a and very few B.E.12b fighters went into service with home defence squadrons. Some of those built may in fact never have received engines. The first B.E.12 squadron, No. 19, did not reach France until the 1st of August 1916. It was followed by the only other squadron to fly the type in France, No. 21, on the 25th of the same month. As might have been expected, the new type had all the inherent stability of the B.E.2c and was quite useless in the fighting role, especially in the face of the new German Halberstadt and Albatros fighters then coming into service. It continued to be employed as a bomber – but since an effective defensive gun could not be mounted it was too vulnerable for this role, and was finally withdrawn from all front line duties in France in March 1917. By the time the B.E.12a became available in numbers the B.E.12 had already proved to be unsatisfactory, and this variant was never used operationally in France. Source: wikipedia

Well, that's awful kind of ya Lou, thanx!

Photo 9 is a Fokker EIV. It was essentially an EIII lengthened a bit and powered by the 119 kW (160 hp) Oberursel U.III two-row, 14-cylinder rotary engine, a copy of the Gnome Double Lambda. The more powerful engine was intended to enable the Eindecker to carry two or three 7.92 mm (.312 in) machine guns, thereby increasing its firepower and providing redundancy if one gun jammed - a common occurrence at the time. This design was never truly successful as it was plagued with troubles such as a the synchronization of three MG08s as seen here, which in a demonstration by Anthony Fokker himself at Essen in September, 1915, failed and damaged the prop. The guns were also mounted at a 15 degree upward angle, but this idea too was also abandoned. The more powerful and heavier engine fitted to the aircraft caused it to be nearly uncontrollable by most pilots as the torque effects were to great for the small airframe. Only 49 such craft were built when it entered service in June 1916 and there delivery to units in December of the same year, as they were less affective as other aircraft available and also obsolute. *sourced from en.wikipedia.org

The tube between the two .303in (7.7mm) vickers machine guns is what is known as an Aldis sight. It was widely used on British built aircraft as a standard gunsight and had the advantage over regular ring and bead sights for the fact that it already had a fixed sight picture the pilot could use w/o having to properly align himselt w/ 2 different sight appertures while at the same time being affected by "g-forces" while pursuing an enemy craft. Many pilots also opted, as I understand, for the ring and bead sights anyways as an alternative to the constricted view of the Aldis.

Well, so long as we're day dreaming, why not. A few things I think would be neat to see as well are: Maintenance/personel around the aerodromes Have been reading Cpt. Rickenbacker's account and some interesting notes there in- German archie= black puffs (as is now in sim) Allied archie= white smoke Also, dunno if this is even remotely possible to implement, but an interesting fact atleast; German archie gunners used different patterns of shell bursts to convey messages/dangers to their airman flying nearby, such as hi flying enemy sneaking up on a lower craft, number of puffs indicating how many enemies have been spotted and approximately what altitude and direction, etc. Again, because of the CFS3 engine, dunno if would be possible, but just fabric being ripped away in aggressive maneuvours such as sustained steep dives, while the wings otherwise remain intact. Perhaps a bit of blood spattered about the cockpit if pilot is hit? There are few others I could name, but the devs have already mentioned they were looking into it, i.e. wingman not having same custom skin you select.

I find that in most craft (Actually, have only flown for the Germans so far) I end up using a lot more rudder to do maneuvours, especially turns, than I do flying ww2 aircraft. Depending on the aircraft type, aggressive/acrobatic flying can almost always be accomplished in a much smaller distance due to slower flying speed and generally greater control response (There's a lot of wing area for lift with 2-3 wings). As far as flaps, landing gear position, arresting hook, sliding canopies, hydraulic pressure, etc.... Those have yet to be invented and/or implemented! HTH a bit.

I see you have already made your decision (And a great one at that!), but I also will put in my two cents about this sim. It just can't be touched by anything out there at the moment. If you think IL2 is a challenge, and a challenge is what you want, then you will NOT be disappointed with OFF. I too enjoy IL2 1946 as my favourite ww2 sim so far, but haven't touched that in months since I got OFF. What other sim comes with over 3200 historically researched aircraft skins w/o many many extra downloads? Visibly progressing frontlines as the war rages on, battles at the time and location they happened? Anyhow, I'm starting to ramble, so I'll stop myself. Welcome to the community, don't be a stranger.

Much appreciated! Y'all are just too good to us! Thanx, and see ya after your furlough.