Check Six

No you don't. The letter was from an Archie Officer who wasn't aware of who the pilot was. It was sent to Little's C.O. and placed on his file.

Olham asked if I had any photos of the aircraft recently restored for the Australian War Memorial's "Over the Front" exhibit. Unfortunately, I haven't been down to see it yet (going in August) :blush2: SHAME! When most of you would kill to be able to go (and to get a special behind-the-scenes guided tour as well!). But I did go and see them twice at the Treloar Centre, the Australian War Memorial's "large exhibit" restoration and storage centre. Once at the beginning of their restoration, another at the completion. Here are some of the photos I took. Please keep in mind, I'm not a professional photographer, and only used a pocket digital camera, and also that the Treloar Centre is basically a warehouse and workshop, and not floodlit for display purposes, so the photos are dark (and probably out of focus). I'll get some photos of the complete display when I next visit and post them here for your enjoyment. The last pic is (I believe) the Albatros immediately after its capture

I also look at my fuel requirements before take off, as I did in this particular mission, and generally take 2 x the range of my expected mission in case I get into a fight. But I haven't reduced throttle before warping and seem to do ok on fuel. This patricular mission had a long range anyway, and as it was all on our side of the lines, I figured that at least I could land at any friendly air base and still survive. I didn't really need to fight prevailing winds or cross over no-man's land and the subsequent flak when I was low on fuel. As it was, this was a lengthy chase because I was in a Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter, and I could only climb at about 50 knots. If I levelled out, my targets would slowly get closer. In a slight dive, I'd start to look like catching them, but I was in danger of being dangerously low to fight two two-seaters alone. I thought I might get some assistance from the gunners at a friendly air base.

The seating might have been more comfortable if you were sitting on a parachute. Pity the brass hats didn't think it quite the right thing to do. Abandon my aircraft!!!! Not unless she was on fire Sir!!! Nice Pics by the way Olham. You're quite lucky that the RNAS didn't hop over and level your airship sheds, and damage your beautiful hometown. Nice to hear the windmill is still there. Hope they keep looking after it.

Of course I don't mind! Thanks for that. Now everyone can see them properly. Now...if I can only wait till August.

Olham, Yes, the Pfalz is extremely rare, I believe it to be the only example anywhere. For further details about this particular aircraft... http://cas.awm.gov.au/technology/RELAWM04805 A poorly taken picture is on a new thread, plus some others of the Albatros Dva etc. All members of our Society are continually harrassing Peter to make an epic WW1 aviation related film. His reply is usually the same..."One day". I don't know whether he is waiting for the right story to tell, or awaiting completion of any of his restoration/rebuild projects. The best guess is that it will be an anniversary project (so expect something about 2014-2018). I know. Long wait huh? SIGH!

Olham, The Pickelhaube emoticon, plus the spandau, plus the Lewis were all imported from another site (I think "The Aerodrome") from someone's else's post. I just thought they were appropriate for here. I ...errr...borrowed them, so I can't see any problem in anyone taking them for their own use. http://www.awm.gov.au/visit/visit-mustsee-overthefront.asp The Albatros Dva and four other aircraft, a Pfalz DXII, an SE5a, an Airco DH9, and an Avro 504K trainer are in a permanent display at the Australian War Memorial. I visited the Treloar Centre and had a look around whilst they were being restored, and again as they were finished and before they were positioned in the display. There is also (by all accounts) a superb film being used as background. This film was made by Peter Jackson, the world renowned director of (amongst others) King Kong and The Lord Of The Rings. Peter Jackson is, by the way, a member of our Society, and quite a WW1 aviation buff. He is very active in accurate reconstruction of WW1 craft and donates these aircraft to places such as Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre. Our Society lent the photographs of the original restoration of these aircraft (in the 1960's I believe) to the War Memorial to guide them through the present restoration, and we have only just received them back into our library. I must get a loan of them soon and have a look. I know I'm going to be laughed at, but I'm the ONLY one I know that hasn't been down to Canberra to see the display. I took some time off work in November of last year to go to the opening, but the timing was too tight, and I couldn't make it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it will be a permanent display. I have taken some leave off in August, and plan to go for a long ride on my motorcycle. It's going to be cold, and it's a superbike, not a cruiser, so it will be uncomfortable, but I'm sure it will be worth it. I'll certainly take some pics while I'm there. In the meantime, I'll find some I took of the finished product before display, and post them here. I'll also borrow the photos of the restoration to see if any are suitable for posting here.

flunz, This game is historically quite accurate. Early on in the war, you might well have flown for a long time seeing no enemy activity, or you may be in a "quiet" sector (as quiet as anything can be during a world conflict). If you enlist another pilot and start him off later in the war (you can alter the starting or enlistment dates of your pilot), you will find you will be offered a more modern machine, and there will be more enemy in the skies. Enjoy the game...oops. This is NOT a game. This is a simulation.

Herr Olham, I did mention that I was flying for the RNAS, and that it was an assigned balloon busting mission. I did attack the correct balloon I'm certain, as it was at the end of the blue waypoint line. Yes, you are correct, you must target it in the vehicles TAC window. It must have been my wingmen that were successful in that instance, or that the Brits don't count balloons, even if they are your assigned target. Never mind, the mission objective was achieved. I flew for the German side for the first time last night as I just had to try out a Fokker DVII. Brilliant aircraft. However, I was shot down after my first mission (a balloon busting mission - that's how I knew you were right about the targetting in vehicles window). Well protected by the very service I usually fly for (I research these chaps and I feel like I know them...I certainly know the Australians anyway). I was shot down and captured after taking out my target. Despite being in captivity until war's end, I was still asked to file a claim form. So there you have it. Either my wingmen were successful the first time (I doubt it) or the British don't count balloons, even when they are your assigned target. I was taken out by a better man, one of my Aussie heroes in the RNAS, Stan Dallas. Another tripe virtuoso. A picture of his grave in Pernes, France. No-one knows who took the photo or laid the tribute at his grave. They won't admit to it. In the foreground is his biography, written by my friend Adrian Hellwig. I must in all modesty add that the photo of Stan's grave included in Adrian's book is taken by me when I paid my tributes there (Adrian credits me in the acknowledgements as assisting a great deal in providing him with information). Adrian is now working on a biography of Robert Alexander Little, and I'm providing him with all my info on him.

rabu, An Australian who flew for the RNAS by the name of Frederick Sidney Cotton was out tinkering with his aircraft engine when he was either taken by surprise (not paying attention to the time) or was sent on a scramble mission. I think it must have been to intercept Gothas or a Zeppelin, as his flight had to attain a great altitude before returning. He didn't have time to change into his flight gear. All other pilots on that mission suffered horribly for some time afterwatrds from the effects of flying so high with little protection. Sidney Cotton in his grease-stained overalls felt little or no effects at all. The Sidcot flying suit was invented that day. Merely impregnating the fabric with grease had remarkable effect keeping the wind and cold out. A few modifications, furry collar etc... and it was done. It was said that MvR was wearing a British Sidcot suit on his last flight, and that the suits were in high demand from pilots of both sides of the lines. Frederick Sidney Cotton later was a pioneer in many aerial photography innovations and ideas, and fought long and hard with authority all the rest of his days. A very stubborn genius indeed. He gained fame by being the last civilian aircraft to take off from Berlin's Templehoff Airport before the declaration of war in WW2. Just a short time before, he was asked by Field Marshal "Smiling Albert" Kesselring if he could fly Cotton's Lockheed Electra (I think that was the type he was in). Albert went for an aerial reconnaissance over the Ruhr Valley to check from the air his defences he had painstaking been setting up. Little did he know. When he asked Cotton what the flashing light was on the instrument panel, Cotton made up some story about a fuel system that had been playing up, but assured him all was well, just a faulty warning light. In fact, Smiling Albert was flying a spy mission over his own defences, and the light was to alert the pilot that the very cleverly hidden panel (it passed INTENSE scrutiny) in the aircraft's belly was open and taking photographs.

"It was the first testrun of the engine on the complete assembled aircraft. The engine is an original AUSTRO DAIMLER of 1918, which was found factory new, with 0 hours!" Winning the lottery? Finding Lasseter's Lost Reef? (a legendary reef of gold not relocated after the finder passed away after attempting to find it again)...no... More akin to finding the Holy Grail. What an astonishing discovery. Thank you for the video. Please record as cleanly as possible the sound of the engine at varying revolutions for the developers here, and for aviation buffs etc everywhere. Stunning!

Hello Charles, First of all, welcome to OFF and welcome to this forum. Some very helpful people here, and I'm sure if you have trouble with anything, just come here and ask, we'll do our best to help you out, I'm sure. OK. I had trouble understanding the "padlock" command when I first started out. See this thread... http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showt...=42326&st=0 What I was doing wrong was being in an external view, then hitting the Accent Key. This (apparently) does nothing. But if you are in virtual cockpit, or in a cockpit view, the currently selected target will be padlocked for you. You said you like padlock, so I'm guessing you're experienced in combat using this device (some here will call it a "cheat" and waffle on about how it wasn't available in 1916, so it has no right to be here. Please read the posts advising against using it, for it does create bad habits (and if you read the thread you'll see that I crashed using it because I was forced into a target fixation mindset). If you're experienced at using this device, please feel free to do so. Like I said, you probably made the same error I did, and expected padlock to show an external view from your aircraft showing the direction and orientation to your selected target (higher or lower, in front or behind etc). Hop into cockpit view, then press "`" (Accent). If you purchase TrackIR, (read the many threads here on its use) you will never use padlock again. Your eyes become your padlock. Thoroughly recommended by all here. Once again, welcome. Good Luck. Blue Skies.

jaa, To reflect what other posters have been saying here, and in answer to your questions... These aircraft are modelled well, they are WW1 canvas and string kites with underpowered engines. They take off slow, they stall easily. Their cruising speed is generally less than 100 mph. So you're going to have to modify your flying habits. As UK_Widowmaker pointed out, you're taking off from a field, not a runway, so a little bit left or right is no big deal (and the same goes for landing). Like he suggested, just don't crash into your wingmen. I start my engine and wait for the others to have taxied past me about 10 meters before I gun the motor and start my take off. You'll find that generally, your fellow flight members wait for you to land before they attempt it, so it's no problem there, except you have no brakes. The trick is to turn your mixture to "Mixture Idle Cut-off" (Ctrl+Shift+F6 - suggest you use your keyboard to use these keys...you don't want to map that keyset to a hotkey on your joystick that you can hit accidentally in combat - I have mine mapped to my throttle so I won't hit it accidentally). A lot of WW2 combat planes were designed with the most powerful engines they could fit into that airframe, or designed the smallest, most manoeuvrable airframe around a powerful engine. Because of this, they had a lot of turning torque, and could "get away from you" easily on take-off. These aircraft in OFF are generally easier, you might have to be careful taking off in a Camel, but the rest are pretty easy. Perhaps you should start with a bomber, they are much more stable and sedate. Once you get used to them, it's easier. The missions assigned to you in OFF are very much like in RBII or RB3D. They can be balloon protection or attack, patrol behind enemies lines or your own, lone wolf missions, escort missions, ground attack and more. You can choose to ALWAYS be the flight leader, or select "By Rank", in which case, you will follow a higher ranked pilot in your flight. If you choose "By Rank" you may still be required to lead a mission. The only real difference is that you can target an enemy and order your flight to "Attack", or you can order them to "Rejoin" or "Split" or "Help". I recently got my first ever set of rudder pedals, and wanted to learn to fly with them PROPERLY instead of flying like a fighter pilot, where erratic movement can save your life. So I reloaded M$ Flight Simulator X. There is a "Learning Centre" there that has Pilot Lessons. That might be helpful in learning the aerodynamics of flight, and why you stall etc, and this will help you become a better pilot, and hopefully survive longer than the requisite 17 hours. I understand you said you can't afford TrackIR, but I seriously recommend you do a lot of overtime or sell a kidney or whatever it is that you need to get enough bucks to afford this invaluable tool. Well worth every cent. Hope that lot helps.

Pappy, I can't tell you definitively the difference between TIR 4 and TIR 5 as I've only ever used Ver5. If you look at the sticky thread on setting up TIR by Homeboy (BH&H General Help Forum - http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showtopic=39313 ), you can see a screenshot I took of the setup page for TIR5. Seems to me to be quite different to Ver4. You can read Homeboy's post towards the end where he describes it as "pretty buggy", but using Homeboy's great guide for Ver4, I was able to set mine up pretty easily, and I haven't struck any problems with it (though it is still referred to by the manufacturers as a "Beta" version. Thanks for the tips Duce. I think I might try to tweak mine a little bit more.

Duce, I'd love to help out, but I don't know of any WW2 t-shirt sites. The reason I replied is to talk about your co-worker, Roger. This guy IS a real hero. A decorated veteran, a corpsman no less, who undoubtedly saved many lives during his service, and eased the passing of those he couldn't save. Son of another veteran from another war. I salute him too. Buying books for a colleague's daughter who was failing reading comprehension??? What can I say? I'd like to meet this guy and thank him. For his service. For his HUMANITY. We desperately need many many more like him.

My two cents worth... I have been flying flight sims for some time now (and yet I'm still a lousy pilot. HMM), but I only just got my first set of rudder pedals. The rest of the posters here are correct. If your joystick has a twist rudder function, that will suffice. If you don't have a twist stick, Auto Rudder is a wonderful substitute. Another recent purchase of mine was TrackIR5. The other posters are also correct on that one. GET IT! GET IT NOW!!!! Seriously, I don't know how I ever shot down a single opponent without one before. This is a MUST GET!

Yes. I will end up paying about $AU4500 all up (ninja stealth beast computer, gaming keyboard, surround sound headset, TrackIR5, MS-CFS3, OFF BH&H). Indeed, OFF BH&H is worth it. I paid about $US60 for my copy when you include P&P and delivery to Australia. You won't see me complaining. I was pleasantly surprised at the quick delivery time (6 days!! to Australia!!!). Loving the game. Looking forward to more add-ons, more aircraft etc. An outstanding effort gentlemen. Worth every cent.

Lothar, It may be a pain in the rear end to have to change resolution and then back again to fill in a claim form, but it must be worth it, as so many times a kill is unrewarded due to no witnesses, your pilot being killed before filling in a form, any number of reasons. Hope someone can fix it for you though.

Enjoy Pappy! I got myself a TrackIR5 for the use with OFF, and can't recommend it enough. Absolutely vital in aerial combat. I seriously don't know how I ever shot down any enemy in any flight sim without this device. I reloaded M$FSX to learn how to fly using rudder pedals as I'd just taken delivery of my first ever set, and used TIR with that, but found it a bit of a chore, and really unnecessary in the (generally) level flight path one takes when there's no fokkers (in Halberstadts) shooting at you. In combat flight sim, a MUST!

'Bout two millenia ago, some guy with the name of Sun Tzu wrote a treatise on "the Art of War" about the previous millenia or so of tribal warfare amongst the warlords of China. It is a standard text in every military library on the planet, and required reading in most. I'm not saying the Roman Legion didn't know their stuff...they clearly did. They established armies that were regimented and trained daily, and were quite an unstoppable force in their day. The mention of Spartans was warranted too...them guys could pick a fight with the best of them (they were the best of them!). To study Sun Tzu is to study tactics. That chap knew his stuff. If you haven't read it, I recommend it. They utilise his tactics for hostile business takeovers in today's boardrooms etc. Like Boelcke's Dicta, well thought out tactics are indeed timeless. Sun Tzu mentions about avoiding battle in marshy land, as your equipment may rot, and that sort of advice is kinda outdated not, but most of his tactics are very valid even in today's battlefields.

Buzzing Big Ben in a Biff! OK, so I cheated. If you look closely (you'll have to squint), you MIGHT just see the "London Eye" in the background. I downloaded a freeware file of a Biff from PC Pilot Magazine, added it into M$ FSX, and there you have it.

mmitch10, Is Battersea Power Station the one made famous on the cover for Pink Floyd's GREAT album "Animals" by tethering a huge inflatable pig between its four smoke stacks? Because I saw that when I was tooling around London that time and thought that it looked awfully familiar, and thought they modelled it well, for it immediately reminded me. (Of course, you thought it looked odd because of the time period it was displayed in). Already had the CD in the portable CD player, so I fired it up in memory. "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me down to lie. Through pastures green He leadeth me, the quiet waters by. With bright knives He releaseth my soul. He maketh me to hang on hooks in high places. He converteth me to lamb cutlets. For lo! He hath great power, and great hunger. When cometh the day we lowly ones, through quiet contemplation and great dedication, master the art of karate. Lo! we shall rise up, then we'll make the bugger's eyes water".

UK_Widowmaker, Yes, all that improvement indeed. Tracked robotic vehicles with potent machine guns sent to bother the other side a bit, "smart" bombs that can enter through the bedroom window, turn right at the end of the corrdor, and smite a man when he's on the kazi reading the morning paper! Just not cricket eh wot? The human race is at its most inventive when we are attempting to find out better ways to kill each other. As Patton put it..."No bastard EVER won a war by dying for his country...you win a war by making some OTHER poor dumb bastard die for HIS country!" Good on ya ol' blood and guts. Brings a tear to my eye.

uncleal, Thanks, I thought the London flights were only available to those who indulge in MP, and was only available as a downloadable MP mission. I'll have to check it out.

Homeboy, I for one am looking forward to a guide to ver5 from you. You did such a great job on ver4. I hope by then I'll have worked it out and not NEED your guide, but I'd still read it to get a better idea of how to set it up etc.