ConradB

Actually there are a lot of people who fly ARF planes. It has openned up the hobby to those who don't have the skills or time to build there own planes. Especially the time and skill to build scale planes. There is a lot of tinkering involved with it on that level. Especially if you design your own plans. Even the planes from the Model Plans Service from Britain, there are or were many WWI types that were giant Free Flight models that lent themselves to R/C conversion, but knowing what to re-enforce and how to is a learned skill. Having to repair the fuselage from a rough landing and the battery pack breaks through the bottom, and things like that. The only thing I'm leary about the prebuilt planes is, an issue of quality control where the plane is built. A flyer out at the field where my uncle goes had a beautiful scale P-51, and as he was making a low high speed pass across the field, the wing snaped at the center. The plane of course went in, and the wing half that broke off flutterred down, and from inspection, it was a poor design, and the main brace for the spar and leadinging edge after time fatigued and snapped. Had the wings been joined in the center with a piece of plywood on the spar and trailing edge, then covered with sheet balsa on the center section and cover that with fiberglass cloth and resin, it would be almost indestructable. But each person has their own way of doing things. I have been tempted to get a small schoolyard flyer that I can just step outside into the yard and take a couple early morning or evening flights without having to load up the gear and drive all over creation to fly.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Yeah! Or coming out of the mountains onto the plains during a nasty crosswind of 50 to 60 kts. That'll wake ya' up if you're not payin' attention.

Which engine are you referring to? Any engine will work in R/C models but it helps to hide it as much as possible. The engine in the vid is a V-12, but they also have a twin row 14 cylinder radial like the FW 190 A series had. The V-12 would work in WWI planes like DH4 which I think used Packard Liberty V-12 engines that were built under license. What Dad and I used to do, was get the Davis Diesel Conversion kits for glow engines, which did away with the glowplug, and a need for a battery to start the engine. It used a compression screw on the top of the cylinder head, with a lockdown nut once you had the engine tuned. We had built our last plane before Dad passed away, a Fokker EV, and used this type of engine as the diesel runs at lower rpm rates and you have a wide variety of prop sizes you can use. The EV had a 60 inch span, but the engine was only an OS Max 40 converted, with a 16 or 18 inch wood prop. The fuel was interesting to make as it was Kerosene, Ether, and Parafin. But the engine was mounted inverted so we wouldn't have to cut a hole in the top of cowl, and we made dummy cylinders to help hide it. We didn't have model rotary engines in those days. On planes like the SPAD, Fokker DVII,and SE5 we would make a scale exhsut pipe like they had, out of brass and silver solder. The engines were small enough that they could be completely enclosed in the fusealge, again due the ability of a big prop on the front, and as long as we use mesh screen and louvers like the real planes had, the engines kept cool, but the diesels ran cool by nature anyway, and the prop blast helped while on the ground. The other neat thing about diesels was the slow rate of fuel consumption. A 4oz tank of model fuel only lasts 8 to 10 minutes on average, where you could get 20 to 30 minutes out of a diesel. So we used to take 2 to 3 battery packs for the planes and transmitters to the field. It just took some getting used to with throttling up and down, as the engines had a slight lag with throttle input, and care had to taken with too much input as it could flood the engine if applied too quickly. Ya' just had to learn what to do with them is all, but once you got used to them, they were a lot of fun. Here's a 1/3 scale AVRO 504K with a rotary engine. The video is neat but there isn't any sound. http://modelrotaryflyer.tripod.com/avro.htm And here's a model rotary engine: This may also be of interest: http://modelrotaryflyer.tripod.com/ Cool vids here.

Back with another question, and hopefully not a taxing one. I have a Saitek AV8R-01 stick. The main reason I picked it up was the dual throttle levers. I use one for throttle and one prop pitch in BoBII, but for OFF, since we have no variable pitch proprs, I have been using the spare lever as a mixture control. The only thing is, and maybe it's just me, is the mixture lever seems to be more of a mixture cutout than an adjuster. What has been happenning is I start the eingine on the ground, and run up the throttle, while the mixture is on full rich, or I would think. As I lean it out, the engine makes no noticeable sound variation, like it would want to cut out from lack of fuel. Also, after take-off, I'm good until I reach about 5k ft, the the engine starts to mush as it should, so I try to adjust the mixture, and nothing happens when I start to lean it out, and expect the engine to pick up a little as I get to the optimum setting. As I climb to the required altitude, usually some where between 8k and 10k ft, the engine continues to bog down to the point that the plane is very difficult to even keep straight and level. If we come across any enemy planes, I give the order to attack, and my flight mates accelerate past me. Even if I enter shallow dives and climbs, I still have trouble catching up to them. So my question is, is it possible to have the mixture control set on the second throttle lever? And if so, are there any set up procedures for using it this way. Thanks in advance!

Sorry you didn't get what you wanted for your BD, but maybe this will help with the Spit.

My first successful model was a plane out of R/C Modeller, I think the issue was from 1966 or 67, and Dad helped build it. It was called the Lightning Bug, and had 16 inch wingspan, and was powered by a Cox .010. The plane was rudder only and used an old Airtronics Adams Acuator for control of the rudder. It was basically a controlable free fight model. Once I goy good with it, I put a bigger gas tank in it, but if you filled the tank full, the plane would only fly about 6 feet off the ground until enough gas burned off that it would start to climb. But my best one for trainers was when I built the old Goldberg Falcon 56 MarkII My first 4 channel model. I took most of the dihedral out of the wings to get better aileron response, and she flew great the whole time I had it. The paintscheme is my own design. The fuselage is covered with silk, and epoxy paint, and the wings and tail are supermonokote iron on fabric. I had this one for about 10 years and eventually sold it, to make room for a 1/4 scale Fokker EV / DVIII.

Think I'll wait to see what BoB SOW looks like. Pretty graphics, but the Mk IX Spitfire going after the Heinkels was a bit much.

As long as it's not like flying through clouds where your wings get ripped of the plane.

That's an understatement. Best to start with a nice easy trainer. A small high wing monoplane that's very stable is the best way to learn. They tend to be very forgiving to the beginner.

Yep, seen that one. Some use of of the 1969 Battle of Britain film for the aircombat, along with some CG, but it's not bad altogether. It's about the Czech pilots who made their way to England, and flew for the RAF during the battle of1940. But it also jumps around a bit to pre and post Czechoslovakia, as the pilots who tried to go home after the war were thrown in gulags for being too westernised. And of course the pre-war era when things were good for them.

This is what I would like to have, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hiE53BLG28 or build a Hurricane around this engine, or this, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3k-BDWd6c0&feature=related but this is really more my style, or 1/4 scale WWI models,

Ok, no more cartoons, here's me with my 1966 Lone Star runabout that I restored. Great fishing boat. Caught a lot of pike and bass with this year.

Thankyou Polovski! I understand that everything can't be done immediately, as there are only so many people working on this. There are other 2 seaters that I'm sure you folks will get to, and even the big multi engine bombers used by the British and German Air Services. But Rome wasn't built in day. It took a day and a half. But there are a multitude of planes that could be made from the Morainne Parasol, to the Zepplin airships.

Here's me and my dog duck and goose hunting.

Just curious, if there are plans to ever add in planes like the Halberstat CLII? I guess it was a good "all around" aircraft similar to Brisfit. Also excelled in the ground attack role for hitting points along the trenches.

Been using Vista x64 for over a year now. I will eventually upgrade to Win7, but have no issues with Vista x64. Honestly, I would wait for a bit, as any issues with a new OS are usually wrung out in the first 6 to 12 months of release. The only thing was getting used to Vista, but the "culture shock" between XP and Vista was minimal compared to going from Win98 SE to XP. It took a good month of frustration getting used to all the changes. Other games / sims I play aside from OFF are: Battle of Britain II WOV B-17 The Mighty Eighth Silent Hunter III and IV (can't wait 'til V comes out in the spring) Panzer Elite Special Edition with the different mods that came with it Medeivel Total War II Sherlock Holmes vs Jack the Ripper. And my daughter has some games on here that aren't officially supported on Vista but they work. One of them is the latest Pirates of the Caribbean game, Indiana Jones and the Emporos Tomb, and an old Bugs Bunny game my sister gave her a long time ago. I was really suprised the the Bugs Bunny game even loaded up, as it is an old 16 bit app.

Hey Flyby, I've known a couple old stonemasons from the family ties with friends and people you hire. They will still work with the older materials, but they too combat the winter weather, and avoid as you say, wrapping up with blankets, they have learned how to work with the newer mortars that are a poly type base from what I understand. It allows them to work most of the time year 'round, and when it's colder they do as you do, with dressing the stone. It's just a situation of adapting to the elements. But overall, during the winter months, they do slow down as most outdoor work does. Too much time shovelling snow, or plowing it. As for existing stone buildings, there are still quite a few. Some date back to before the War for Independence, so they are considered historical structures that get attention for preservation, where the old techniques and materials are used to keep it authentic. But most of the old structures went by the wayside and were knocked down in the name of progress. But if you go over to Canada, there are a lot more preserved I think there, than we have here. At least from what I've seen. But too, in the colder climes, I think there was a lot more wood construction than stone due to availability of the materials with the vast forests we had.

Yep, those pics look very familiar to me, all-be-it lacking the trees of Colorado's mountains. I know the plains can be very dangerous during those nasty blizzards out east of Denver. One year, trucks and 4 wheel drive folks were litterred across the hiway from Denver to Bennett. Something like 200 people stranded waiting for the plow trucks and emergency vehicles to get to them. It was so bad, that even after the storm, it took like 2 or 3 days before they could get choppers airborne to take food and water to the people out there. The snow was just too deep even in and around the city. We were stuck in the house for something like 4 days. Funny thing was, my daughter was born about 9 months later.......

I worked for BFI in Denver, and was a Mtn Driver. Nothing funnier than to have both drive axle tires plus the steer tires chained up for the snow and ice, park at a customer's driveway, and as you throw the bags in the hopper in the back, the truck slides down the road all by it's lonesome! Or if you're familiar with I-70 west out of Denver, before you get to Idaho Springs, Floyd Hill to left had a road carved right on the mountain side. During the Spring of '95 or '96, we had a bunch of wet heavy snow, and rain for 3 weeks solid, and the dirt roads were a mess, and I was up on that road comin' out of the last neighborhood up there, when the road colapsed under the back end of the truck. Luckily the backend caught the rock, as it was a good 1,000 to 1,500 ft. to the bottom. But heading down Genessee Hill into Denver on I-70 was always interesting, as there was always the 18 wheeler who didn't pay attention to the signs that said Steep Grades And Sharp Turns Next 11 Miles. They would fly past me down the hill, and usually they would be pulled over at the bottom at the Morrison Exit with their fire extinguishers in hand. Wheels smokin', and from time to time, they would even catch fire from over braking. But when it got icy, it could get downright dangerous. There were times that hill was like a slalom track with jack-knifed rigs. Up in the hills in the winter, getting stuck in the ditch was a regular occurrance. Everybody got stuck at one time or another.

Remember uncleal, it's not "GW" anymore, it's "Climate Change". To be "p.c." that is. Yeah right, and that from the guy who's probably the least p.c. in the world. I hate pc c**p. Sorry, sorry, wrong place, sorry. Actually BH, you've got more snow so far than I've seen up here in Mich. And I'm right even with the southern end of Lake Huron by the St. Claire River. But it's been a cool summer here too. Only 4 days were miserably muggy. But I could at least take my boat out on the lake where it cooled nicely during the day compared to being inland.

You should try BoBII. The AI has been tuned to operate the specific planes they fly to use the best tactics, but it also depends on the skill level of the AI pilot, which goes from Novice: They will be easy targets, and will sometimes freeze up when you shoot at them as they panic. Average: Not the best flyer, but has seen some action, and will get you if you aren't careful. Veteran: Can handle the plane with skill, but can sometimes make a mistake. Hero: These guys are downright dangerous to encounter. They can use their mounts to the fullest of their capabilities in the vertical, and the horizontal. Depending on which plane they fly. But Buddye over at A2A Simulations has had some years to tweak the AI, and he's done a pretty bang up job of getting them to use the planes the way they were designed to be used. But it's taken him a good 5 to 6 years to get it where it is today. And he still fiddles with it trying to squeeze even more out of it. Which makes those big furballs over Kent with 200 to 300 aircraft quite an experience. It's the only other simulator I like for air combat. So for me, I have the best of both worlds, with WWI and WWII covered.

Thanks for the reply Bullet! Yes lowering weight factors is the best thing to do. Although when flying for the GAS, I don't dare go up without a full ammo load. The last flight was a patrol of the lines along San Quentin, and we encountered a total of 15 E/A, and although I I didn't get any claims, I damaged every plane that went after my wingmen, and kept them alive. 20 to 30 rounds into each of them in the vitals, either wounding the pilot or damaging the engine. Either way, they would turn for the lines and leave the area heading west. By the time I was done, I think i had about 20% of my ammo loadout left. Yeah, I'm just gonna have to get used to the planes in this one. I have them down pretty proficiantly actually from the P2 flying. Any changes don't seem to be that drastic in how the planes handle, but any changes mean we have to change our "habits". Thanks again for the input! I think I'm gonna go play tag with Rene Fonk.

Thanks for the reply Bullethead. The wind issue with the plane getting shredded even in close proximity to a cloud is much better than P1 & 2, this is very obvious. It just appears like the AI are unaffected by it even if they go straight through it. It may just be me. The AI at altitude is both squadmates and enemies. Flying Albatros Fighters, SPADs, and even the lighter planes like the Pups, and Neuiports, my own plane seems like I'm dragging an anchor compared to again my own squadmates. If I fly againts them, the AI seems to be able to perform kickbutt manouevers, if I fly against them, but if I switch sides and try the lighter plane, I still can't get the same performance out of the plane. It's like, how should I put it, ummmmmmmmmm, I can't whip the plane around like they do, and have to keep to shallow turns and light light elevator inputs, or the plane stalls off and down I go, which leaves me easy meat for the opposition. It's almost like they have superchargers even though I know they don't. One thing I have been toying with, is reducing the petrol loadout before each mission. So for instance if the entire flight calls for say a total of 40 miles round trip, I will load out enough petrol for twice the distance, which seems to help, so I am going to try and lighten the load a little more by loading enough petrol for 1.5 times the distance, but I don't want to run out of fuel before I return to base. That wouldn't be a good thing. While performing combat manouevers, what I'm seeing is things like planes that I should be able to turn inside of, ain't doin' so swell. If I back off the throttle from 100%, the controls get mushy, and the plane wants to drop out of the sky, where there should be some throttle control for you to be able to operate between 75 and 100 % power settings to pull off some turns or slips, instead of immediately wanting to stall and spin. Again it could just be me. The other thing that feels odd is the rudder input. It doesn't seem fluid in it's application. The yaw feels wierd compared to planes I've flown, al-be-it they are more modern types, accept for the Stearman trainer I got a chance to take the controls in when I was younger. And it was a nice hour flight even doing some basic stall turns and standin' her on her side and kicking opposite rudder to maintain altitude, and loops and rolls as usual. Again that plane was about 20 years newer than what we have in the game. Oh, I almost forgot, has anyone been able to do a flat turn with the DrI? The rudder doesn't seem to swing the nose around like it should. Which the DrI was noted for as it had no fin, just the rudder. Unless someone has a trick to getting her to skid around. Don't worry, I don't take offense. My hide's pretty thick, just like my skull from time to time. I like having a good exchange as long as things stay civil. Besides, it's a Q&A issue and you're trying to help from your own experience. That's cool bro. But that's how everybody here has been even from the P1 & 2 days. Even as lurker, I could find everything I needed from all the info the Devs and the more experienced folks posted. So if it's just a matter of getting used to this one, it's all good. Thanks again Bullet!

Thanks Winder for the input on the AI! My observations as P3 stands, The AI aren't affected by the elements, i.e. wind and gusts, in and around clouds. They seem to be unaffected by altitude as I am. In the performance of their planes compared to mine, my side and the opposition. Especially at altitude, where I have to go to full throttle to stay in the air, and they just bob up and down like we are at ground level. They can perform manouevers that I try and wind up stalling into a spin. Even my own squadmates can pull a verticle hang on the prop from level flight, and I need to go into a shallow dive, but still can't get the same performance. I guess in comparison to the Ai in general, it feels like the player is "hamstrung" in all areas of aircraft performance. From agility, to power. This is not a critisism of the efforts of the Dev Team in any way what-so-ever, as I understand that there is a lot that goes into it, from watching the advancements over the past years that went into BoBII. But over the years it has been getting sorted out, and so will OFF. And I want to again thank everyone who has endeavoered to take on this monumental task for the sake of a WWI simulator, to keep the spirit of early aviation and air combat alive for us to enjoy.

Thanks uncleal. Did a search and all that popped up were topics that dealt with how the rotary engines worked back then. I really don't want to mess with auto mixture if I can avoid it. It's that or set the option in the workshop to keep the flights around the 3,000 ft level.