Wayfarer

Thanks Olham, another interesting link. It's a timely display of what I am liable to be facing soon. I haven't seen a Dr.1 yet but the 'news' for today's mission said that Werner Voss had been shot down so I guess I'll start to encounter them before too long.

I am going to have to go back in time for that Aviatik.

I'd go for a miss, and echo Wodin in asking what sim is it?

Thanks Lima. I and my RE8 need all the help we can get!

They're nice ... I've never flown in the dark before ... I hadn't thought about there being an OFF Moon! I like the flame effects as well.

Oh dear ...I keep telling myself I'll get around to trying a scout, but with all these things that would improve a two seater campaign I can see myself ending up back in 1915 with BE2s again!

Creaghorn, that is one thing that bugged me when my I was in 1915/16. That issue seemed to fade in the second half of 1916 (as do the Eindeckers themselves, of course), but I hope it's something they might be able to address in P4.

Thanks for your replies everyone. There's a lot of useful information there. I hadn't realised how limited AI field of fire was, for instance. I had been using both 'R' and 'H' to keep formation and had been pleased at how well the flight had stuck with me. Unfortunately, however, I had a fuel leak and it was just hitting the red as I got near enough to make an approach for the nearest friendly airfield. So I made a break for it and, sure enough, that was when our pursuer attacked. As there was no sign of the remaining three members of the Albatros flight, it is possible that they were fired at by other flight members, but I didn't see it.

For those long reconnaissance flights, always looking for the next threat, this would be very apt!

LIMA, very pleased you posted this link. It's really fascinating and , for me, very timely. I have just come to the point where RFC2 replaced their BE2s with FK8s, so I've 'transferred' to RFC5 who are equipped with RE8s. I have only flown one 'training flight' (Quick Combat free flight) and one campaign mission so far. I wouldn't know how faithful the flight model is, but I noticed the torque effect and actually did spin it at one point, although it recovered quickly. I also enjoyed the turn of phrase employed by some of the correspondents and the undramatic way they described what must have been some pretty hairy moments!

This is just the sort of thing that makes me have such admiration for those two seater crews. You wouldn't have a chance to keep a look out for enemy aircraft whilst carrying out these procedures, or try and evade AA. With Bletchley's mods, when you have a photoreconnaissance mission and have to keep straight and level for one minute, the feeling is very uncomfortable, especially if the AA has already opened up on you. I don't know what it must have felt like in real life.

That’s just the kind of thing. Perhaps also a BE2 week on the BBC. You know ... archive film, readings of aircrew reminiscences, Celebrity Artillery Registering; Justin Bieber attempts to direct fire onto a battery of 210 millimetres, while Anne Widdecombe tries to hold off the marauding Albatrosses of Jasta 4 with the Lewis.

Yes, I'd thought of No Man's Sky, but it didn't sound right. Sounds better in Latin! I guess 'OFF: The Quirk Strikes Back' won't get a look in then (I just feel the BE2 should be celebrated more ...).

That's interesting Bullethead, I think it may explain some of my more entertaining landings!

OFF: Revenge Of The Quirk

Interesting Creaghorn, I hadn't registered that. I actually love Lone Wolf missions (I put them on my log sheet as 'single machine' because it sounds less macho to me) and usually set my own routes, but this could be useful when I don't have the time to get lost!

That's another one I would like to see as well.

Hey, mightysrc, I ended up accompanying the rest of the family on one of their number of visits to see the last Harry Potter film myself, and I don't even like the books. Thought some of it made quite an impressive spectacle. So you are not alone!

My wife had this last Christmas, she also loved Tenko about the Japanese women's prison camp. She's also read a number of books about prisoners of war. Seems to have some sort of empathy with them, really. We've been married thirty years next year you know ... Err ...

I would like to second that one. Yeah, me and my BE2s are always doing it (can' t form a Lufbery, see) so I shouldn't have to be shown up by everyone else!

Brilliant! I'll look forward to seeing that again after all this time (hope you don't get into too much hot water from the Wife). And Olham that is a splendid example of just the sort of thing that inspired my interest in history when I was a kid. As I found out that things were often not as depicted in books or films, it only made me more interested , but I've never lost my affection for those kinds of illustrations for the sheer atmosphere they conveyed to me when I was young.

Does that mean, by chance, that you have bought a copy of 'The Story of Flight'?

Yes, those Ladybird books gave you a great idea about historical figures when you were a kid ... they always looked so noble! I was really shocked when I found out that Bruce had killed one of his rivals in church. My exact reaction was, 'he wasn't like that in the Ladybird book'! I had the 'Story of Flight' one as well. The illustration of early WW1 aerial combat was classic, with an observer in a British pusher type aiming a rifle at an inscrutable goggled pilot in an eindecker type holding some kind of carbine or such. Not that accurate, but a great atmosphere to the picture.

Does anyone know if it Is possible to find out whether a squadron might be due a change of aircraft? I have been flying in 2 Squadron RFC, and reached May 1917. Historically the squadron appear to have received F.K.8s in 1917 and Bristol F.2bs in 1920. I imagined that, in OFF, they would probably stay with the BE2. Just wondered if there was any file you could check that would give you a clue.

A transfer is, indeed, what I have in mind as I've historically nearly reached the point where the squadron would be flying a two-seater type with a rear observer.