Wayfarer

Thanks both. I remembered that there was a list of deployed aircraft at the bottom of the enlistment screen, I'd forgotten that the specific type for a specific time period was displayed further up.

Just a small part of the picture, but I love the silhouette of the observer in the first screenshot.

Thanks to everyone who has been working to get the site back up.

Thanks both for posting these. I have only watched the first part so far (in French - that will teach me to read the whole thread first). I was amazed to see film of the Santos-Dumont aeroplane from before the war. Although I know they had developed cine film by that time, the thing looks so old fashioned it still came as a surprise to see it on film.

Well my latest pilot just became a victim, albeit only hospitalised, of Bloody April - 3rd of April to be exact. Better than I expected, actually, with 6 Albatri (is that the correct plural?) on his tail, hitting him literally as he was touching down at a forward airfield. These were identified as Albatros DIIs of Jasta 28. I am flying in Flanders and I haven't seen any Albatros DIIIs yet, although they show as having been in action elsewhere when I reviewed the mission. I know that the DIIs were still in service during this period, but I only started seeing them in January 1917. I can't see any evidence that, historically, Jasta 28 started with anything earlier than the DIII. Is there anything in this to suggest thay any files haven't loaded correctly, or would this seem about right? I am running HITR fully patched (or should be) if that makes any difference.

Olham, that is possible. Maybe one slight downside of using the muted labels mod!

Olham I like it, although I admit that people say I like sad things too much! It 's also an impressive translation. I can only just about ask the way to a railway station in German!

Thanks guys. Now I can allow myself the pleasure of a good browse of everyone else's stories and poems. I hadn't had a proper look before because I had been worried about unconcsiously ripping off somone else's work.

Thanks Slartibartfast. Mine, actually.

About the air war and WW1 in general ... Ask Icarus how it felt, that shrieking fall When man’s craft failed With unfastened wings’ futile fluttering While the remorseless blaze withered all Let Prometheus explain, the endless aching When men take fire And bound by uncompromising honour find Themselves wracked on a rock of their own making From our fathers we heard those tales in turn But knowing best, like them, we didn’t learn

That's an impressive video Olham. It's always interesting to me how quickly these biplanes get away from the ground. I've read a couple of books from the '70s which labour the 'kites that could barely lift themselves off the ground' angle, rather. To me most of them seem only too happy to take off, usually after a much shorter run than I give my BE in OFF! (I know it could be a different story when loaded up for an operation.) Something else that interested me was how, at one point, it maneouvered in the turn to stay neatly positioned behind the other aircraft. I haven't flown any fighters in OFF, but in other sims overshooting the target has always been one of my problems.

I only just realised there were new pictures of the Fee! There is something about pushers that always seem so evocative of the period, I think it's because the concept looks older than tractors, even though it wasn't particularly. The new detailing is superb. I wish my Dad could have seen these, he would have been fascinated. Although he started did his National Service in 1948, and even worked briefly on a Gloster Meteor, the first practical thing he was taught was sewing patches into fabric aircraft skins. He always appreciated 'proper aircraft' rather than these new metal things!

A couple of snippets from recent threads (including UK_Widowmaker's hair-raising thread - glad everyone got out of those alive) reminded me that of all the pilots I have lost so far, only one was shot down out of control. This was by AA fire. All the rest were lost from attempted forced landings after engine/controls damage. I wondered what proportion of OFF pilots are lost through being shot down completely out of control and, or, in flames, and how it compares to real life. I have just reached January 1917 and am only just really getting aircraft shooting at me with two machine guns. I don't know if that increase in firepower, or any other factor, might have made a difference as time went on.

I've loaded this mod and really like the effect. Could you change the size of the HUDs, and colour of the text, from this file? I still use the compass, because the BE2 doesn't have one, and wondered if it could be made smaller. I also just have the throttle setting peeping into the bottom corner of the screen. Neither of them are that obtrusive, but is it possible to alter them if you wanted to?

Ok, so now I've flown a low contact patrol. I patrolled a bit longer than I would have done, and eventually roused some machine gunners. I got some aileron and elevator damage but was still able to control the aircraft well. So thanks for the suggestion everyone.

Well ... I really used to like 'Mig Alley', but I just haven't the time to squeeze in any more simming if I am going to reach Armistice before Phase 9 comes out. They are nice pics though.

Thanks Herr Prop-Wasche, I have installed it. Ironically, I immediately got the shortest mission ever. A 10 mile straight line from the airfield to the front for photoreconnaissance. Not even the AA got close! No doubt, though, my good fortune will run out shortly, and I'll have a proper chance to see the differences.

I realise now that I came across this site just before our 'terrible hard drive crash of June 2011'. I'm really pleased to find it again, thanks for posting the link. Like you say, it's a wonderful collection of paintings, and not just for WW1. The subjects cover all sorts of aircraft and situations, some quite unusual.

Ok, thanks Panama Red.

That was a good one Olham. At least there was a good reason for crashing into a tree. I've actually managed it twice with no obscured view!

Thanks both. Am I right in thinking that is the 'HPWFB Campaign Damage Model Variety Pack for OFF BHaH 1.0'?

Thanks Olham. I've been trying to use both these features as little as possible. There are times, however, like in blinding snow during the present time period, when I need a little extra help! I like the idea of these subtler versions.

I noticed that there is also a painting of Junkers J1s in his gallery at The Aerodrome. It's titled 'Miraculous Mobelwagen'. (Wasn't sure if you have to get permission to post copies here?)

Errr ...that was not counting the pilot's lost to AA, or ground fire on low contact patrols in the intervening period!

That was probably the thing. I didn't start using Bletchley's Mods until early 1916. I must admit, if I ever come to be a P4 player I would like to go back to that early period, with an armed BE2 observer and appropriate enemy aircraft around.