Wayfarer

Salvo, thanks again for a link to another set of quite affecting photographs. To me, a number of them seem to convey early hints at issues that are still with us. I'll take a longer look at them when I get home tonight and I think my wife will be very interested in them as well.

Thanks for posting this link Salvo2. Very atmospheric photographs.

RAF_Louvert , thanks for posting this - my RFC5 airfield is right in this sector! Now when I get home I will be faced with the dilemma of continuing to clear out the loft - or downloading and using this map. Hmmm ...

Just got a better look at the Buddecke site. Just love the old postcards! The French infantry in their kepis and red trousers all blasting away at a Taube is great.

... which is always well worth a "sightseeing tour".

Olham, it certainly is. Thanks for posting these. I don't remember coming across this site before. I'm going to have a proper look at it this evening.

I've been playing it since last Sunday!

And have you, by any chance, been seeing large faces in the sky whilst playing it?

Bullethead, that is very interesting about the wireless antennae. Something I had not appreciated.

For specific artillery spotting missions I have been keeping to the pattern that usually resulted from me following the mission waypoints. These did indeed give a repeated racetrack pattern (at least the way I flew them - I could well have been wrong), but roughly perpendicular to the trenchlines. I usually find one U turn point behind enemy lines, presumably in the vicinity of the target area, and the other behind friendly lines. The waypoint indicator would switch between these points a number of times before setting a course home.

This is about the only time I use waypoints now, to identify these two particular points in a spotting mission. I then fly between them for the time indicated in the mission brief before heading home.

I did wonder whether flying parallel to the trenches might have been more likely, but hadn't got any concrete reasons to base that on.

 

... Joshua Levine's good (if melodramatically and inaccurately-titled) 'Fighter Heroes of WW1' ...

Just wanted to second that, especially for people who, like me, don't have an extensive library of WW1 air-warfare literature. That title put me off completely, but I discovered it is basically a brief account of the RFC/RAF generally in WW1, not just fighter squadrons. The chapter about reconnaissance crews really impressed me and is largely responsible for me flying reconnaissance aircraft in OFF.

Von Baur and Hasse Wind, thanks for your views and information. It's all given me ideas on how to fly what might be somewhat more realistic reconnaissance missions. I get the impression that with OFF2/P4 we may get a more objective way of assessing the success of reconnaissance missions. In the intervening 2 weeks, however, I'll try using some of the suggestions people have posted here.

Thanks both. The following of roads and railway lines certainly makes sense, rather than just circling one area. It would be more interesting to fly as well.

I don't ever recall seeing a moving train, but then I probably haven't paid so much attention before. I'll keep a closer eye next time and see if I spot anything.

First of all, it's terrible confession time ...

A chance mention of 'Rome Total War' in this forum last autumn triggered off my SAD. That's 'Seasonal Ancient-warfare Disorder'. It's my theory that it is usually prompted by the the appearance of many images of the ancient middle-east on cards and such as Christmas approaches!

I fought it off the year before as I still had to fit game time inbetween many people's coursework, and OFF missions just slotted in nicely. But, towards the end of October last year, for the first time in the 19 months since I received OFF I played some other computer game!

I only resumed OFF missions last week. Flying RE8s with 5 RFC, having reached November 1917. Today I flew a straight reconnaissance mission, not a photographic mission ( I use Bletchley's mods) which detailed me to remain in the area for 17 minutes.

With these type of missions, I usually circle around the objective point for the allotted time, adjusting height to put off the AA and scanning the sky for enemy machines.

Whilst so occupied the thought occurred; were there any recognised methods or patterns of flying for reconnoitering an area, intended to produce the most effective or thorough results, or did crews do whatever seemed best at the time?

Now that's brought a lunchtime smile to my face Olham - most amusing!

Well Olham, that emoticon really amused the person sitting next to me ... and I've never seen it before. Where did you get it from?

... the sense for height is very much present. the feel of beeing very high is looking very realistic ...

It is indeed. Have the devs done something with the perspective?

I recall reading somewhere that the Blip Switch had a dark side. When the switch was in the 'off' position, the engine continues to rotate and fuel/castor oil mix (now unburned) is ejected onto the inside of the cowling. When the switch is turned back on, the magneto spark, or backfire, could blow the cowl off, or set the plane on fire. Is this true?

Hauksbee, I have certainly seen the possibility of starting a fire mentioned several times in explanations of using the blip switch.

A great link Olham, and one of the photos labelled 'BE2-1' looks remarkably like the machine in caught up in a tree shown in your recent post.

Could it be an early B.E.2 ?

Mikeymead, I thought it looked a bit 'BE2ish' as well. A BE2b perhaps?

That certainly puts our mere 'central heating pump not working' situation in the shade!

I hope your poor wife will be better soon, and that it won't be long before you'll be swapping amusing stories about it in the mess, with it all behind you.

Still finishing off the Christmas food here ...so you're ahead of us!

I know it's animation, but I just find 'Porco Rosso' a delight from start to finish.

UK_Widowmaker, I downloaded a 'dual core optimiser' for my AMD processor, from the AMD website, which helped with issues such as the game running at double speed. I don't know if there would be such a thing for quadcores from you processor manufacturer's site?

I got that from the FAQs on the OFF website, there may be information about quadcores there.

RAF_Louvert, that was a good story, very nicely put.

Merry Christmas to you all ... and an OFF2 New Year!

Wayfarer

My first flight was a trip around Weston Super Mare in an Auster, sometime in the late-sixties/early seventies. It later crashed. My Dad always said it was the next week, but I am not sure that wasn't dramatic licence.

So are we thinking 'OFF2 - Above And Beyond' for a name now?

A friend send me this link. Might have been posted here before, or I expect some of you will have seen it, or some of the photographs, already.

If you haven't, well some of them literally made me catch my breath!

http://www.vintagewi...-Wagon-Rut.aspx