Thog10

My grandfather flew Spitfire Mark V's with the 52nd Fighter Group in North Africa in 1942-43. In 1944 he commanded the 21st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron as it trained in the States. Attached are a few photos from his pilot log. I need to find a scanner and digitize this whole book, but here are a few pictures taken with a camera. I found this a year or so ago. Since he died some years before I was born, this book contains about all I know of his career. Training in the states. The 52nd Fighter Group started flying Spitfire Mark V's in July of 42. He deployed with them to North Africa in November of 1942. Escorting and Scrambles Recon - "1 ME-109" - I don't know what he meant by that. Back in the states flying a whole assortment of aircraft. Is that a P-40? A "semi-historical" painting of his Spitfire done postwar by a close friend. The logbook lists PT-17, AT-6A, P-39D, P-39F, P-39J, Spitfire, P-39N2, P-40N, B-25C, P-51B, P-51C, P-63A, BT-13B, F-6D, TB-25D, C-47B, F-10, TP-51D, and the Link.

Wow, that is great!

I think step #5 is not needed. The Expansion pack should patch SF2I to the correct standard.

1. TW and/or New MF F-14 2. same for F/A-18 3. improved carrier operations

If you've not yet noticed it, a DH-82A Tiger Moth has been released at http://aussiex.org/ for FSX. It is free (with donations accepted if you like it), and the quality is amazing - certainly up to payware standards.

Has anyone written a post on updating mods to the current (SF2I / December) patch standards? So far I've noticed problems with effects (most notably afterburner) and avionics. (I have been able to update older mods to SF2 standards before, but the latest round of patches has thrown me.)

Having spent the last couple months in the world of FSX, I am gingerly nosing my way back into SF2. My time with FSX has given my new awe for the modders of the Thirdwire world. Quality add-ons exist aplenty for FSX, but only if you are willing to part with serious amounts of cash. I think A2A's Piper Cub was worth every penny I paid - it gave me a glimpse into the sort of flight I might hope to enjoy for real one day, but that was $40 for one (high quality) add-on. By contrast, the community of modders here has been incredibly generous to share the fruits of their labors. I know it must have been a labor of love - and when the love fades, I can imagine that it is hard to keep going. NF4+ and ODS and many others are works of art. They come as close to perfection as can be imagined given the limits of the engine. I do wonder a bit if this pursuit of perfection - so often achieved - hasn't itself become something of a hindrance. Was there more fun to be had in the days when goals had not become so lofty - and the expectations of us non-modding ground-lings so bloated? but I am not one of the artists. They are the masters of their work, and it is for them to decide their goals and what brings them satisfaction. To those who have moved on, I can only offer my hearty thanks. To those who need rest, I hope you find it. For bpao and his family, I pray with thanksgiving for his life and for comfort and peace for those who miss him dearly as the holidays approach. Merry Christmas, Emile P.S. A bit of good news - and the reason typing has taken forever with one hand - I am holding my beautiful twelve day old daughter in my arm.

I think the F.6 was in SF2E... I think

Downloading... so what is new?

I tried four First Eagles campaigns this way today - all settings "hard". The farthest my pilot got was six missions. I would say I averaged about three. So often it seems to be the stupid stuff that gets me. On that sixth mission I clipped the wing of a German two-seater as I made a slashing attack. I "made ace" and then slammed into the French countryside.

So, the great news is that my wife and I are expecting a daughter in December. The slight side affect to that great news is that small amount of money in the family budget for flight sims is going to vanish. So, I've decided to part with a few items from another hobby to fund this one. Once the sales are final, my plans are: 1. Buy SF2:I 2. Get a proper Combat Ace subscription 3. Save money SF2:Suez when it comes out 4. Save money for SF2:"Vaguely mentioned by TK as a possibility for 2009 (2010?)" There may be a few bucks remaining. So, my question is "what else?" I have all of Thirdwire's games. I love the SF2 series. Back in the late 90's I loved Jane's USNF/ATF/FA - I had the Duosoft Toolkits and experimented with the wild idea that you could mod a sim. First Eagles is an interesting diversion. I've got a decent HOTAS setup. I have F4:AF, LOMAC-FC, and IL-2 FB through 46. Is there anything else out there that would appeal to the die-hard Thirdwire fan? Neither OFF nor RoF have really struck my fancy yet, and I have a feeling that I will be too busy teaching my daughter to drive when Storm of War comes out. Thoughts?

I've tried a number of times. If you also add "I will not hit ESC before I land at a friendly airbase" things become quite dicey. I've had the most success flying in the Desert campaigns, but sometimes you find yourself low on fuel with 12 MiG-17s lobbing shells at you. In Europe I can make it a little while flying tree-top strike missions, but every so often I choose to fly right over an AAA site with rather rough consequences. In SF2:V, I get blotted out of the sky by a SAM way too early.

"The result of a "RIO"-commanded ejection. The "RIO" was an officer from a US Navy cruiser on a familarization flight. During a negative g-maneuver, he grabbed for a hold and pulled the ejection seat handle ... " Oops..

Wilmington. Alligators don't get that big here, but every now and again there will be a report in the paper about one hauled out of a neighborhood pond. One even showed up at the beach this summer.

Could it be that alligators are developing a taste for yankees?

First off, great job on the new site. It is beautiful and functional. One thought: Could the "Top Downloads" section on the right side of the main page be amended to be "Top Downloads in the last year" or something like that. For instance, Bunyap's weapons pack, while a great contribution to the community, no longer works out of the box for people with post-2006 versions of the games. Having it front and center just seems to invite forum posts saying "Hey, I'm new, and I tried to install the weapons pack. My game keeps crashing. What gives?" Again, love the new site!

Woody, that is a very, very old weapons pack. I worked with the game in 2006 very well, but the games have been patched since then. If you look in the downloads section, you may find weapons packs for later versions of the games. Try this one by the Mirage Factory: http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=8130 Before you install it, make sure you have the latest patches from Thirdwire's page. http://www.thirdwire.com Once you get a bit more comfortable with the game, it is possible to use weapons from the older packs, it just takes a little bit of understanding of the game system and the weapons editors.

With all that nasty engine noise gone, gliding in your F-100 can be a very tranquil and soothing experience... ...until you see green bolts flying past you and you realize that it is some miles to get back across your lines let alone to the nearest blue airbase. For me, it's off to the Parani POW cage again...

Living on the coast of North Carolina, I get to see the Marine Corps flying around above my house from time to time. In the two years I've been here I've seen C-130s, AV-8Bs, EA-6Bs, and others. This evening while my wife and I were working in the yard, she called to me and pointed up. A MV-22 was flying an approach route used by aircraft flying into Wilmington's airport (ILM). I've never seen one up close, and I have no clue how low this one was, but it seemed fairly low. What struck me most was how quiet the aircraft seemed. Is it quiet relative to other aircraft?

Is there any way to lock-on non-vehicle structures (that are not the primary target) with Mavericks or LGBs in the game?

Pondering this question over fajitas and a pitcher of Dos Equis Amber, I decided that a sim set in the late 70's featuring the F-14 with the F-15, A-7, and A-10 and just possibly the F-16 in a supporting role would probably sell very, very well. Whether or not this proves to be the case, I did enjoy my pitcher of Dos Equis Amber and fajitas!