Skyviper

Just think about it. From the first hops and skips at Kitty Hawk to leaps for all mankind on the moon.

Thank you! We've worked really hard on this project. This has been something in the works for the last ten months. With him recording, me reviewing, then waiting for Amazon to check everything before publishing the story. It's been a ride and I hope you'll enjoy the story.

Amazon just sent me an email. A Few Seconds More is available to be heard by all! Here's a link I invite you all to check out. If you don't have audible you can enjoy a 30 day free trial so you can listen to this adventure absolutely free of charge! Link: A Few Seconds More read by John R Manson I wrote this story in a first person narrative from Aden Jackson's point of view. Did some auditions and John R Manson was the perfect voice for the job. His mission was to sound like an old veteran reflecting on their youth - especially their time in service. Think Band of Brothers ... veterans telling their story of a war fought long ago. It's as if Aden himself is talking to you. Aden not only had to deal with alien hostiles, but hostilities among the population! Racism shows its face every once in a while in the story. In fact the opening quote of this story is something my uncle told me one day when I asked about his time in the Marine Corps! A lot of the lessons he taught me have managed to serve me well throughout the years. I hope you all enjoy listening to this story just as much as I had fun writing this story. This I think (for now at least) is the CLOSEST one my novels will ever get to becoming a movie! Thank you for your time, and please let me know what you think!

Thank you! Oh, I can't wait for Amazon to clear this project. I'd really like for you all to have a listen, that is if you're into audiobooks .

What's up everyone! If you're looking for another distraction outside of flight sims, awesome movies, and TV shows. Then I may have something you'll enjoy. It's my second audiobook called A Few Seconds More. It's not out yet. I was waiting for it be released, and then tell you about it, but I can't hold my excitement about this any longer. This story was written from a first person perspective and it's narrated by John R Manson, a fella from Tennessee. He has the perfect voice for the character, Aden Jackson, who is a southerner drafted into the military to help humanity fight off an alien threat. John did an outstanding job. It's as if Aden himself is sitting next to you and telling you his story. Don't expect a young voice, no, no, no. Think about a WW2 Veteran thinking back to those important historic battles - some of which were glossed over in the history books - and telling you his account. In fact, there is a scene where you'll here "Yeah, you're history books said this about this guy, but let me tell you something ..." I hope many of you will enjoy listening to this story when Amazon is done finalizing everything. I'm a fan of mechs btw, I tried (what I think) is a bit different when it comes to mechs. For instance. The mechs in my story do not replace tanks. In fact they work with tanks. Mechs are used as mobile artillery and air defense - but they can slug it out with the enemy too. They also provide the tanks with a better tactical picture sense they're a little more elevated. Here's bit of a caveat. My mother likes to read my stories - but she doesn't like cussing. So no cuss words ... expect it's the future ... so I made up my own (shhh) You'll hear things like Herkbah (Hrcba) this is a badasses badass a hardcore one too. Another one is Sephing (Ceffing) this one is means forceful inflection in other words the... F-Bomb. Ready for the cover art? Oh, if you're wondering about all the space at the bottom. There's like a reserved space thing at the bottom right side where nothing can enter it less it gets covered by Amazon's store stuff. I'm big on respect so I didn't want the Narrator's name to be clipped or hidden. I'm so excited about this project. It's not even funny. I'm not kidding. It literally sounds like the character is talking to you. This is probably the closest that one of my books will be to becoming a movie, and I'm thrilled to share this news with everyone here. I'll post the link when the book is out.

Man this image snapped me back to the day. Ah man, video stores, 10-10-220 cards, and Chuck Yeager's flight sim.

I was just thinking about those! Funny story- way back when. I thought that's what some of you were! I was thinking "Dang, there's a lot of light colonels around here .... oh." Took me a second to realize it was just a forum thing. That's way back when you get a copy of Wings of Europe in brick and mortar store. That's how I found this place! I got WoE and SF:Vietnam from Big Lots. Looked up mods for those and boom CombatACE was the obvious choice. After all I didn't have to worry about my highly sensitive personal info sitting in some dude's filing cabinet. Anyway back to business. I'm torn between the evolution route - Penguin to Voyager or the throwbacks to historical aviators. Those are some good options. So six groups. Something international, evolutionary to indicate a person's journey here .... 1. Ornithopter - Da Vinci's attempt at flight. The spirit was willing ... but flight did not happen. (Okay, okay with the tech he had the time. I know many people have proved his design could work with the right materials) 2. Pioneer - Okay, things are starting to click for this member. They're getting more active, exploring more, trying out some mods, etc. 3. Digital Aviator - A seasoned member who has logged many virtual hours. They may know a thing or two. 4. Virtual Ace - An extremely seasoned member who is very active on the forums. 5. CombatACE Flight Demonstration team (Can't think of a name yet) Anyway this veteran member is extremely active. 6. Virtual Engineer - These are the mod developers. They engineer aircraft based on history or fiction. They put in a lot of hours to ensure others have fun.

I have been well, sir. Thank you. I hope you and the others have been doing great.

A strong start to something interesting. Great job on getting making this far into your journey. Keep us posted as you progress please. This looks neat! (Coming from someone interested in game development too )

Thank you for keeping this community alive. I know I haven't been around a lot, let alone fired up SF2 in a while. Still, I appreciate everything you're doing to keep this place up and running. I'm loving the updates too.

The level of detail in the clip is simply outstanding.

Good job @Gepard!

I remember seeing this video a while ago. It's a really interesting video I think you may find interesting. This is a simulated scenario where "ATC" must help a passenger land a commercial airliner.

Wow, man Microprose is getting busy. I thought they closed their door ages ago. It's nice to see they're still around and working on revamping their old projects. I hope they'll get to achieve their goals.

@Wrench Good find! I needed that laugh. That was awesome, thank you.

I didn't know we had a lot of authors here at CombatACE @EricJ @Gepard best wishes with your writing careers and to anyone here at CA who likes to tell a story. I just released a new book myself and I had too much fun writing it. Short version: It's about four friends who execute a revenge scheme that lands them on the radar for a sinister agency. I've redacted information in the story (don't ask what prompted this lol). I also use vague names to mask most people's identities. If you're using a screen reader, you'll hear [Redacted Agency] or ~~~redacted~~~ where the black highlighters are. You'll also see [Redacted Agency] etc if you use a black screen on your electronic device. You can get this book at Amazon And now, for the Free Gift ... A Few Seconds More is about a warehouse worker who gets drafted to fight in a war to save humanity from alien invaders. It's told from the point of view of Aden Jackson as he recalls the battles he fought. You can get a free copy at either of these places. Barnes and Noble Smashwords

that makes two of us! I'm sorry I'm just now seeing this. You have some awesome cover art for your books! They look great, and so does your website!

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I think I remember seeing the Big Lift. I liked all of the quips that were made in it. Along those lines I saw another movie called "Your Target For Today" .. the pilot asked his waist gunner why he wasn't shooting anything. To which the gunner replied "What do you want me to do? Throw the gun at 'em? It's jammed!"

I'm interested in learning more about support roles. Additionally, I'm also curious about what people experience in these fields during a combat situation. Ages ago, I met someone that was a cargo master. He had some video of C-130s doing supply drops in combat zones. He'd point out the firefights taking place on the ground while they were delivering ammo, food, and anything else that was needed. For some reason, as of late, I've started to have a bigger interest in support missions and would like to learn more about them. Especially in a wartime situation. Is there constant fear or attack or is everything just another day on the job?

That's a game I've not seen in a long, long time. Oh the memories.

I just saw this on YouTube and thought I'd share it here. In case anyone hasn't seen it yet ... or would like to see it again.

Ha! Firefox has it moments too; however, you should be good to go. Honestly I don't know why a browser would be snippy about what version OS you're using. Isn't that point of website using JavaScript ... a language that's 25 years old? ... Then again I don't know what languages a browser is made in.

I love this forum, and appreciate the work the mod developers have done over the years to keep a humble sim going. I remember buying Wings Over Europe at a Big Lots store and then, a few months later, buying Wings Over Vietnam. My memory is a little foggy but I remember mods from Fast Cargo, Wrench, a slew of others, and then I think Fifth Column? Can't remember. They released the NATO series (I think). I've always had fun with this sim. Until recently. Got busy and the HOTAS started collected dust. So, here's how my last few missions went down. The mission was for a flight of A-7s to provide close air support - no problem there. My wingman was ready to go and so was I! So, I pushed my throttle forward. Nothing. Everything was plugged in right ... That's right! It's the other throttle, Nope, not that one either ... Are these things even being detected by the game at all? I pull the trigger and blow up some stuff on the deck.... oops Okay that mission didn't happen ... nope. We'll just uh, check the settings and try again. New Mission - the first mission. Close Air Support ... no problem. My wingman was ready and so was I. Pushed the throttles forward and get off the deck. I raise the landing gear ... the tail hook drops. I raise the flaps ... the air brake deploys I retract the air brake ... I'm told that the wheel brake can't be set while in the air. I turn on the radar .... and my wingman goes down. Okay that mission didn't happen either. New Mission - the first mission. Close Air Support ... no problem. My wingman was ready and so was I. I pushed the throttles forward and get off the deck. I raise the landing gear and the flaps. I got the radar on. No one is dead yet. ... Progress It's going to be a long flight and I need to skip the time ... no problem. ... it's CTRL and something ... no it's SHIFT and something ... ... no it's ALT and something ... ... or it just a button ... yeah it's just a button. Guns set to caged mode ... Map Screen opens up ... I'm off course Flares got dropped Chaff got dropped Flares got dropped Radar range increased Radar mode changed Flares got dropped Map mode activated I'm headed toward a new country all together. ... ALT + N ... riiiight So, know we're over the action! My squadron destroys the enemy forces with ease ... I helped till the soil in certain places ... but I got some kills too. All right time land on the carrier! Hook down, wheels down, flaps, ... the carrier decided to make a left turn ... and I bounced off it like a basketball. Y'all I was laughing so hard myself. I hope that little anecdote at least gave you a chuckle.