Shiloh

It could be the opening shot to a Twilight Zone episode.

Lt. Charles Lawton took of for a patrol on a rainy April day in 1917 - a day just like any other over France or so it seemed. He got separated from his flight in heavy fog and was forced to land in a muddy field. This was no ordinary field however - he had in fact landed in the Twilight Zone.

On a quick combat mission I had a nice head-on collision with a Nieuport 17. Check out my Alb.D.III at the moment of ground-impact.

Ouch!...the very reason I use Barbless hooks!

A wise decision my friend - it was not a pretty site.

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Thanks for the Happy Father's Day wishes Shiloh, mine was excellent. I was up early and flew several successful missions with 24 RFC in my trusty DH2, following which my two daughters stopped by and took me out to breakfast. Shortly thereafter I took a nap on the couch; then I woke up and watched "Sahara". Later, my lovely wife fixed me a wonderful supper, and after that we went for a walk down by the river. Came back home and watched a couple of "Law and Order" episodes, and by then it was just about time to call it a day. But not before reading a chapter of "Open Cockpit". A good day indeed.

 

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That sounds like a most perfect day Lou. Other than the fishhook I went for a scenic drive with my wife and kids in the mountains, watched U.S. Open golf, read a few chapters of "The Friendless Sky", took a nap, flew 2 missions and drank a few cups of hot tea in the "I Love Daddy" mug my kids got for me, then a few brews and a relaxing night on the couch. I wish every day could be that way.

Thank you, Shiloh - I liked the very sinister appearance of late Jasta 37, made me a black Albatros,

added the "9" (many of them had such numbers at the front), and the German colours from anther

skin by Paarma, and ready was the dark craft.

 

Did you know, that Böhme wanted to shoot himself after landing that day?

It was Manfred von Richthofen, who held him back. Boelcke was their great mentor - without Boelcke

Jasta 11 would perhaps not have been what it was. They all learned so much from him.; his death

was a great loss for the German fighters.

I was inspired by the black on your Albatros Olham and when my Jasta 37 pilot upgraded to the Alb III early, I picked him out a nice all-black skin with just a touch of white on the nose and the standard white/black cross. It looks mean!

My prayers go out to the people in these devastated areas...be safe.

RIP Clarence. You're music will live on long after you are gone.

I had a great Father's Day Widow thank you and you'll be out there casting before you know it! It's funny you mentioned fishing as part of my Father's Day festivities was pulling a fishhook out of my neighbors' hand with a set of needle-nose pliers.

My Jasta 35 pilot had a bad collision a few flights back and I never saw it coming. I'm not even sure who hit me but based on the fact I got a claim for a kill it must have been the enemy aircraft. Although this would be a very tough way to lose a pilot, I find it a very realistic hazard and if it happens, so be it. Look at Oswald Boelcke and Erwin Bohme, two men who will forever be linked together because of a slight collision that cost Boelcke his life. Nice skin by the way Olham!

I want to take a moment to recognize all the dads out here and wish them a very Happy Father's Day!

Enjoy your families and take a moment to reflect on what's really important in your lives. And if you want to fly OFF go for it - this is your day and nobody can tell you what to do!

Here's a photo...very sad. I can't say I've thought much about this type of thing but my initial reaction is to let them fly. I agree that 1-2 of them should be museum pieces to lessen the chance that they are ever destroyed but there could just as easily be a fire in a museum that destroys them as well.

Good luck Lou with that MG - she looks like a beaut!

My dad had a 1972 Rambler when I was growing up that was red with a white top and I'll always remember back with fondness the drives my family had in that car with the top down and not a care in the world.

I have a 1994 Jeep Cherokee with 200,000 miles on it that's my primary vehicle. It's not that old in the big scheme of things but by today's standards of getting a new car every 3-4 years or so it is. It has a very old feel to it with the large steering wheel, rough motor, imperfect handling, a few things that don't work, etc. But she's my girl and I know how to treat her and I'll drive her until she gives out. It's not as nice as an MG or other cars mentioned but its the way it makes me feel - nostalgic perhaps - that won't allow me to part ways.

Fantastic! As always great work gentleman and thanks for the snippets of info. to keep us all salivating like Polovski's dogs...or was that Pavlov's?

That's really nice Olham. Is Hans Auer his pilot or were you thinking of my man spending the war in captivity?

Raising our kids Widow is the most important thing we will ever do - not our jobs, or anything else. And the way I figure it, If I raise them to be good responsible adults, they will surely change my diaper when I'm 90 when no one else would. It comes full circle after all.

jwrich: ... tried other countries and aircraft but I feel more comfortable with the Albatros.

Shiloh: ... think the planes are cooler-looking (paint jobs & lines) and I do love to fly the Albatros D.II with its twin Spandaus. There's also a lot of colorful history with the Jastas

 

More guests to share the keg of "Warsteiner" with me - cheers, Piloten!

 

Shiloh, the "Iron Cross" is in heraldics called a "Tatzenkreuz" (paw cross) and goes far back to the "Ritter des Deutschordens" (Teutonic Knights).

See here:

 

http://en.wikipedia....eutonic_Knights

I play an RTS game called Medieval Total War with the Teutonic Knighs and I love their uniforms/armor/helmets...they just look tough.

I prefer the Germans as I think the planes are cooler-looking (paint jobs & lines) and I do love to fly the Albatros D.II with its twin Spandaus. There's also a lot of colorful history with the Jastas and overall I've always been intrigued by WWI and WWII German military for some reason. I do like their strategy of defense rather than aggressor as I think that fits in best with my personality and the way I might strategize. There's also something about that Iron Cross that strikes fear into enemies and I like the psychological aspect of that symbol.

wow Shiloh...reading your post just sent me back 10 yrs, to when my Son was 3.

 

My wife worked full time, and I was part time...so looked after him a lot...hardest damn job in the world!...but great fun too....He used to have a sleep in the afternoons (most times)...so I would get an hour or so on 1942 Pacific Air War....it used to save my sanity!..lol

 

Enjoy every minute...it goes so fast

 

Now he's 13...I get even less time on the PC...cos he's on it!

It's something how people's lives can be so similar if only for a short time Widow. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world getting to spend so much time with my kids. OFF gives me a release from parenting/work that I don't get with anything else - it's freeing in a way. I thought about when my son gets older and I'm trying to figure out whether I'll need to get him a gaming PC so we can play together. I let my 4 year-old daughter take the controls from time-to-time and she likes doing loops and stuff.

Here's to family - drink up my friend.

I fly whenever time permits - usually 3-4 times per week. I did have a stretch where I didn't fly at all for 3 weeks as I was busy but usually I can find the time. I'm a full-time dad during the day to two young kids who need a lot of attention so it's as time permits. I work at night for 3-4 hours so that's not really the best time.

Lately, when I put my son down for a nap in the afternoon and put on a Dora the Explorer video for my daughter I can get an hour of flight time in. I also have the benefit of learning toddler-level Spanish while flying.

It's all about balance as others have said. I will never put this before my family or other responsibilities but it does have a place as it's one of my only forms of recreation and I deserve this bit of fun in my busy life.

P.S. I did change a poopy diaper and help my son build a house of blocks during the writing of this post.

Actually really good stuff Olham. I studied this in Composition & Literature in college and remember it well.

Nibelungenlied. Never heard of that? Siegfried, who bathed in a dragon's blood to become invincible?

And the Tarnhelm, that he got from a dwarf, and that made him invisible?

Yeah, such stories are much older than "Lord of the Rings", old chap!

 

http://en.wikipedia..../Nibelungenlied

However, on their wedding night, Brünhild suspects something is amiss with her situation, particularly suspecting Siegfried a potential cause. Gunther attempts to sleep with her and, with her great strength, she easily ties Gunther up and leaves him that way all night. After telling Siegfried of this, Siegfried again offers his help. Siegfried proposes that he slip into their chamber at night with his invisibility cloak and silently beat Brünhild into submission. Gunther agrees but says that Siegfried must not sleep with Brünhild. Siegfried slips into the room according to plan and after a difficult and violent struggle, an invisible Siegfried defeats Brünhild. Siegfried then takes her ring and belt, which are symbols of defloration. Here it is implied that Siegfried sleeps with Brünhild despite Gunther's request. Afterwards, Brünhild no longer possesses her once-great strength and says she will no longer refuse Gunther.

Beecoz vee Dsherrmanns hav der "Tarnhelm" - a cap of invizibility from der Nibelungen!

Mmuahahahahahahahaaaaaaa!!!!!!

Well you clearly know more about the mechanics of the N17 than I.

 

Whats moving around in the OFF cockpit - just the aileron pushrods and bellcrank?

Just curious, how come you can see the body of the pilot on some planes (ie; Strutter) but not on others (ie; Albatros D.II)?

That looks really great graphics-wise although you can never really tell until release how it plays. I can't say I like the name - it's kind of cheesy - almost like that movie Iron Eagle.

Edit: What's the latest on Cliffs of Dover?

uncleal, I'm not bothered about having FFB but I take your point - it seems that Saitek have very little range now.

 

Shiloh, the problem is that when I first got the JS and plugged it in, win 7 found its own drivers so I didn't have to load any software.

I might download the win7 software from Thrustmaster and try that but it suggests removing any previous drivers first. I'm not a PC dummy by any means but I wouldn't know where to look for the current driver.

 

Aah, just looked at the driver details in "devices" ansd discovered that "no driver loaded or required". So looks like I can try the official drivers??

I would start at the manufacturer website for your JS and see if you find anything there.

Maybe the OFF development team could create a squadron made up of bank managers that are "neutral" and any country can engage them after looking at our account balances.