Shiloh

Lieutenant Tom Foxx of ESC 62 flying a Spad VII gets a Jasta 19 Alb.DVa square in his sights. If you look closely, you can see the engine separating from the fuselage in a magnificent ball of flame.

Scram, I'm sure the minutes are slowly grinding forward right now at a snail's pace so here is some reading you can do to familiarize yourself with some of the craft. The Sopwith Pup is always a good starter craft on the entente side. Shiloh http://combatace.com/topic/60942-sia-flying-and-air-fighting-pilot-primers/

Some call them 'flight extenders', and some call them 'diapers' - it just DEPENDS.

Thanks Lou!

Whooaaa Lou! Does that come with a seatbelt and some diapers?

This is great Lou...thank you so much! Do you have a link to your downloadable books here?

Going back to the original post that's great you took out Albert Ball. I haven't yet had the pleasure of dueling an ace of that caliber. I had a great duel once with Werner Niethammer (6 victories) from Jasta 13 and downed him near the lines. I put some bullets in Franz Buchner (40 victories) in the same fight but he got away. Good stuff!

Welcome Scram! I discovered the unfriendly skies Over Flanders Fields just over two years ago and I've never regretted a moment. No sim has ever immersed me this deep, and no sim has left me with rings of sweat under my armpits and the feeling that I survived something that I probably shouldn't have. There is no better value for the money and sometimes I feel I've only just scratched the surface of this amazing sim. In the past week alone I've flown no less than 6 different craft with my 12 pilots in the rain, snow, fog, at night, in puffy white clouds, clear blue skies and the haze of the early morning. The atmosphere is amazing and you will find yourself thinking about you 'next time up' when you are doing other things. This is a great community with tons of support and I urge you to 'jump right in' and test the skies for yourself. But before you do I'll have a virtual brew as new guy's buy the rounds. Welcome and good luck! Shiloh

Thanks Olham! I'm experimenting with filters and techniques that give that photograph 'feel' that we see so often in books and online. More to come.

Thanks rjw! It's good to get more opinions on stuff as it reviewed well, but I value the opinions here. I'll definitely give this one a read and report back. Cheers

Below: Captain Benjamin Scott from RFC-41 flies dangerously close to a German observation balloon after a strafing pass with his SE5a. November 8, 1917, photographer unknown.

Below: A beautifully preserved photograph of Major Benjamin Dawes and his observer taken by an RFC-48 squad member on May 9, 1917. Dawes, shown flying the Bristol Fighter, had just downed an Alb.D.II and was headed back to his aerodrome at Bellevue when this photo was taken.

Awesome! I'll have to add that to my next Amazon order. While on there I found this one. I had no idea the adversity that Rudolf Berthold faced after 6 serious crashes, and addiction to painkillers. I definitely want to give this one a read. http://www.amazon.com/IRON-MAN-Berthold-Germanys-Indomitable/dp/1908117370/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Thank you Olham! I searched these through my library system but they were unavailable for various reasons. The Udet one was but I think they won't release it as it must be a really old copy. Massachusetts has a great system where if they have it at any of the libraries in the state, they will deliver it to my local library within a week. I did a little more research and was able to locate "Flying Fury: Five Years in the Royal Flying Corps" by James McCudden. It rates very well and should be a good read about one of the best pilots in the war. I do want to read a book about a German pilot and I'll continue to look into those you recommended and others as well. Once again, thank you Olham.

I'm glad you agree. I just finished for the second time and Captain Frederick Libby was not only an amazing pilot, but an even more amazing person. Somewhere on here was a list of great WWI books but I can't remember where I saw it. RAF_Louvert or Olham? Can anyone recommend a book in this style but about another pilot, perhaps a German?

I've decided to chime in on this discussion as it's an important one. I can see both sides of the fence as there are many valid points. Here is my take. I've been flying OFF for just over 2 years so maybe I can offer the perspective of a 'newer flyer'. I've taken a few breaks as everyone needs to on any game. Yet overall I feel this sim is amazing! The graphics, the campaign engine, the incredible landscape, weather features, variety of craft and the overall feel of this sim are second-to-none in the WWI genre. I've flown the 'other' sim as many have and to me it just doesn't stack up. Despite hundreds of hours in the air flying almost every craft that OFF has to offer, I still find new things about it every time I hit the skies. In the past month I've discovered the Nieuport 11, Brisfit, the DFW C.V and just completed my first successful bombing run. It was awesome. I continue to fly the D.VII, SE5a, Dr.1 and many others. Someone could fly this sim for years and not get bored with it, or at least I could. There is so much to it. I appreciate everything about it and owe all my thanks to the few developers who have poured their hearts and souls into this project. It is a labor of love and this type of project can't be rushed. If you're losing flyers to impatience, then maybe they're just impatient people. I'm not faulting anybody. I'm simply pointing out that everyone is different. Never before in the history of gaming have there been more options. It makes my head spin to see how many great games there really are. I like to jump around a bit and play a bit of this, and a bit of that and this keeps me satisfied until the release of WOFF. I greatly look forward to the release as much as anybody I suppose. My rig is not new by any means but it's adequate and I don't have any worries about it being able to handle WOFF's requirements. It's the same game engine as OFF with some improvements. If it does happen to require more juice than I'll upgrade the components I need to. Simple right? I'm confident the developers are doing a great job behind the scenes. What reason would I have not to be confident? OFF continues to exceed my expectations of what a WWI flight sim should be. It is not fair to compare these developers and this sim with any others. We are a niche group - a fine group of passionate fliers - and I for one prefer that to a sim where everyone has to have a copy. I would rather support the small guy than the corporation. Patience is key here. I do agree with some of the posts regarding future releases. Sure, if the major changes are all completed yet there is concern that all the models don't look perfect, this is fine. I agree a release could be made and there could be a few future updates. But again, I trust the judgment of the developers. To this point they have done everything right in my opinion, so I have no reason not to.

That sounds great. How do I access it though? When I hit F7 nothing happens.

I just joined 289b and flew my first mission ever in a DFW C.V. She's a nice girl and climbs like a beast! I never dropped a bomb before in OFF yet hit 3 of 3 on the enemy airfield. WooHoo! F7 does nothing though. I just lined her up, looked over the edge and let them fly. It was awesome and the scenery down there is just stunning!

Good stuff MudWasp! Jasta 18 and Jasta 2 come to fight and you did the right thing in booking it out of there. Say hello to that cute nurse, I'm sure I've been in there before.

Thanks Lothar!

*Gulp* Now I've done it!

Keep an eye out for me. I'll be the single-seater, flying alone with a Death Wish.

Give those Albs hell Mudwasp but don't tell Olham - he's very touchy about these things.

Good stuff Olham and MudWasp thanks! I do fly with automix and I like it just fine. See that, I've been flying OFF on-and-off for 2 years and I'm still learning new things.

I'm currently flying in the Lafayette Escadrille down that way and just love flying low over the hills and mountains. Getting shot down in that area is no treat in my experience as it's tough to find a place to land. Are you that obscure aerodrome that is way further south than any of the other Germans? I do plan on going on a rogue mission to attack it someday - for the scenery of course. I'll have to find those commands and program them into my stick - shouldn't be too difficult and I have a few buttons left. F7...good to know. I think he was talking about you as the original poster as your question pertained to German units.