Flight Sub-Lt Alex Ackworth - RNAS 4 - Coudekerque - 15 July 1916 (Mission 18)
This morning is beautiful and after a good porridge followed by bacon and eggs with some tea, it's time to go to work. I am tail-end charlie of a four Strutters flight. The artillery boys need our help to know if their shells are falling on the intended target, a german infantry unit trenches east of Nieuwpoort. We will have an escort of 5 DH2s from RFC 32 in Treizennes, and the two remaining Strutters will make another flight following us.
We find the little friends on the way, but they are not fast enough and slowly fall behind. We get to our spotting zone, and while our leader Flight Cdr Whealdon transmits information we scan the sky around. Soon we spot 5 Fokkers climbing our way, and we go to meet them. At this time the Aircos have caught up and also fall on the poor Einies. I stay above by fear of collisions and give a couple of bursts to a Fokker trying to climb, sending him back down in the fight.
Rhodes shoots down one of the Fokkers, two more are shot down by the DH2s and the remaining two run away. Everybody forms up again and we head west. Some planes must have taken hits and they land in Koksijde. I fly back to Coudekerque.
Last edited by corsaire31; 07/15/1410:12 PM.
Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker ! Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
Corsaire31, I just have a look back to the rules and I haven't found the rule you are talking about ...
Does it means if there are 2 patrols in a day in the campaign, we must fly 2 patrols the same day ? (for me it will be quite impossible to fly every day,or more than 1 patrol in a day ...)
In the rules it says that we must pass 3 hours on 2 seaters before transfering to a fighter unit, Morane L is a 2 seater isn't it ? I hope that the staff members will validate my training hours without passing by martial court
You don't have to fly every game mission (but you can if you want), but when you fly you fly on the same day.
For instance, my last mission (n° 17) was on the 11th, I don't fly on week ends and yesterday was national day in France so I didn't fly either.
I flew 1 mission today (n°18), so I moved manually the campaign date forward to July 15th 1916.
It goes the same the other way around. If in WOFF your pilot is sent to hospital for 10 days, you cannot log any mission during these same 10 real days. Same goes with weather, you cannot fly if flights are grounded by bad weather.
EDIT : you're right, it is not clearly stated in the rules, so I understand it's not easy for someone who jumps in.
Last edited by corsaire31; 07/15/1410:35 PM.
Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker ! Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
Yeah, the decision to have the 1916 dates and our 2014 calendar dates 'match' came later in the thread, so it's easy to miss if you just read the rules in the first post.
As Corsaire said, just fly when you can, but the campaign date in 1916 should be advanced to match the current date in real life.
The purpose is to re-live the year 1916 day by day, but in the real-time year of 2014. It also keeps us all on the same date, which just seems to be more fun.
Thank you all, guys, but I only just have 5. Look at Lou's achievements! (Maybe my public relations is better? Mmuahahahahaaa!!!)
Hasse, your 20 hours on Aviatiks are really great! I guess you always fly as high as you can?
Originally Posted By: piedro606
P.S: Olham please keep him alive for his 4th patrol, it will be so nice from you...
Hmmm... - how will I recognise him? Ah, wait, he is Scottish you say - he may probably be saving most of his ammo. Mmuahahahahaaa!!! (If you are a Scotsman yourself, you may not find those jokes funny anymore, but believe me, I know how that feels - I am East Frisian, and in Germany they used to make lots of jokes about us, and still do).
Vice-President of the BOC (Barmy OFFers Club) Member of the 'Albatros Aviators Club' - "We know how to die with Style!"
I was once shown a Frisian poem and it was very similar to English! Maybe you are flying on the wrong side...
I am not flying for der Kaiser, Jim - I fly there, because they have the Albatros. And another strong reason is: they just have the interesting paint jobs!
Yes, the old Frisian language (which died) was spoken from southern Denmark over the northwestern coastal area of Germany to the Netherlands. It is even related to the Flamish in Belgium. Then England and English language was also much influenced by the Norwegian Vikings, who landed and settled along the English northeastern coast.
So in the end it looks like all the countries with a coast at the North Sea - or at least their coastal regions - are somewhat related to each other. The old Kingdom of Hannover is related to the British Royal family.
PS: In real life I would never want to fire at an Englishman (nor a French or Belgian) - I like our neighbours; they all have enriched my life with their ways and habits, their cooking and brewing, their songs and poetry; and they all have wonderful countries with beautiful landscapes to travel through. Europe is what we should have struggled for 100 years ago - imagine where we could have been with those huge investments...
Vice-President of the BOC (Barmy OFFers Club) Member of the 'Albatros Aviators Club' - "We know how to die with Style!"
Olham, flying high with the Aviatik is something of a challenge! The crate is slow as heck, and climbs about as fast as a drunken snail. Its service ceiling is also really poor, 3.5 km (11,000 feet?) or so. Although I always try to have adequate altitude, it takes forever to reach such heights.
"Upon my word I've had as much excitement on a car as in the air, especially since the R.F.C. have had women drivers."
James McCudden, Five Years in the Royal Flying Corps
Well I managed to get my SSD WOFF to work, and I get greater frame rates than before. I think the fault was something to do with my installation of DirectX 9.
So I got it to work and then set off for a flight. I got separated from the others and was happily going home when I was told to wait for the leader to catch up. I did that and then I think he (or someone else) ran into me. Now 9 days in hospital
As I thought I was dead I suppose this is better.
Just out of interest, after landing a DH2, look over your shoulder when you stop the engine. The cylinders and the prop stop at different rates which is impossible with a rotary engine. As it's not a real engine anyway I don't worry about it too much.
I have been negligent in filling my diary so here is what has been happening since my arrival at Coudekerque Aerodrome.
Albert Ward career with RNAS-5 based at Coudekerque Aerodrome flying Sopwith 1 ½ Strutters.
14 Jul 1916 @ 08h16 Artillery Spotting North of Diksmuide
Arrived early today at my assigned aerodrome Coudekerque. On the drive in I noticed a nice sized woodlot just north of the base and since it had been raining as of late, I decided to take a walk there to see if I could find some mushrooms to take to camp. I lucked out and found a nice crop of Chanterelles in a beech grove. I will have a nice feast for breakfast when we get to base. Unfortunately I had to leave them in my room because as soon as I arrived I was informed I would be on a mission and had to suit up.
Soar led the flight with Booker, Hill, myself, and Huskisson accompanying. A flight sent five with us for support. The mission was successful with no Hun machines encountered. Back at base I took the mushrooms to the mess and shared them with the chaps there. Now they call me “Mushroom” for short. Geez…
14 Jul 1916 @ 16h52 Reconnaisance North of Diksmuide.
Booker led the flight with Hervey, Hill and myself accompanying. A flight sent five with us for support. The mission was succesful with no Hun machines encountered.
15 Jul 1916 @ 06h32 Recon over our lines North of Diksmuide.
Osborne leading with Parsons, Shook, Soar, myself, and Chadwick accompanying.. Mission successful, no enemy encountered..
15 Jul 1916 @ 14h55 Artillery Spotting North of Diksmuide
Mesurier leading with Parsons, Shook, myself, and Chadwick accompanying. A flight sent 3 with us for support up to the lines. The mission was successful with no Hun machines encountered.
16 Jul 1916 @ 05h10 Bombing mission to Rumbeke Aerodrome.
Soar lead the flight with Booker, Shook, Hill, myself, and Chadwick.. Shook, Booker, Huskisson and Chadwick from A flight flying top cover. Mission was successful, we had 4 ground target hits. Shook shot down 2 EIII’s, and I shot down 1 EIII and a Hun sausage before crossing the lines. All Strutters made it back to base but Soar, Booker, and Myself had light damage, but none of us were injured. The boys are asking for more mushrooms! Shook told me to harvest a couple of bottles of Cognac as well while I am out in the woods this evening. I told him next time we go to town!
16 Jul 1916 @ 14h28 Artillery Spotting East of Ypres
Mesurier lead the flight with Booker, myself, Huskisson, and Chadwick accompanying. We had two escorting DH.2 from RFC-29. As we approached the lines Mesurier signalled with wagging wings of enemy close by below and ahead of us and then he began an attack approach. We had quite a scramble and I managed to cause an EIII to smoke but in the melee one of the others put quite a few rounds into my port wing. We managed to drive them off with only one kill going to Mesurier. The mission Arty Spotting was again taken up and completed successfully. All of us made it back to base successfully.
YouTube Video:
Well, I think I made all the mistakes on this mission. Not concentrating on being steady with my shooting, overshooting enemy target and offering him a good shot, Not effectively checking my six (difficult at best with gunner behind you, Loosing contact with my mates and spending way too much time trying to find them when I should have gone directly home...
Last edited by Robert_Wiggins; 07/16/1406:30 PM.
(System_Specs)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Trooper PSU: Ultra X3,1000-Watt MB: Asus Maximus VI Extreme Mem: Corsair Vengeance (2x 8GB), PC3-12800, DDR3-1600MHz, Unbuffered CPU: Intel i7-4770K, OC to 4.427Ghz CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 240M Liquid CPU Cooler Vid Card: ASUS GTX 980Ti STRIX 6GB OS and Games on separate: Samsung 840 Series 250GB SSD Monitor: Primary ASUS PG27AQ 4k; Secondary Samsung SyncMaster BX2450L Periphs: MS Sidewinder FFB2 Pro, TrackIR 4
I got separated from the others and was happily going home when I was told to wait for the leader to catch up.
Who tells you things, there's no radio in these crates ?
Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker ! Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
I got separated from the others and was happily going home when I was told to wait for the leader to catch up.
Who tells you things, there's no radio in these crates ?
Ahhh, I know! It must be sign language from one of his superiors in the flight! As you well know, they often get close enough for that!
Last edited by Robert_Wiggins; 07/16/1403:23 PM.
(System_Specs)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Trooper PSU: Ultra X3,1000-Watt MB: Asus Maximus VI Extreme Mem: Corsair Vengeance (2x 8GB), PC3-12800, DDR3-1600MHz, Unbuffered CPU: Intel i7-4770K, OC to 4.427Ghz CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 240M Liquid CPU Cooler Vid Card: ASUS GTX 980Ti STRIX 6GB OS and Games on separate: Samsung 840 Series 250GB SSD Monitor: Primary ASUS PG27AQ 4k; Secondary Samsung SyncMaster BX2450L Periphs: MS Sidewinder FFB2 Pro, TrackIR 4
After some days spent in RFC disciplinary camp for flying in Flanders at end of may 1916 with a false pilot license, sergeant Alf Field is sent back to front on July 16th 1916 in the squadron. Martial court of british expeditionnary corps, motivate the sentence that this felon pilot will be more usefull at front than spending the rest of war in a jail (even if some members of the court doubt that he will survive longer to the war...)
Well, maybe I overhear them - I am usually talking to myself very loud (to overshout the engine noise): "More to the left! Left!!! Careful! Don't pull the stick too hard! Right! Right!! Don't touch that! The compass shows strange values! That isn't the compass, idiot, that's the altimeter! Repeat that - altimeter! Aw, p*ss off, you know-all!" ...and so on.
The Aviatik sounds like THE job for patient Fins, Hasse!
Good to hear from our new pilots, Robert and piedro! Will read all whilst having my dinner!
Jim, great to hear your SSD and WOFF made peace with each other! Don't worry, Jim, I want to fly one more today, and then I'll make my entries. If you could send me the chart tomorrow midday, that should be fine. If not, you can perhaps send it in the evening?
Vice-President of the BOC (Barmy OFFers Club) Member of the 'Albatros Aviators Club' - "We know how to die with Style!"