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Originally Posted By: Rick_Rawlings
Fun fight today. Squadron Commander Nought led B flight up to the lines to spot a large formation of enemy aircraft seen approaching just south of Armentieres. For once, the enemies were right where they were supposed to be.



Making his way back home, Nought filed for an Albatros scout driven down with the engine out, however, by that time, there was no one near enough to confirm!


*Interesting note... on the way back, I ran into a flight of German Recce, 6 of them to one of me. In my dive-stressed plane, I didn't like those odds. I flew along for a while hoping to encounter some friendlies I could latch on to to join in attack. Eventually, I ran into A flight and hoped for a fight to develop. The Recce wing eventually turned back and A flight made no move to engage. Using labels, it didn't appear that either group noticed the other (both stayed on "patrol"). They were only about 3km apart at one point... Hard to tell what was going "through their minds" but the enemy planes definitely went back, so mission accomplished from my point of view!



Excellent Tripe Fight! copter
Always watch your dive speed, and more importantly NOT MAKING TURNS at HIGH SPEED!!!!

Looked sweet! All I can give is tips for avoiding a busted wing.....

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Sorry if was acting as an arse....just the dwarf in me...
...Woff to watch GOT and route for Dwarfs and Dragons....

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It's okay, man. Stuff on the internet always comes across weird anyway, I just always assume everyone means it in the nicest way possible!

#teamkhaleesi
salute


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Nice videos Rick. The Tripehound is always a favorite!


Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear or a fool from either end.
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She is a nice little bird!


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Rick Rawlings: "Sometimes I like to fly by myself..."
Member Of Other Squadron: "Go on solo patrol? What the devil for?"
Rick Rawlings: "Oh, no particular reason..."



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With Rick Rawlings, No. 56 Squadron...
The Major takes the boys up for a jaunt over the lines. They encounter a flight of Rolands deep in enemy territory, of which you can see the results of below. After the fracas, Rawlings is trying to round everyone up when he notices his wingman is in trouble. He races off to the rescue!

Right after this, the Black Albatros' buddies showed up and Major Rawlings had to tuck tail and head for the front! Thank goodness for the speed of an Se5!


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From the personal log of Rother Nought:

"Some days, it isn't easy being the Squadron Commander. You know you are going to lose men, that is just part of the job. But when you are entrusted to protect and save others, and you aren't able to, that is the hardest failure to endure. Today we were tasked with escorting a flight of FE2bs southeast along the front down past Monchy to observe infantry emplacements. We took up position about 1500 feet up from the Fees, giving us a good view of the surrounding skies. As we approached the target area, we swung around in a big horizontal loop in the sky to scan for threats when we saw the Fees break off southwest across the lines, just like they were told to do if they spied a threat. Looking off to the northeast, I saw a flight of unknown craft angling to meet us at the same altitude.
Signalling the rest of the flight, we moved to intercept. As we closed, I saw them to be Albatros scouts, recognizing the cruel lines of their ramrod-straight wings as we merged. Coming around, I could see the black puffs of Archie following our retreating Fees in the distance, so at least I knew they were safe. I then turned my attention to our enemies. Twisting this way and that, I fired at several enemy scouts, observing when I could how my squad mates were doing. We were holding our own and I eventually managed to come around on one Albatros and fired a telling burst into the cowl in front of the cockpit. He started to dive and moments later, his engine burst into flames. In dread, I was sure I could hear the pilot's scream as he spiraled down to the firmament below.
I watched, transfixed, as he spiraled down through several rotations. Then an explosion pulled my attention back to the now: a Fee was on fire, going down to the North of my position! Inexplicably, the Fe2s had circled around and were now in the midst of the remaining enemy craft. Cursing this turn of events, I dove into the new maelstrom. We fought several of them off, but in the distance, I saw a long smoke trail as another Fee went down. Leaving the more than capable Sub-Lt Compston to chase after the remaining Albatros diving away from our location, Sub-Lt Booker and I turned westward to pursue the Fees and their attackers.
It was some time before we could close the gap, and we saw one more of the poor two-seaters go down in flames, but now the lone Albatros attacking them was over our territory and it was his turn to flee for home. As he made his way to the east, we cut him off and were on him. His engine was flat out as he tried to make his side of the lines, little realizing that I would have followed him down to his airfield in pursuit. I closed to close range and fired, at which point he dove down in a spiral. Following and firing when I could, I chased him to the very ground, where our own infantry began to fire upon him. It cheered my heart to see their guns erupting at him, until in their exuberance they began to hit me as well! Soon their shots took their toll on my adversary and, like the knight who dies from a thousand cuts, the German went down slowly to crash in No Man's Land and flip over. I later learned that the pilot had died from no less than seven gunshot wounds!
We had lost 3 of the flight of Fees, but the Germans had paid dearly: we shot down six of their scouts, with no loss from my flight. I am glad that I do not have to write any letters of condolence for my men, but it doesn't make it any easier when I think of the airmen in the Fees who will now never gain the experience that would have saved their lives today..."



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Originally Posted By: Rick_Rawlings
Rick Rawlings: "Sometimes I like to fly by myself..."
Member Of Other Squadron: "Go on solo patrol? What the devil for?"
Rick Rawlings: "Oh, no particular reason..."



Oh...Oh LOL! That made my morning.

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Leaving behind the excitement of 1915 for a bit, I decided to fire Major Rick Rawlings back up with #56 Squadron in June of 1917. As luck would have it, he had a fine time trying to locate some excitement there as well! Tasked with destroying the railyard at Vimy Junction, the Major kept an eye on the various Albatros flights that would pass by overhead. Problem was, none of those scouts wanted to come down to play. Eventually, Rawlings got sick of their lack of interest and decided to press the point, eventually chasing some dots far enough across the sky that one of them peeled off of their formation and came over to fight.


Despite getting pretty close , you will be pleased to know, MudWasp that I refused to follow him down and left the battle inconclusive. By that time I was miles away from my flight and didn't even bother to file a claim...



So my question is, do many of you get just one or two enemy craft peeling off from their flight to attack you? Hellshade gets these massive furballs. Is it just disdain because they know how ineffectual I am?


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Not too often does that happen to me

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Aujourd'hui, notre jeune aviateur Patrole de Fronte trouves les ennemis nouveaux et dangereux pour le premier temps! Regardez:



Apres le bataille? Un enemi est finis et Patrole de Fronte vie pour l'autre jour!


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Rick: Gesundheit. biggrin

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Merci! salute


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Originally Posted By: Rick_Rawlings
Well. Finally got a new SSD drive, everything loaded up, sussed out (thanks, OBD!) patched up (looks FANTASTIC!) and ready to go. So here is another in my line of completely successful attack runs against 2-seater formations that in no way involved any swear words at all! I even left the dead stick landing in for BKCason. (Yeah, it went that well...)


I just watched the video [only a month late smile ]. It looks like your player was in a Sopwith Pup? Nice landing at a handy airfield. I keep reading on the forum about mechanical failures and/or EA fire leaving someone in a bad way such that they take the first good landing spot to be found but I have not encountered that yet. It looks like you handled it well thumbsup My two campaigns are in early 1915 still [slow times for a slow learner]. One pilot is flying Morane Saulnier L 2-seaters and... knock on wood... hasn't had any mechanical issues yet. I saw my first NPC fatality today. My wingman on a bombing run dropped out shortly after takeoff and apparently crashed killing himself and the observer. I guess I better keep my wits about me during "routine" things like the climb out after takeoff [and other times].

Last edited by BKCason; 07/16/15 02:40 AM.

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Ben Cason
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Stalling on take off and landing can be an issue, fortunately the Morane has a nice low stall speed. Of course then you have to worry about gliding off the runway and into a fence! dizzy Yes, lots to worry about!


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Originally Posted By: Rick_Rawlings
Stalling on take off and landing can be an issue, fortunately the Morane has a nice low stall speed. Of course then you have to worry about gliding off the runway and into a fence! dizzy Yes, lots to worry about!

Lots to worry about indeed. In Allen Burrel's last mission, he decided to taxi to to the hangers... oops... a little too fast and turned too late [rudder not as effective at slow ground speed] so his wing clipped the hanger. The O.C. was NOT happy with him. banghead


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Flight Sub-Lieutenant Alton Learner, on a reconnaissance mission flying from St-Pol-sur-Mer to the Front in the area of Loos, was killed while trying to make a dead-stick landing at Le Gorgue airfield.

While flying around 6500 feet above the lines near Neuve-Chapelle, his BE2c sustained a "system failure". Turning back from the front and trying for the nearest airfield while the engine gradually lost RPMs, he descended as quickly as seemed possible. Finally the engine stopped and Learner turned off the ignition, hoping to prevent a fire.

On the approach to Le Gorgue airfield, he had lost too much altitude and struck the trees just to the SW of the airfield which proved fatal both to him and his observer.

This was my first pilot loss. As I started this pilot, my first, as a "learning" experience in the RNAS in March of 1915, it is quite historical that a problem with his aircraft led to his demise. He flew a lot of QC missions in various aircraft to practice take-offs, landings and to learn the area around St-Pol-sur-Mer. Just after the Pfalz EIII was added to WOFF he actually had an encounter with one which his observer/gunner fired on. The EA was seen diving towards the ground smoking. It is somewhat ironical that the claim for this, my only EA encounter, was rejected as part of the process of closing out Learner's career in WOFF.

I suppose the lesson learned here is that I should have tried for safe looking field, pasture or road while I could rather than trying for that airfield. I only saw the red warning of the system failure under the TAC [I had the flight instructor turned on] out of the corner of my eye. I doubted what I had seen and continued for a few moments until I saw the RPMs dropping. I descended rather precipitously [perhaps too much so] trying to get down to a low altitude for landing at the airfield. Maybe I should have held onto as much altitude as possible until I was over the airfield and then spiraled down to a landing on the airfield or a nearby field.

C'est la guerre

Last edited by BKCason; 07/19/15 09:51 PM. Reason: corrections to spelling and missing words

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Ben Cason
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Keeping your altitude and spiraling down is an excellent choice. Two seaters can glide for miles from altitude. If there is any doubt, a road or rail line is a better bet than some of the cramped aerodromes with their devious fences and trees just waiting for the unsuspecting pilot! Condolences on your pilot loss. I am probably on my fifteenth or sixteenth Rick Rawlings... bottles


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Originally Posted By: Rick_Rawlings
Keeping your altitude and spiraling down is an excellent choice. Two seaters can glide for miles from altitude. If there is any doubt, a road or rail line is a better bet than some of the cramped aerodromes with their devious fences and trees just waiting for the unsuspecting pilot! Condolences on your pilot loss. I am probably on my fifteenth or sixteenth Rick Rawlings... bottles


I will take a road over an aerodrome any day with a dead engine! thumbsup As you say, no room for error.


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