Great group of guy's. I wonder what's going to hapend with all the "knowledge base" the created/collected/developed. All those PPS/PDF/DOC's etc.


Thank you for the memories.

Hello all!

I'm sorry to see the wing close.

I joined sometime around 2000.

Mark (Vulture) personally taught me how to dogfight like the real pilots do.
After my first 0-10 loss against him, he opened up my world to the proper use of energy in a fight.
These lessons are always in the back of my mind, even today, while dogfighting anyone.

Lots of good times online - my first 4 vs 4 online fight using oh...perhaps the 1.08us patch!
Leaning how important buddy spike calls and flare marking is in a virtual battle.

I was pulled away for many years (life gets in the way) and a few years ago when I wanted to get back into the sim again, the Wing was happy to welcome me back.

Great group of guys.

Sorry to see the Wing close

Thanks to everyone for the great experience.
Hopefully the wing will reform when the next king of sims comes along.

Paul "Juggernaut" Sterman

Better late than never (some say). I've been so engrossed in my personal stuff for the last few years that I wasn't even aware of FreeBirds' closure until today. (Yes, 2011) (and yes, you can have a laugh at my expense)

Well, it's now been 2 years since the fatefull event, and it's still a shock to hear.
I started late in the FreeBirds compared to many others, but like the above, I found myself amongst really interesting, friendly, and nice people. It's the only VFW I've been involved with, and it enabled me to get the most enjoyment from the best simulator I've seen. What amazed me most about the FB's organisation (other than all the background work that was done to develop the site and training aids) is the amount of time it's Instructors volunteered to train new and existing pilots. Thanks Gman for investing your time in my development.

As Bobhammer mentioned, Falcon is famous for the 'dance' you had to perform before you got to fly. When I joined the FB's, this was a 'slow dance' but not quite a waltz. With my technical background, and after taking the time to understand what was going on, I developed the Falcon Synchroniser. It cut the dance down to a 'quick step' which meant heaps more time in the pit.

I also remember how we ran a couple competitions where you were eliminated once you 'died' and suspended for a day if you went 'MIA'. That was really fun! (So much fun that I didn't mind being shot down by my wingman in a chaotic furball.)

My involvement with the FB's flying activities diminished when I got involved with the IDFL through the development of Secure Falcon, an electronic referee that was based on the Falcon Synchroniser concept, and later administration and hosting of the IDFL site. To be honest, I got burnt out from the 24/7 committment I had gotten myself into.

To FreeBirds members I had the pleasure of meeting (and those who paved the way before I arrived) I say THANKS and I hope you are all well and still enjoying Falcon, albeit perhaps with other wings.


Other than wanting to contribute to the FreeBirds' epitat, there is a reason for me coming back at this point in time. I recently heard there was a new BMS released. Now we all know that with many things in life, the shine eventually wears off over time. And in software (games especially) there is nothing like a new release to get the juices flowing. I got curious, starting checking out Falcon related links and found that someone had posted about Falcon at Wikipedia.org. In the External Links section, I came across a PDF file which outlines the development paths for all the Falcon flavours we've enjoyed. (Nice work) It brought me up to speed on things I wasn't aware of past and present.

From it I learned that Falcon is still being developed by community members and that it's not dead. For those who enjoyed participating in the IDFL, I would like to let you know that the IDFL is not dead either. It's been hybernating (to choose a euphamism). The IDFL Site has been up the whole time and perhaps it's time to re-invigorate the competition. I am certain that I can make SF work with all the flavours (not just F4AF) and it is possible to cater for a ladder for each major one.

I'm excited about giving it another go, after a long break.


Dimitri "Napoleon BlownApart" Joukoff