They say that amateurs study tactics and professionals study logistics. We are neither but we do know that war is not fought without stuff. In the next set we will feature several providers of stuff and their variants.

Nobody gets a Vietnam air war game to fly junk around so we work extra hard to make these missions revealing, instructional, beautiful and fun.

First, all those ships run on oil and even the CVAN-65 needed stuff:



One of our first and most needed images was the KC-135:



Here gassing up Bunyap's EB-66E before the mission Mig Parts...where you fly a Phantom. (We didn't think you want to fly a tanker or a jammer for 4 hours.)



Then there is the Herc...original by Dels. We use it for everything.





This set, we need flares delivered by Candlestick...original by Dels.



...as we needed one to perform a rescue at Kham Duc before:



And a spotlight from an AC-119...by Monty CZ:





...not that cool searchlight he has but something to actually light the target.

And in her last war, the C-47/DC-3:



And next up the C-7 Caribou:



and the story of how they saved Dak Seang:



And the Herc again, this time making it possible for the Marines to fight from Thailand:





Then it all needs to get to the field so...

CH-53D at Dong Hoi



and the Chinook supplying Fire Support Base O'Reilly in this shot.



and finally, a stop at the local convenience store for a beer.



We need one more transport to tell a story in the last set. For an historian, it is our Pièce de résistance.

Do you guys fly these missions? They are a great break from bombing and dodging AAA. We build in everything we can to give you the feel of using one of these aircraft to do what they did. I have flown many of them (or aircraft very similar) and there is no substitute for reality. The essence of their performance is built in even if the game engine allows certain liberties.

These are probably the missions I fly most often. Of course, I can't resist doing a few bombing sorties here and there, but I really enjoy the tac-airlift mission. You could do a whole set on challenging tactical approaches in the C-130 and I'd be happy. I think it's sad that most people don't realize how much that ugly cargo plane did (and still does!) for the war effort.

The side-firing gunship is also a big attraction for me. I realize it would be practically impossible to simulate it realistically in a game like this though.

Our AC-47 and AC-130 are very good shooters as long as you are sighting visually as in the Spook. The AC-130 has a scope but you cannot sight with it. The AC-47 has to be operated below 3000 feet. The Specter can kill trucks from 5000 feet and with the Surprise Package a little higher. In one mission, you can watch the secondaries from a mile up as the tracers are zipping around below you.

So far, we are only using the AC-119's for the Xenon light gimmick we created. If Monty used effects similar to the ones we pioneered, it will shoot just fine out the side.

Mike is putting the finishing touches on another of his Light Show tricks that will make operating the multi's at night more fun yet.

I've had some luck with the AC-47, but it's going to take me a lot more practice to be able to shoot effectively. I'm diving +/-1,000 feet and banking over 90 degrees to get the rounds anywhere near the target. An artificial horizon next to the gunsight would be a tremendous help, but probably not too realistic.

Yes, it takes some practice. Here's what I do:

I select a target (E key). Then I padlock my view onto it (Default F4). I fly the gunship to the right and as it approaches the gunsight I roll into enough bank to bring it to the pipper.

I have the F4 key programmed to my SpaceBar because I use it all the time. I find if any one thing increases the immersion factor for a pilot, it's padlocking your view onto something...targets, Leader, tanker, enemy plane. With the Padlock View, you don't need those big red and blue dots in the way.

Then, I can hit the Spacebar to see the target and hit it again to see out straight ahead. This way I am not flying by looking sideways.

Look at target to shoot. Look ahead to keep the nose on the horizon.

If I don't do it this way, I end up doing impossible aerobatics that get worse and worse until I just have to settle down and reenter the situation.

Try that. You can bet that someone flying a Herc in battle is not looking out the left side window to fly it either.

Once again, do what they do and you get the right effect.

Last thing: if you don't see sparkles, you are out of range. Watch that altitude number on the windscreen also.

I'll give that a shot, thanks for the advice.

I usually do just like you, padlock the target with E and F4. Then I'll fly slightly to the right and roll in when the target passes by the gunsight. My problem is that the gunfire isn't entirely accurate. I'm either going too fast or slow (which moves the impact point forward or aft) or am too high or low (which moves it up or down). So I rarely get an accurate shot from the gunsight, and rarely hit the target (which I can hardly see anyway). Even if I can freeze the target behind the gunsight, the rounds will almost always hit off a little bit.

But like I said, I'll keep practicing.

Oh. Then I just hold the trigger down and blow everything away.

The artillery takes some judgement. The reticle is right on for the proper altitude. Maybe take it to the Range and practice. I would say the A Shau Valley mission is a real bad place to learn since the little dudes on the ground are practicing also...at you.