Yeah, I don't know what the higher-ups expect you to do against an airfield with a single .303 vickers!

Fees...pfffffttt.... easy meat.... right? RIGHT? Dive through in your trusty Albi, head on, with your flight, spew some lead, level off, climb away. Repeat if needed. Nope! My guy, with two Blue Maxes, got pipped in the head. It was over just like that.

Attacking an Aerodrome with one Vickers 303 can cause damage. The holes in the ground can cause weeds to grow in the spots Thus pulling more man power off the line to pull weeds in order to keep the Airfield clear.

The ole Fee actually brought down a good number of German Kanonen.

Yeah, ok, you got me to laugh with that one.

day-ja ja-vooooo

Great picture! Isn't it exciting flying crappy airplanes? Try the DH-5 or, maybe, a two-holer!

I have an OCD problem with historical sims. I have to start at the beginning. I created a French pilot who started training on the earliest day it would let me - March 20, 1915. For anyone who has never done this, it's fun. Unfortunately my French pilot was training in a BE.2, but still...

Two check-rides around the field in the observer's cockpit with the instructor flying. There is a placard on the dash with two notes:
"Do not stand in the aeroplane until instructed to do so."
"Be sure your personal affairs are in order before entering the aeroplane."

Days three and four were short hops in the pilot's seat, following the instructor around the field. Days five and six were navigation training, following the instructor on a long (3 hours) journey from home base to another airfield and back. Days seven and eight were "free flight", gaining time in the cockpit and on my own. Day seven was spent flying exploring Paris, and day eight involved a long trip westward then north, then paralleling the Front eastward then back home.

All this leads to today, my first combat mission. A flight of three Morane 'L's patrolling just on our side of the lines. No enemy activity, but some artillery was aimed our direction. The was one air burst not to far away from our flight. All-in-all an interesting introduction to the war.

Hallo Sailor

1915 is great time to fly for looking at the early morning sky. No Uboots, just cold, frosty air

Same here always at the starting date when it becomes to WW1.
Go hunting for the Aviatik B1. If do like the mountains try to go for the Alsace Belfort regio, flying in your Morane that is so Beautiful.

[The Letters of Wilhelm 'Willy' Kaulitz]

2 September 1916
Lagnicourt Aerodrome, France

Father,

I am well! I have completed my training at the Fokker school at Schwerin and have been posted to Lagnicourt.

When I completed my single-seater training at Schwerin, where I trained on Eindeckers, I assumed I’d be sent to an Eindecker unit, but at the last minute I was called into the commander’s office and ordered to join a new Jadgstaffeln at Lagnicourt.

Last summer, when I was flying two-seaters with Kaghohl 2 at Kovel, I had the good fortune to meet Hauptmann Boelcke, of whose exploits I am certain you have read in the newspapers. He was touring the front and visited his brother, who commanded my unit. I was assigned to take Boelcke up in an orientation flight along our sector of the front. At one point we spied a column of Russian cavalry in column along a road. Beolcke, who was flying as my observer, signaled me with his hands to indicate that he wanted me to fly low near the column so he could engage it. I did that, hopping over fences and hedges parallel to the column while he let loose with our machine gun, scattering the column in holy terror. The Hauptmann later told me that it was the first action he’d had in months, and he much enjoyed it.

Apparently, he remembered me and personally asked that I be assigned to his new unit. I arrived here on the 30th of August and proceeded to spend my days doing orientation flights of the area, and discussing aerial matters with Boelcke and my new Jasta-mates.

I was not assigned to an Eindecker, but to a newer Fokker biplane. Its much like the E IV I trained on, with the double rotary engine and two machine guns. It’s still a warper, without ailerons. But it’s much more maneuverable than the E IV. But, oh, how I wish I had been assigned one of the new Albatros machines that Boelcke and a few of the others in our unit are flying. They are much faster than my slow Fokker. Herr Hauptmann assures me that I will soon be flying one of the Albatrosses as they reach our unit.

He truly is the great man that we read about in the papers. He’s doing an excellent job training us in his methods, a method that has done so well for him. And despite his efforts to help us, he somehow keeps scoring; shooting down ever more of the Lords.

I’ll try to write every week, or perhaps every fortnight.

Your son,

Willy

I have the same issue Steve. It took all of my might to overcome the mantra of "no, you must start at the beginning" and jump into some mid 1917 campaigns. I realized that in all of my years of owning UE, I have yet to fly my favorite plane of the war, the SE5. It feels lightning quick after spending these last few years at the controls of Moranes and early Nieuports or, heaven forbid, the Eindecker.

As an aside, I recently discovered (on accident) the autotrim hotkey and suddenly the Eindecker isn't the side-slipping widow maker it once was!

Autotrim?

ctrl-a activates autotrim. If you hit the z key you can see how much the autotrim is correcting for the aircraft surfaces. In the case of the EII, I was seeing corrections in excess of 35 degrees. It corrects a lot of the pulling and yawing of the aircraft, which for my setup of an old Sidewinder stick and no rudder pedals, allows me to take off without the machine side slipping me right into an early grave!

Thanks for that. The Morane 'L' has some pretty nasty habits in that area. I'll have to give it a try.

or just press "Y" for straight and level flight. And "Y" again to end it

http://SimHQ.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4303396/Re:_Straight_and_Level_Autopil#Post4303396

RNAS-1 Triplane pilot Ltn. Percy Hardward, a veteran of over 40 hours flight time, continues to wreak havoc upon the enemy as he leads his flight from one 'scrap' to another. His most recent mission the morning of 17 April 1917 was to attack an airfield which is the home of Jasta 11. In enemy territory and on the way to the target his squad mates say he downed a lone Ablatros D-II with 4 or 5 shots. Then, the group had the good fortune to catch 3 of the Jasta 11 Albatros D-III taking off which were dispatched with haste right over their own field. Hardward got his second Albatros for the day. As the flight regrouped and gained altitude they spied a number of aircraft about 500 meters above their altitude. Using caution until sufficient height was gained he lead the flight so that it 'mirrored' the unknown aircraft flight pattern keeping his flight between the 'mud' and the EA. The aircraft ended up being 7(?) Albatros D-II. Teasing them Harward was able to entice the enemy just over friendly lines at 2000 meters near Arras-Monchy. Two EA were seen to fly away. Hardward signaled the attack. One of Hardward's flight went out of the fray with engine trouble(?), two others each engaged a single enemy while Hardward's wingman watched Hardward take on 3 D-IIs. Harward flits his Tripehound to make an unsteady target while positioning for the perfect shot. Ten or so rounds and one Albi rolls away, its fate unknown. That leaves two. A few 'merry go rounds' and he pips another, It spins down with a vapor trail and impacts 'terra firma'! It's pilot was named 'Brecht' or something similar. The last was just about as quickly dispatched and in a similar manner. This Albatros was piloted by Jasta 13-D Ernst Baron de Payrebrune de Saint Seve, according to papers found at the crash scene just behind the trenches. What a French sounding name for a German aviator! Ltn. Percy Hardward could have claimed four victories, maybe five, but he doesn't seem to be interested. He just wants his supper! So much for 'Blutiger April'!

Ltn. Hardward transferred into RFC 56 squadron to fly SEs in the middle of April '17. He didn't care much for the steed after flying 'Tripehounds'! It is rumored that Hardward never got any bullet holes in his 'Tripehound' but that is not the case with the SE, much to his dismay. He continues to show an aggressive but cautious figure as a flier and has saved a few pounds of his squadron mates' bacon! He successfully transferred back to his RNAS 1 unit in May. His most recent exploit was to lead a raid on an enemy airfield whereupon three Albatrosen were caught napping on the field. After some lead 'energy pills' were administered to the sleepy, lifeless airdrome, it was able to awaken. Then...five Albatros scouts miraculously appeared overhead. The Albatros scouts descended as the five 'Tripehounds' climbed and a general melee ensued at about 500 meters above the enemy field. All of the Albatrosen were dispatched with haste but one of the Triplanes had to make a forced landing while the other three flew off(?) for various reasons unknown. Hardward was able to land his steed next to the downed pilot, took the pilot on as a 'wing-walking' passenger then flew to safety much to the discomfort of the 'wing walker' who was able to disembark at a friendly field... not soon enough in his words or to that effect! Hardward downed two Albatros scouts on this sortie but considers it all in a day's work therefore filed no claims. His gunnery accuracy seems to hover around 40% according to the mechanics and gunnery fitters. Hardward said he just wants his lunch!

Sgt. T. Lawson Brooks,
No. 46 Squadron R.F.C
June 1st, 1917.

Our pups sat in a row on La Gorgue aerodrome, glinting in the morning sunlight. Mines was still in its standard PC10 livery, but the other machines of No. 46 Squadron - who had only recently returned from Home Defence duties - were painted in all kinds of bright colours, and several bore nicknames given to them by their pilots. Next to my own machine sat "Chin-Chow", Lt. Lee's Pup. As he had told me before, he was very fond of this machine as, just before leaving for England on Home Defence, Boom Trenchard himself had allowed Lee to take the best Pup he could find from the aircraft Depot, and "Chin-Chow" (then unnamed) had been his choice.

Led by Lt. Odell, 'B' Flight, consisting of seven pilots including myself, lifted into the air. We were to fly a CP in our own lines, and look for marauding Huns coming over the lines. I was yet to see a Hun machine, and was fearful that, even should I spot one, I would not recognise it, but Odell assured me that I would know when I saw one.

We climbed up and headed North for Poperinge at 9,000 feet, and as we flew I scanned the skies with keen eyes, a thousand scenarios of meeting the Hun running through my head. In one moment, I had shot down 5 Huns single-handed, in the next I was deciding whether to jump or burn. The uncertainty put me on edge.

We had flown for about forty minutes, and I continued my long sweeping scans of the sky, when suddenly I spotted, far away to our right, a mass of black specks coming our way. The others had seen it too, and we lazily turned as one to face the unknown formation. As they approached, I could make them out better - single-seat scouts with elegant, rounded fuselages and swept back wingtips. I recognised their profile from my training - they were German Albatroses!

Our two formations circled each other, goading the other to come on. After a few seconds of this, one insolent Hun gracefully rolled and turned towards our pack. Out in front, Odell took on the challenge, breaking away from our group to meet the German. They approached each other head-on, and in an instant they were rolling around each other, skidding and banking across the sky in a furious fight to get on the other's tail. As this happened, our own formation and the Albatros formation charged each other, diving in after the two duellists, and soon the sky was a tangled mess of tracer fire and twisting aeroplanes.

Hesitantly I weaved through the furball - everything was happening so fast around me! To my left, an Albatros spun down with a Pup firing at him as he went. To my right, a chain of British and German machines chased each other's tails in a line. I looked behind me, and was shocked to find a bright red Hun(1) lining up a shot on me. I immediately skidded away to the right, and saw the flash of tracer where i had been sitting a moment before. Pulling the stick into my stomach, I circled with my opponent, our own private duel surrounded on all sides by vicious fighting, and soon I had caught up to his tail. As I fired, the Red Albatros dove away. I rolled onto my back and followed, my Pup shuddering in protest as we fell, before the German straightened out again. I saw the flash of red in my gun-sights and let the Vickers speak, but my aim must have been poor, for the Albatros, who was only mere feet away, promptly banked hard away to the right and disappeared into a cloud.

I turned back into the fight, just in time to see the horrific sight of a Pup and an Albatros smashing into each other mid-flight. I watched, sickened, as the two machines became entangled and fell, spinning as they dropped to oblivion. However, I had no time to watch them go all the way, for our scrap was still going strong. To my low right, I saw "Chin Chow" flash past, with two Albatroses following. I dove after the trio, and behind me I saw two more Pups join the chase. Firing a ten-second burst at the two Germans, they abandoned their pursuit of Lt. Lee and turned back to face us. Following the rearmost Hun, I was quickly behind him and shooting - his machine had its tail painted green, with yellow-and-black fins(2). I thought it a rather ugly machine.

Firing at green-tail as we dropped in a spiralling dive, I watched in growing anticipation as holes appeared in the wings and plywood fuselage of my opponent. My tracers crept up his tail, towards his cockpit, and suddenly his machine pitched up violently! As I zoomed under, I saw the pilot hanging lifeless on his straps, before the plane stalled on its nose, fell backwards, and spun towards the earth. Circling, I watched it go all the way down and crash into a thousand pieces on the ground below.

Now low and stuck underneath the fight, I watched as two Pups chased a black Albatros3) towards the ground as I flew back for home, but it seemed that the majority of the fighting was over. I made it back to La Gorgue without incident and reported my claim to the Adjutant. Later that evening, it was corroborated by Lt. Barragar.



(1) - Max Ritter von Mueller, Jasta 28w.

(2) - Ernst Hess, Jasta 28w.

(3) Franz Ray - Jasta 28w.