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Salute all! I've been working on an unofficial promo video for Rise of Flight since last September. Today, it is finally done. Thanks to all who helped make it possible. I hope that your passion shines through in this effort. Enjoy!  

 

 

About an hour north of Chelsea, Quebec. My best bud bought a cottage, they have a good run for a seaplane and we just need to update the dock.

 

 

S!

Salute kameraden,

 

here are some pictures from 10th anniversary of the Jasta 6. I think that it was one beautiful action, we celebrated with friends from III./JG1 and 312thRAF. Have fun 

 

 

We are on the way - Tomas as driver 

 

first evening - first celebrate...

 

...and our fighter ace was very happy 

 

next day - the decoration of the object by the flag of Jasta 6 and the flag of his Majesty. From left to right: Stefan, Tomas and Pfeil

 

becouse war is war, we did treaning in fire. Unfortunately we havent any Albatroses, so we used old good classic as you can see   From left to right: III./JG1_Dejavu, III./JG1_Willy, with bow is 312_Lazy, behind him is I./JG1_Tomas ako JG1Tomas_J6, and the situation is controlled by III./JG1_Gunman

 

time on cake - was specially prepared for this opportunity. BIG THANKS to Tomas's wife Katka for the fantastic cake. We took it in 10 minutes 

 

photo of members I./JG1 aka Jasta 6 and III./JG1 - in the upper row stands (from left to right): Pfeil, Willy, Dejavu, Black (exmember of Jasta 6, he is excellent man), in the bottom row are Gunman, Tomas, Baron, Stefan

 

Thanks for looking 

 

During the last minutes of Saturday's Flanders in Flames mission, a train needed to be destroyed. It seemed like any other mission...until a horde of enemy planes showed up to guard it! Who can save us? Perhaps this is a job for the Phantom Bomber! 

 

Enjoy! 

 

 

 

First off, photobucket is garbage. But that’s not what I’m posting about.

I’ve taken a break from flight simming to pursue a personal goal of mine and that is coming along. I was hoping to get away from simming altogether but having a new wheel set up, a gaming rig, and some excess lumber I put some elbow grease into a dedicated racing rig. With a $40 Racing seat I pulled from a Toyota Celica at a local U-Pick it worked damn well. I had made some errors that I needed to correct to make it really work right but I never really got around to it until now.

However, when I decided to modify the setup I decided that racing sims weren’t as exciting as other things (and iRacing is a money pit) so when I pulled screws, recut some of the components, added new components, and did a little bit of redesign....well....this happened:

Thanks guys! I am glad you enjoyed it!

Actually, Jason Williams personally commented on the ROF Facebook group. O_O Here’s what he said:
“Cole Austin - excellent video! The team thanks you for your effort. Flying Circus will be even better. Salute!”

I couldn’t believe it! I think he was impressed by the dedication and vitality the community still shows, even 9 years after ROF’s release. You guys are the reason for that. Salute!

 

 

S!   The problem is....  half of the forums are people just bitching with no constructive comments.  HotLead has shown that the real RoF community is positive and engaged.  He not only demonstrated the visual beauty of the game but the vast variety of personal and community aspects as appreciated by the players.

 

The developers could not ask for a more fitting tribute to a marvelous sim.

It was a number of years ago the I flew Flanders in Flames and Bloody April with you all as part of the Wingwalker's Squad.  Some of you may remember that I started a sketchbook journal during the Bloody April tournament that I published after each mission.  I used real events from the flying ( like stealing Adler's Pup by accident) and worked them into the story line.  All the artwork was done on an Ipad.  

 

This experience led to a much more refined World War I project that I have worked on over the last few years.  "Rupp's Skizzenbuch" is a simulation of a German Unteroffizier's journal and sketchbook from World War I.   The characters and story are based on the novel "The Blue Max" written by Jack D. Hunter in 1964. Primary sources including photos, postcards and news headlines are interspersed in the fictional work to tie the story to real-world events during the Great War. 

 

The journal is being published online every couple weeks from now until Armistice Day in November.  You can read the first two chapters here

 

PROLOGUE

http://www.thebluema...t.org/prologue/

An aging German immigrant passes away in St. Augustine, Florida.  Among her personal effects a soldier's journal and sketchbook from World War I is discovered.  The sketchbook is sent on to the Smithsonian's Special Collections Archivist for further study.

 

CHAPTER ONE - INTRODUCTIONS

http://www.thebluema...-introductions/

Unteroffizier Rupp Gerhardt introduces himself and explains what  brought this “old campaigner” to the town of Beauvin and what services he provides to his squadmates at Jasta 77.

 

 

I worked the Airshow Saturday.  Morning was beautiful.  Blue sky, gentile breeze and the day was shaping up to be perfect for an airshow.  A few planes made test flights.

 

At 12:15 we started to move the guests back to the spectator line in preparation for flight operations.  Then a sea fog blew in from the north, the wind picked up and the ceiling dropped.

 

No flying.

 

In order to provide some entertainment for our guest, many of the aircraft were started up and taxied along the spectator line so everyone could get a good look at each airplane and at least hear the engines running.  Not the same as flying, but the best we could do in the circumstances.

 

I didn’t work Sunday, but it was overcast with a 1500 ft ceiling, and I understand they did fly.

 

 

 

Curtiss C-46 Commando

 

Douglas SBD Dauntless

 

Kate from Tora-Tora-Tora (Modified AT-6 Texan)

 

Douglas SBD Dauntless

 

FG-1D Corsair

 

AD-4 Skyraider

 

FM-2 Wildcat

 

Junkers Ju-52

 

CurtissP-40E

 

De Havilland Mosquito

 

P-51D Mustang

 

Bell P-63 King Cobra

 

Goxhill Tower

 

AT-6 Texan (front) P-64 (back)

 

Flak 37 88mm Gun

 

B-25

 

Hi,

 

From the looks of the present FC, we will be using RoF for Black September and FiF 2018 fall.  Not much new there.

 

 

For the FC version of FiF. We have many options. 

 

The number of live or killable object is greatly increased. In the past we have randomly selected one of three targets. With FC we can have all three as live targets. So..... 3 real bridges not AAA trucks, 3 factories, 3 Trains, 3 Ships, 3 airfields and 3 on road convoys.

 

I think the standard HQ recon is still a viable mission,  Both Deciman and AnKor are looking into it but it will probably be after FC is released

 

Trains will have MG cars for defense.

 

Bridges will have a  machine gun for defense. No flak gun. Maybe 2 MGs

 

Factories will have one distant Flack gun and one close in MG instead of 2 flack guns.

 

The other thing is the ingame repeating target list. Much of this can be replaced with icons on the map. The example is the factory. You start out with 3 icons on the map. As the targets are destroyed the icons are removed from the map. That way you know what still needs to be done.   For pop up targets it is the same thing. When you complete the artyspot or a recon, rescue, general capture, spy mission etc. You will get a message that a new target is active. You will see a new icon on the map and if you mouse over, it will say if it is a ship or trucks or horses etc.

 

This is just the beginning. 

WELL.... this will be taking up my attention for the next few weeks... I just was hired by CAE Parc Aviation SimuFlite in Dallas as an instructor Type check airman on the Phenom 100 and 300 so I have to bag both type ratings and go to work.  Amazing software on this thing and a fair amount of thurst. When I pushed up the throttles it really put me back in my chair. It is a hoot to fly.

 

 

Just saying thank you for all you've done . You have helped give some life support to the ROF community .

Best of luck and success in your future .

You will be sorely missed my friend.

Over the years I have built scale working steam locomotives however this year I wanted to try something different. It was building this WNW kit that lead me to JG1. While far from being perfect I am content with the end result. Next is a late Roland CII.

 

!S!

Thanks guys! I am glad you enjoyed it!

S! Hotlead,

Great job... you should show this to 777!

Cheers,
Gen

Actually, Jason Williams personally commented on the ROF Facebook group. O_O Here’s what he said:
“Cole Austin - excellent video! The team thanks you for your effort. Flying Circus will be even better. Salute!”

I couldn’t believe it! I think he was impressed by the dedication and vitality the community still shows, even 9 years after ROF’s release. You guys are the reason for that. Salute!

Beginner's Guide to the Warhawk.

 

 

I was looking for a photo of Reinhard for my profile, and ran across this one on the warnepieces blogspot site:

 

http://1.bp.blogspot...olders 1918.jpg

 

I don’t know the credentials of this guy as a historian, but I enjoyed his site, and I’m pretty sure the men in the photo are correctly identified:

 

Left to right: Kurt Wüsthoff, Wilhelm Reinhard, Manfred von Richthofen, Erich Löwenhardt, and Lothar von Richthofen.

 

You’ll notice that the image of Wüsthoff is okay, but the photo becomes more distorted and skewed as you scan from left to right. All the other copies I’ve seen of this photo are the same. If any of you have skill with photoshop or paintshop and want to fix this, it would be a boon to all who like to keep a gallery of WWI aviation heroes  .

 

A few things induced me to post this:

 

The pose: linked arms. Truly, brothers in arms.

 

Their youth: Wüsthoff was only 20 when he earned the Pour le Mérite he is wearing.

 

This American holiday: Veterans’ Day.

 

This sentence at the end of the photo caption on the warnepieces blog: “Their combined victory total was 221.”

 

If you’ve ever flown a light plane with a light wing-loading on a windy day or when there are cumulous clouds in the sky, add the wind of an open cockpit, the cold and lack of oxygen at altitude...you wonder how they ever did it. It’s just incredible. I know you know all this, but really... Right??

 

I meant to get this posted yesterday, but it’s never a bad time to say “Thank you for your service!”, and “Salut!” to all brave patriots who have served their country.

 

Wilhelm

This was my 5th online race and the 3rd on this weekly series on Assetto Corsa which is different than iRacing because it is FREE....   no charge is good ! Any of you interested in getting back in a race car and don't want to have t buy the store each week, this is a great way to go. The racing is getting better FAST...  and I think it will rival iRacing very soon.  That group has more drivers because it has been around longer, but the number of people signing up on AC... and the fact that you get pick up a race almost any time at no charge is tough to beat.

 

Shaun Cole of SIMPIT is hosting a weekly race series that is using the Porsche Carrera RSR 3.0 and this is week 3.  Jake (aka Snaggle) and I have been racing this one and we thought we would put up a video here for you so see the quality of the graphics and racing. Shaun is the host and he will try for about 10 laps to catch a yellow #17 Porsche in front of him while talking and answering questions during the race... he gets quiet when it gets close...  Guess who is driving the Yellow #17 car???  yeah... that would be me. I ended up 7th and he took 8th.

 

Have a look, hope you enjoy it.... LOTS of fun...  and you can't beat the price.

 

 

https://youtu.be/OBgHcYzkBkU?t=984

Here are some pictures I took at the Military Aviation Musuem’s Biplanes and Triplanes 2016 Airshow.  Some were taken on Friday’s practice day and the rest at Saturday’s full event.

 

We were lucky the weather cooperated on both days.

 

S!

Lee

 

Fokker Dr.1

 

 

Flight line on Friday

 

 

From left to right: Strutter, Fokker C.I, Halberstadt CL.IV, Fokker D.VII

 

 

Albatros D.Va

 

 

Nieuport 17

 

 

Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter

 

 

Fokker D.VIII

 

 

From left to right: Strutter and Fokker D.VI

 

 

Fokker D.VI

 

 

Ford Model T chassis Ambulance

 

 

Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter.  This is the replica used in the movie "Flyboys"

 

 

1911 Curtiss-Ely Pusher replica.  Built to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Naval Aviation.

 

Ford model T chassis with Huck Starter.

 

 

Flight Line Saturday show day.

 

 

Flight Line Saturday show day.

 

 

Rotary Engine Demonstrator

 

 

More birds on the Flight Line

 

 

From left to right: Fokker E.III and Fokker D.VIII

 

 

Looking East

 

 

Fokker E.III (did not fly)

 

 

Blériot XI

 

 

Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter

 

 

From left to right: Fokker D.VII and Albatros D.Va

 

 

Albatros D.Va

 

 

Albatros D.Va

 

 

Halberstadt CL.IV

 

 

Fokker D.VII with printed fabric lozenge camouflage and Hall Scott engine.

 

 

Fokker D.VII

 

 

From left to right: Fokker D.VII, Halberstadt CL.IV and Fokker C.I

 

 

From left to right: Fokker C.I, Fokker D.VII, Halberstadt CL.IV and Fokker D.VII

 

 

From left to right: Fokker D.VIII, Fokker Dr.1 and Fokker D.VI

 

 

Fokker C.I

 

 

Fokker D.VI

 

 

Fokker D.VIII

 

 

From left to right: Fokker D.VI, Fokker D.VIII and Fokker D.VII

 

 

From left to right: Fokker D.VI, Fokker D.VIII and Fokker D.VII

 

 

From left to right: Fokker D.VI, Fokker D.VII and Fokker D.VIII