Stuka

S!
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1259863866

Today I was going through pictures from the past with my mother. She came up with this one:

Encircled: my mother, her mother and siblings next to her. On the back of the picture was written: "Plane crash Groenlo, august 1933" (translated). I couldn't find details of the crash yet.
I think this is a Fokker C.VI from the LVA (predecessor of the Dutch Air Force).
The LVA had bought 31 of this type. 
The designation C.VI is used by LVA for the lighter version of the C.V-D.
The deliveries will take place from 1925 with registration 590 to 608.
Furthermore in 1926 the 609 to 615 and in 1928 the 616 to the 620.
All supplied with the lighter Hispano-Suiza motor of 350 hp.
Except for the 619 and 620, because they are equipped with the 380 hp Amstrong Siddeley Jaguar engine.
All still useable C.VI A/C are in 1934, converted into C.V-D, with the 450 hp Hispano Suiza motor.
Many of the C.VI scouts are still employed in May 1940 during the invasion of the Germans in the Netherlands.


Above the 619 or 620 with the NACA Streamline hood at Soesterberg airfield.
Below the 620 without the NACA hood

The aforementioned 619 is also involved in the short war by SGT Vlieger A.van Liempt. On the 1st day of the invasion May 10, 1940, the 619 takes of from Ruijgenhoek airfield, flies to the Navy airfield at Valkenburg for an attack. On May 11, a reconnaissance on the Grebbeberg between Ede and Arnhem. Then May 12, a bombing flight on the Delft-Rotterdam highway, followed by a reconnaissance flight over the Wons-line in the North. Finally a bombing flight on the Grebbeberg. Liempt is brought down by a Bf109. Yet, he manages to make an emergency landing around 7 pm. There he's caught by the Germans and shot, his observer/gunner T. VRINS is made prisoner of war.
 
 

 
 

Was a blast flying with you guys today! Looking forward to even more flights like this in 2022. 😎

Great Job Moxy:
S!

https://leatherneck-sim.com/2022/01/06/2022-new-years-update/
Some great update information on the F-4U-1D Corsair, the Essex Class carrier, the  F-8J Crusader, and a promise to keep working on the MiG-21bis and Christen Eagle II.

Salute guys! I’ll be flying/live-streaming on Flugpark today around 12:00pm Central US time (18:00 UTC) for anyone who wants to join. 😄 I’ll be on JG1’s teamspeak. 👍

S!
 

May your New Year be blessed of the gods, JG1.
 

The Enigma server is truly awesome. I think it's the best server in DCS at the moment. I've just been getting the grips on the 19, and wow is it fun!! Here is a video detailing the server. They have done a few updates since then, but the core rules are still present. There is usually 40+ on at all times!
 
 

The Campaign Scenario:

The Flanders In Flames (FIF) Online War is an air combat competition. It is a scenario-based campaign system that focuses on completing team objectives. For the team and the individual pilot, it is a test of skill.

Team objectives, by themselves, are not hard to complete. However, doing so while being actively opposed by a determined opponent can make them very difficult. Thus, it's important to not view FIF as merely a string of targets or assignments. Rather, it is those objectives that create the authentic feeling of aerial combat that FIF is known for.

Team Composition:

FIF is composed of two opposing teams: the Blue Team and the Red Team. Neither of these teams has a set in-game affiliation.  Throughout a campaign, these two teams will swap sides, thus allowing everyone to fly for both the Central Powers (Mittelmächte) and the Entente Powers.

As a result, all participating virtual squadrons, as well as all non-squad individual pilots, should be prepared to fly both German and Allied aircraft. This rule is in place to ensure even teams, as well as overall fairness.

Both the Blue Team and the Red Team have their own Command Staff. These Command Staffs are made up of elected members from participating virtual squadrons. It is these elected leaders who determine what their team's strategy and tactics are, as well as what the mission orders will be for their side.

For the individual pilot, remaining alive within FIF is very important. As a "dead-is-dead" style event, pilot death severely limits a team's ability to complete objectives. Thus, covering and supporting your wingmen will aid your team.
Code of Conduct:

The goal of FIF is to encourage and develop a tight-knit community of mature, like-minded pilots who wish to enjoy a challenging, rewarding, and fun aerial combat environment. To accomplish this, FIF adheres to a Code of Conduct with several important guiding principles. These include an atmosphere of sportsmanship, respect, and fair play.

Individuals, squadrons, and teams should at all times strive for the following:
Respect for the FIF rules and tournament coordinators Respect for your opponents and teammates A commitment towards participation, including welcoming and helping new pilots Avoiding a poor attitude, such as “win-at-all-costs.” If any tournament participant feels that someone has violated one of the FIF rules, or has acted in a manner that is not in the spirit of FIF, they should wait until the session is over and report the incident to their team commander.
Open-chat accusations or counter-accusations will not be tolerated, and the offending parties may be asked to leave the server immediately.
Minor rule infractions caused by a momentary error or accident will result in only a warning.  More severe rule infractions will result in more severe penalties:
The first infraction by a player will result in a ban from the next session. The second infraction by a player will result in a ban from the rest of the campaign. The third infraction by a player will result in his squadron being banned from any further tournament play. Paint schemes that show incorrect national markings are known as “capture skins” within the context of the tournament.  “Capture skins” are a violation of sportsmanship, respect, and fair play. Their use within the FIF tournament is prohibited and will incur penalties.
Killing an enemy pilot within their parachute (i.e. “chute killing”) is legal.  While many individuals and squadrons view chute killing as a dishonorable act, attempting to eliminate enemy pilots within a dead-is-dead competition is a valid tactic.  It is up to individuals and participating squadrons to determine how they will choose to deal with this reality of virtual war.
Tournament Overview:
This is a passworded event. All players must be registered and assigned a team.
The FIF tournament structure is as follows:
Season (Year) > Campaign > Phase > Session (Mission Night)
A FIF season is the portion of one year that is regulated to tournament play.  Seasons are named for the calendar year in which they take place.  For example, FIF2019 is the FIF season for the 2019 calendar year.
During a FIF season, three official campaigns are run.  These are:
The Winter Campaign (starting in January and running until March). The Spring Campaign (starting in May and running until July). The Fall Campaign (starting in October and running until December). There is no official FIF campaign run during the mid-to-late summer (July to September).
Each FIF campaign is in turn subdivided into at least two phases of play.  These phases are given hexavigesimal names.  That’s a fancy way of saying that they’re numbered using letters.  For example, Phase A and Phase B.
Over a FIF season, the tournament will look like this:
Winter Campaign: Phase A Phase B Spring Campaign Phase A Phase B Fall Campaign Phase A Phase B Each phase of play is further subdivided into four sessions (or mission nights).  These mission nights are numbered as follows:
Phase A Session A1 Session A2 Session A3 Session A4 Phase B Session B1 Session B2 Session B3 Session B4 Each session (or mission night) is approximately two hours in length. The current FIF calendar, outlining when sessions are flown, can be found within the FIF Tournament Information section of the FIF forum.

Objectives completed during these sessions are tallied up for both teams, and mission scores will be posted before the next session is run. This allows all participants to track the tournament, as well as their team’s progress.
Playing and Winning FIF:
At the start of a phase of play, the Blue Team and the Red Team are assigned to an in-game side (either the Central Powers or the Entente Powers).
The teams will play two sessions (or mission nights) on that in-game side.
Halfway through the phase of play (i.e. between sessions A2/B2 and A3/B3), the two teams will flip sides.  The team that was flying as the Central Powers will now fly as the Entente Powers.  The team that was flying as the Entente Powers will now fly as the Central Powers.  This ensures that both teams are treated fairly within the event and that all pilots can fly all aircraft available.
The winner of a phase of play is determined by finding the team with the higher objective total after four sessions.  When a team wins a phase of play, they will receive 1 “Phase Point.”
Ties, known as stalemates, are completely possible within a phase.  This is not a mistake.  If a phase of play ends in a stalemate, both teams receive “0 Phase Points.”
The winner of a campaign is determined by finding the team with the most Phase Points after two phases of play (i.e. Phase A’s points plus Phase B’s points).
If both teams have the same number of “Phase Points” after two phases of play, the campaign ends in a stalemate.
The winner of a full season (or year) is determined by finding the team with the most campaign wins.  While statistically improbable, stalemates are possible here too.
Server Setup and Session Start:

The official FIF server will always have the most up-to-date version of the IL-2 Sturmovik: Flying Circus game applied. If server-side modifications are used, details will be posted to all pilots well in advance of the mission night.  Pilots should ensure they are "patched up" before the server launch.

As previously stated, each FIF session (or mission night) will run for approximately two hours.

For ease of use, the in-game cockpit clock is used as the main time reference during each session. When the server launches (approximately 15 minutes before the scheduled Mission Start), the in-game clock will usually be set to "10:45 AM".  Please note that this means the FIF server will always launch approximately 15 minutes before the posted session start time.

The extra 15 minutes is to allow for the server to settle, as well as to give all participants the chance to test their game and settings. While the session does not start until the top of the hour, players are encouraged to spawn at their assigned airfields and get their aircraft ready and warmed up.

No aircraft may take off until the session officially starts!
 
Here are the official start times: http://forum.jg1.org/topic/3010-flanders-in-flames-calendar/
To take off before the official start of the session is a violation of our code of conduct rules, and this action can incur either a warning or a severe penalty.
Players will be alerted to the start of a session approximately 1 minute before the top of the hour.  Everyone spawned in should hear church bells ringing near the aerodromes. The church bells are the warning klaxon.

Confirmation that a session has started is a green flare, launched from a vehicle placed at all active aerodromes. This is the signal that all planes can now legally take off.  The session has officially started.

If you miss the green flare or are unsure if it has already launched, use the in-game clock to determine a session start. The in-game cockpit clock will read one minute past the top of the hour (e.g. "11:01 AM").
In-Game Subtitles and End of Session results:
In-game subtitles can be used during a session, and these subtitles will always be team-specific.  This means that the opposing team will not be able to see your team’s subtitles.  Mostly, these subtitles are used for specific objectives that require the server to give pilots a prompt.
In a departure from past FIF campaigns, the majority of objectives will not give any in-game subtitles.  Most of the time, pilots must use the changing icons on the in-game map to identify movement, success, or unit destruction within the combat area.
Also contrary to past FIF campaigns - teams will no longer be shown their specific objectives at the server’s launch.  Instead, teams must review the in-game map and select sweep areas and possible target locations in the minutes leading up to the mission start.  Good communication is thus a key to success.
The randomness found in the selection of primary objectives by the server is designed to replicate commands coming from army headquarters (HQ).  In real life, squadron commanders needed to deal with these HQ commands daily, allocating their pilots and aircraft to best achieve the goals set down by the generals behind the lines.
Primary objectives are not the only way your team will gain mission targets.
During play, the two-seater A.I. observers (affectionately known as Waldo, Boris, or Otto, depending on your side affiliation) may give you updated information regarding the tactical landscape. Their subtitles will usually come after a two-seater has completed a primary objective. As Waldo, Boris and Otto see targets of opportunity, their information will often adjust your nightly objectives. Both teams need to be prepared for this.
The only in-game subtitles that are universal to both teams are End of Session results, which are displayed by the server.

First, the Entente Powers' victories will be displayed in a sequential format.

Then, the Central Powers' victories will be displayed in the same manner.
Pilot deaths are displayed in the usual in-game tally sheet.
This style of objective reporting will allow a quick assessment by the teams regarding what sorties were completed and the number of pilots who were lost due to deaths or capture.
General Aircraft Rules:

We are using a specific group of aircraft for FIF. These aircraft are set for each phase of play, and will not be changed.
During each session, aircraft are limited in number.
However, aircraft can be returned to service. To do this, a pilot must land at an aerodrome that supports their type of aircraft - scouts to "scout aerodromes" and two-seaters to "two-seater aerodromes".
When a pilot does this, their aircraft are added to the compliment at that specific aerodrome, and the plane is saved from being used up or lost.
Aircraft that are damaged during landing, however, may be listed as lost. It depends on how much damage the aircraft has sustained.  It is possible, however, to refuel and rearm your aircraft at the aerodrome without hitting refly.
If a pilot enters the game at the wrong aerodrome, is in the wrong aircraft type, or has the wrong load-out, he may hit refly without fear of losing his aircraft.
Basic Tournament Rules:

Teamspeak / Discord Rules:

There are no Teamspeak or Discord rules for FIF.

Squadrons and Teams may use Teamspeak, Discord, and any other voice-over-internet software as they see fit.

Dead-is-Dead:

FIF operates as a single-elimination "dead-is-dead" tournament for all pilots.
Because of this, each participating player is given one virtual life as a pilot per session (mission night).
A player may have an unlimited number of gunner lives, however.
Refly Rules (after Pilot Death or Capture):

If a player, acting as a pilot, dies or is captured during a mission night, that player will not be allowed to refly or reenter the server as a pilot for the rest of the session. 
The aircraft the pilot died or was captured in will be considered lost and will be subtracted from their team’s available total.  The pilot is marked as killed-in-action (KIA) or captured (prisoner-of-war - POW).
Players who have had their pilot killed or captured must either leave the server or switch to the role of a gunner.
To allow players to act as gunners in two-seater aircraft, there is no death kick on the FIF server. 
Because there is no death kick on the FIF server, players are expected to respect their terminal events (death or capture), and not violate the tournament rules by reflying again illegally.
If a player hits refly after their pilot has been killed or captured, and then does not immediately correct their mistake and exit, the player will be violating the spirit of the game and will be subject to severe penalties.
Refly Rules (Friendly Territory and No Man's Land):
Landing at an active aerodrome will normally return your plane to service at that base, provided that the aircraft type is available there, and it was not severely damaged.
If a pilot has landed at a friendly aerodrome and despawns, that player may refly at the discretion of the team commander (CO) after a 5-minute timeout. This timeout starts when a player hits "Finish Flight" and goes to the map room.
If a pilot rearms and refuels their aircraft without despawning, they may take off again as soon as their aircraft has been readied by the ground crew.  They do not need to take the 5-minute timeout.
If a pilot crashes in friendly territory and survives the event, that pilot may switch to a new aircraft and take off again provided that another aircraft is available at the discretion of the CO and after a 5-minute timeout.
If a pilot crashes in No Man's Land and survives the event, he must check his position on the in-game map.  If he is not within enemy territory, and not captured according to the game, that pilot may switch to a new aircraft and take off again provided that another aircraft is available at the discretion of the CO and after a 5-minute timeout.
Refly Rules (when under attack)
Pilots who are on the ground and under attack from strafing or bombing enemies may "Finish Flight" at any time.
The grounded pilot does not have to sit through the attack.
Refly Rules (Spawn Camping)
Spawn camping is not in the spirit of the Flanders In Flames tournament.
Any pilot who safely lands their shot down or disabled aircraft on top of a spawn point must "Finish Flight" and despawn as soon as possible.  Sitting on the ground on top of a spawn point, so that you can act as a forward controller for friendly aircraft, or position your rear-gunner to shoot at enemy aircraft, is unacceptable.
In any other situation, pilots may sit in their shot-down or disabled aircraft as long as they wish.
Bombing and Specialized Aircraft Rules:
Within the IL-2 Sturmovik: Flying Circus game, every aircraft that can carry a bomb may use it on any target found on the server.  In other words, if you can carry a bomb, you can use it.  This is not just limited to two-seaters and includes scout aircraft.
This is a departure from past events, where only designated bombers could attack specific targets.
Additionally, load-outs for all aircraft within the server will be locked.  The majority of these aircraft will be stock front-line types with conventional weapons and equipment.
Each team will have a small number of specialized aircraft, however.  Specialized aircraft will carry unconventional or unique weapons and equipment that will allow them to carry out specific missions.  For example, some two-seaters are set up as recons, while some scout aircraft are up-armed as “ace aircraft.”  These specialized aircraft will be limited in number, and thus very valuable to their respective teams.  Teams must decide for themselves who gets the honor of piloting them.
Sectors and Landmarks:
There will be two sectors on the FIF map: one controlled by the Central Powers, and one controlled by the Entente Powers.
Each sector will contain two types of aerodromes: those for scout (fighter) aircraft and those for two-seat general-purpose aircraft.  The exact number and composition of these aerodromes will be determined within the specific campaign.
Each sector may also contain the following:
Supply Trains Supply Columns Factory Icon designated targets Bridge Icon designated targets Aerodrome Icon designated targets Artillery Position Icon designated targets Active Recon targets (staging areas - camps) This will be clarified before the campaign begins.
Server Crashes and Discos:
If the FIF server crashes during a session, the affected session is completely scrubbed. It will not be counted, and will then be re-flown at a later date. This should be the only time when a session is canceled.  Scheduled sessions should always be run, regardless of team numbers, or the number of unintentional pilot disconnections (discos).
Unintentional pilot disconnections (discos) due to technical issues are almost always out of the player's control.
Thus, no participating pilot will be penalized for game crashes/failures (like the 10019 error) or internet connectivity crashes / failures.
If a pilot discos due to a technical issue, they should immediately check in with their team commander (CO) and ask for a rules clarification. If the CO clears the pilot, they may re-enter the server and refly, as if nothing happened. This is true even if the pilot was in enemy territory.
However, while the pilot is now "okay", the aircraft they were flying is lost and is deducted from their team's existing totals.
Additionally, all pilots returning from a disco still need to take their 5-minute timeout (as if they landed normally).
Discos due to technical issues are monitored through the honor system. Any abuse of this rule, for either pilot or team gain, is a severe violation of the spirit of the game, as well as FIF's code of conduct.
If a player intentionally discos to avoid death or capture and then does not immediately correct their mistake by exiting the game, severe penalties will be leveled against them.

Ho man, ho man...

Yeah, I'll buy it, I'll probably even fly it.  

~~Salute!~~
 
Just wanted to take a minute of your time and brag about a group of friends who have been flying flight simulations since 1992: The Wing Walkers (virtual) Combat Squadron.
 
It's been my distinct pleasure to be a member of the WW's for 99% of that time... While I wasn't one of the few who started the squadron, I was part of the first rounds of recruits to join a couple months later. I am also one of the few remaining from the 1992 era who is still actively part of the squadron.
 
Earlier this month the WW's had their 20th Anniversary "Get Together" in San Diego, California. The center-piece of the WW Get Together was enjoying the MCAS Miramar Air Show. Once I get our site's gallery issues figured out, I'll have links to hundreds of photos from the airshow and other events and venues we visited while in San Diego. For now, you can browse manually through the various contributor's folders on our web space here: http://www.wingwalkers.org/vault/2012_SanDiego_Gathering
 
I wanted to highlight a couple things... First, a group photo of the attending Wing Walkers members:
 

 
Back row, l-r: Tom "WWGeezer" Emme; Peter "WWPierre" Legere; Dan "WWPlague" Strayer; Monte "WWSandMan" Lewis; Ron "WWChunk" DeRespini
Front row, l-r: Jay "WWDubya" Stein"; Ron "WWSpardog" Street; Erik "WWFlybert" Aamot; John "WW8Ball" Fesler
 
Missing the "Get Together" after making plans and reservations, but real-life health, employment and/or family issues made it impossible for them to attend, Tom "WWHappy" Madron; Ian "WWWringer" Smuck; Brian "WBrian" Sawyer; Pat "WWTaco" Mesich.
 
~~~
 
Tom "WWHappy" Madron was awarded the prestigious "Art Stacy Memorial Award", commemorating the life and friendship of Art "WWKat" Stacy, who was the first WW member to have passed away. This award is given to the active WW member who best represents the ideals and philosophies of the Wing Walkers squadron. It is the highest honor amongst the WW squadron members to be presented with the Art Stacy Memorial Award. For WWHappy, it was a well deserved and well-earned honor.
 
We have a video of the award ceremony, such as it is, recorded during our visit to the 94th Aero Squadron Restaurant in San Diego. As a plug for the restaurant, if you have an interest in WW1 history (and of course in fine dining!) then this is a "must see" spot in San Diego.
 
Low quality .wmv file of presentation speech of the Art Stacy Memorial Award to WWHappy (in absentia) (I hope to get a high-quality version posted to YouTube soon)
 
~~~
 
A special part of the Get Together this year was meeting Chris "WWFalcon" Herr in person... Chris is an active duty U.S. Marine Corps RQ-7B operator. Chris first joined the WW's when he was 16, demonstrating a maturity level beyond his youthful age (the WW's generally don't consider applications from folks under 18). Chris was, and is, a very good combat simulation pilot... and we like to think that his success in the Marines as an RQ-7B operator was at least partially due to his time spent flying with us. Well, it sounds good any way...
 
Here is Staff Sergeant Chris Herr, U.S. Marine Corps:
 

 
~~~
 
As a final note our current Commanding Officer, WWTharn (a musician at heart), put together a heart warming original musical tribute for the WW's 20th Anniversary... For any online gaming group/clan/squadron/unit who do most of their group activities via TeamSpeak, Ventrillo or any other real-time voice communications method, this song will certainly feel 'real'.
 
Friendly Voices, by WWTharn (.mp3 file)
 
Here's looking forward to the next 20 years of flight simulation! Cheers!

S! Guys!
 

Hi Guys, 
from my game recordings of the last TiF I created now my first (longer) film:
Well, I used the free movie maker app, have no experience in film creation at all, no wonder it's pretty amateurish....
Nevertheless I hope it gives some impression of the action we had there 😉
Salute
Etzel

@Vonrd & I knocking things off the Greenie Board

Some screens again from nice action I had toghter last days
On Friday several missions at finnish virtual (old server) with @Erhardt, @=GenMarkof007=, @Heinrich, @Greif, @loopy and @Pragr, at one mission we went for a depot with Heinrich in MC 202, Greif in a 109 and the rest in a nice 110 formation:     
 

Title says it all, it's a hefty patch chaps so better download somewhat ahead of time if you plan on flying.
Patch notes:
https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/news/changelog/openbeta/2.7.0.4625/
On a side note, the DCS 2.7 launch/Spring sale is now live for the standalone version of the sim, up to 50% off most modules! Tempted by the Viper tbh.

S! Guys!
The end of that mission was a disasters for me, but the start was pretty nice. It was a training mission at CB server.
 

I was just deleting some screen shots & came across several I took when I made the toss bomb gif. I thought I would post them before I deleted them. 

These are two pictures from the high altitude run.
Bombs away!

 
The string of sixteen 100 kg bombs with 0.1 ripple interval exploding right on the target
I had no idea how the HQ is structured therefore I started the drop once the aiming point crossed the outer wall and lay the path across the center. According to the later information, only houses inside the pentagon are counted as valid target thus next time I should aim on the sides of the pentagon rather than go for center.

Some impressions from todays TIF Dry-Run. 
1st set of Pics is attack on Kartoffel HQ with @J30_Reinamann and me in A20 in a low level attack.
Pics 1 - 3 is my run with dropping 20x100s in one row with a delay of (I think) 0.1 seconds (maybe I set to 0.25 but I don't think so). Anyhow the range covered HQ area pretty well

Reinamann finally finished Objective, but ground fire shot off his rudder... unbelievable he was able to land at the refuel and repair base with that plane 
 
2nd set is out of the run on the northern HQ, where @Pragr first scored some hits from high altitude, before I went in with P-38

Package delivered....
🙂
Was great fun today!!
 
 
  
 

S! All
This Saturday is the last Dry Run before hostilities begin.   
Some changes
F2 functionality will be removed. It was accidently on in the first dry-run. The commander tank is a resource drain. It has been removed. Right now, all flags are pure capture. We added new aircraft for people without Bodenplatte: the Bf 109F-4 (BOS) and the Yak-1 series 69 (BOS) Because Red team has few people in tanks, air and ground battle-zones will now be restricted to just one sector at a time.  Once a sector is captured by a team, the game will select another sector to open.  It will keep doing this until all sectors have been claimed.  This can be changed back in the future. We added an extra wooden bridge in the Northern sector to allow crossing if the stone bridge is destroyed. Despite the request, we will not add the free tanks.  There are too many bugs. I've added a Blue Team section to JG1's TS.  Everyone recheck your whispers! Tank spawn defenses have been widened. This will be Dead is Dead for pilots. This will give us info on plane numbers.

S! Guys!
The end of that mission was a disasters for me, but the start was pretty nice. It was a training mission at CB server.