Rathofer

Thanks for the clarification. The only MOD I have is the A-4 and I changed the lua to remove the hangar and make it a black screen (helped with performance and F10 hangups in flight)

My dad is a retired USCG pilot, it irks him beyond belief when I call them boats....it is so much fun. Back in 2019 I was doing some training with a SEAL team and a DDG (destroyer for you uniformed aviators out there) and they invited me to the wardroom for a pre-mission briefing. At this particular location, the docks are super close to the airfield we were staging out of. So I bee-bop on down there only to realize there are like 6 DDGs in port. So here I am, in my two-piece OCP flight suit walking around looking for the hull number. I found it, walk up the gangway and ask permission to come aboard. These two petty officers were rather confused at my presence. But none-the less they approved, I saluted the ensign, and then asked....so where is the wardroom? After one of the most confusing sets of instructions that included some strange code of bulkheads and decks, a crusty chief came to my rescue. Good thing he did, no way I would have found the wardroom. The CO and XO were there as were the SEALs I had been doing training with. At the end of the briefing, the CO asked if I had any questions about the DDG we were on and if I wanted a tour. So I asked "I'm just a dumb Air Force pilot, is this a ship or a boat?" They all died laughing, he said it was a ship....that if I ever needed a easy way to remember it was "ships carry boats...boats don't carry ships." But what he didn't know was that the SEALS had put me up to this. I had downloaded a picture of the damaged USS Cole being carried by a dry dock ship. I then asked him, 'well sir, I'm slightly confused then, DDGs are obviously boats' as I showed him the photo. The XO was in tears at this point and the CO just said "mmmmmm.....fair point....now let me show you around my SHIP."

So dumb question of many dumb questions: does this apply to mods purchased outside of ED. Such as the A-4? Or to all aircraft/maps/modules you purchase no matter the source?

LOL I kinda wish I had through about this a month ago! back to back 10 year check-ins would have been a riot. I've been messing around with the F-4, trying to learn SEAD/DEAD with it and really enjoy the cat-n-mouse game you have to play with the AGM-45s. Built a 1970s timeframe Kola template/sandbox that I fight different things. Also running through one of the F-14 campaigns, though there's times when I'll spend an hour just making passes at the boat (I have about 200 deck landings in the '22, so I have a strange attachment to boats). Right now I'm just running off a gaming laptop w/ a Quest3 for VR. I don't have a good control setup due to my temporary housing situation, but I make due. Testing out some DCS mods to make things run smoother, updated my laptop to 64bg DDR5, just tweaks here and there. Keeps me entertained in my current situation (waiting to move).

Well I was pleasantly surprised to see the group still exists! Since my last check in back in 2014, I moved from NM to the UK. Flew the CV-22 there for four years (RIAT display pilot in 2017 and 2018). In 2020 I returned to the US and worked in a HQ staff job for a bit. I had my final CV-22 flight in 2023 and have since moved on to the T-6 to teach young officers how to fly. I finished my conversion training back in May but have had some medical delays for my move. In the meantime, I was playing DCS a lot (had no real job and lots of free time this summer) and recently was like....oh what about IL-2? Then I remembered my time in JG1 all those years ago....and here I am. So what old heads are still around?

Been the better part of a decade since I've been around these parts, glad to see some familiar old names around. For any of y'all that I flew with back in the day, you may remember my entry into the AF coincided with my stopping online flying. I'm a crusty old captain now, flying the CV-22. So keep an eye out if you live in the west Texas, NM, and Colorado area! -Rath