Firefly

Couldn't agree more. Here's the sexiest one of them all. Hubba hubba!

As you can probably tell, I've gone on a bit of a naval aircraft binge over the past few weeks. I found another gem today. Here's the great Steve Hinton piloting an F4U-1 Corsair with in-flight commentary.

Exactly! Same here, though the Ki-84's combat debut came a few months after the Marianas campaign. If we stick to the mid-1944 timeline, then the Ki-44 and Ki-61 would be more appropriate, as they were in widespread service in that period. On the IJN side, the N1K1 Shiden (not the more capable N1K2 Shiden-Kai, which became operational in December 1944) would be my preferred option. Fair point.

So a Phantom is on the cards, a full-fidelity Fulcrum is coming within a year or two (presumably) and there will be more Pacific Theatre aircraft. Great stuff! I hope they're planning more IJN aircraft than just the Zero (though I'd love to fly an A6M5 Model 52a from a Shokaku-class CV). A Raiden variant perhaps? IIRC the J2M2 Model 11 had its combat debut over the Philippine Sea and the Marianas, so it would make sense to include it... Though unlike the Zero there are no flying examples left anywhere in the world. Modelling it correctly would to be quite difficult.

Thanks to YouTube suggestions I was able to find this excellent channel. These Fleet Air Arm veterans are a pleasure to listen to.

Incredible video of British carrier operations in the Far East in 1944. No sound. Includes footage of a tug-of-war between the deck crew and a stricken Corsair with its tail up.

Another day, another Flogger walkaround. You get a Flogger, they get a Flogger, everyone gets a Flogger!

This is how a tailslide looks through the HUD of a MiG-29 of Cpt. Adrian Rojek, a former demo pilot of the PAF Fulcrum Display Team. I've had the pleasure of watching his displays on several occassions, his performances were something else. A few more from his YouTube account: Look closely and you'll find yours truly among the spectators. Admittedly a person of my size may be a bit hard to spot (I'm 5'7" / 170 cm tall)...

I've had that on my Watch later list for a few days now, I'm saving it for this weekend. The other day I found this absolute gem of a series on the A6M Zero. The uploader helpfully added hardcoded subtitles to every episode.

We NEED this plane in DCS.

But wait, there's more!

These guys are living the high life. NSFW warning, video might contain sexy warbirds! Note how the pilot straightens the plane on the runway when rolling (haven't we all done that in the MiG-21?) and how the ventral fin extends downwards upon the retraction of the landing gear.

Meanwhile in Poland... https://www.facebook.com/108193690689392/videos/174631221283750/

I've read somewhere that they contacted actual MiG-23 pilots to make sure everything is accurate. I sure as hell hope that's the case. On a slightly different note, I Iove the camo scheme on Cuban Floggers.

So take a break from the forum for a couple of days and this thread shows up... Suddenly everyone's gotten very excited. Okay, let's address these one by one... @Klaiber, I never knew about that MiG-17 project, I'm really excited for it! Looks like a good match for the upcoming F-8 and A-6. We're about halfway towards building a sensible lineup of Vietnam-era warbirds. Now, if someone could please make the naval F-4 as well as the F-105... I wouldn't mind an early Fishbed either. @Yogi, I'd like to be excited about Razbam's progress with the Flogger, but a) they have a lot on their plate already, b) I'll believe it when I see it. Razbam's reputation has taken a hit for good reason, so I'll withhold my judgement for now. The Flogger is one of my favourite aircraft ever, so I really hope they get it right the first time. I wouldn't read too much into the order of modules on their Discord server - the Falklands map seems fairly well developed at this stage, and yet it's quite far down on this list. As for the Su-22, we're still not sure whether it's going to be made by Magnitude3 (see Christmas teaser) or the Red Star team. Either way it's still years from release... Which is a shame, because REDFOR desperately needs mud movers. I, for one, would LOVE to fly the Fitter in Polish colours. @Pragr, the Polish Air Force still flies the Su-22, so if you'd like to experience that incredible feeling again then you should come to Poland - every once in a while they do formation fly-bys at airshows. The thunder those Lyulka engines generate is quite something. @Vogel, I've heard somewhere Razbam decided to redo the MiG-23 model from scratch... And it shows. It's a quality model for sure, but what I'm really hoping for is that they get all the systems right. For what it's worth, I'd like to be excited but I can't fail to notice a pattern here... I would love nothing more than a full set of 1970s and early 80s REDFOR aircraft, but it's going to take a while before any of these projects comes to fruition. Apologies for peeing on your fireplace chaps, but us Cold War lot are pretty far down on the order of ED's priorities now. All they want is a steady flow of revenue from the cash cows that are modern US-made aircraft (with the occasional Hind thrown in as a token gesture towards nerds like us).

I'm so sorry.

I've struggled with my mental health at many points in my life, so I can't stress enough how important it is to have someone to talk to about your problems. My sister was the one gave me the number to my therapist. Thankfully I managed to get back on my feet and now I'm a (mostly) functional human being again. If it wasn't for the help I'd received things could've turned out very differently. Thanks for raising awareness and offering your time @Snaggle. Sometimes knowing that there's someone out there who's willing to listen can make all the difference.

There's a 109 for sale in Germany. Seems fairly reasonably priced, maybe we should start a GoFundMe campaign? https://www.ebay.com/itm/Messerschmitt-BF-109-G6-Project/293835781996?mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5337797875&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1

That wasn't an actual quote, I don't have a wife (yet)... Should've cleared that up, sorry. I feel your pain though. As a dog person, I'm glad you got one of your own.

Rocco Siffredi approves of this message. Ah, the art of compromise in marriage. "Wife wanted a cat, I wanted a dog, so we compromised and now we have two cats".

I just cycle them periodically. Must be hot at your place in the summer...

Senna vs. Mansell, now that's something I'd happily use as my own desktop background.

I'll drop you a PM, a package is on its way to your inbox.

Every Melodysheep video is a feast for the eyes, ears and soul. This one's my favourite.

Excellent choices, especially the Renault!