Nice record keeping. I have an old copy of OFF (from years before the team made WOFF) and even then it was an excellent successor to classic games like Red Baron 3d.

I usually fly campaigns late in the war, so I can jump into action flying a high-powered fighter like the SE5a, Camel, or Fokker DVII, but to each his own! I imagine flying in 1914 can still be fun.:up:

My campaigns usually end with me crashing my Sopwith Camel due to its handling characteristics - the Camel is as deadly to me as German fighters!

It's funny - even with Silent Hunter I've sort of had enough of "jumping into the action". I just like flying around, and I prefer doing it in a Caudron G.4 to a Cessna 172. I figure the war will come to me soon enough.

14 November 1914

Saint-Pol-Sur-Ternoise
Noel Kay writes: "0911: Much nicer weather today. Big artillery battle west of Lens. 1 hour 6 minutes."

Saint-Omer Extension
Ries Meismer writes: "1212: Routine patrol. Light scattered clouds. 1 hour 26 minutes."

Pontfaverger
Odis Först writes: "1319: Got to try out our new job today. We circled an enemy battery near Reims for some time guiding our fire onto their guns. We weren't exactly accurate, but it was good exercise and we got a good close-up view of the action. 2 hours 19 minutes."

Saint-Omer
Corrigan Aujla writes: "1338: Another lovely day. Standard patrol. 1 hour 28 minutes."

Saint-Pol-Sur-Mer
Filimor Hance writes: "1547: Last patrol of the day. Not much to see. Returned to field after dark. 1 hour 19 minutes."

15 November 1914

Yet another rainstorm sweeps across the Flanders front, grounding everything.

Down at Verdun the story is much the same, except that the cause is the perennial fog returning again.

16 November 1914

The rain and fog continue as everyone waits for a chance to fly again. With winter here it that chance does not appear to be good.

Yet another winter day with bad weather all over the front.

18 November 1914

And another day passes with no one flying.

19 November 1914

Still the bad weather goes on. Soldiers are fighting in ankle-deep mud and aeroplanes can't take off in those conditions.

20 November 1914

The world is still wet and miserable.

Sorry I haven't posted in four days. I had my first cataract surgery and I'm still not fully healed.

Not that it matters. As of November 21 1914 it's still raining everywhere.

No need to be sorry Steve, take good care of yourself, and follow doctors orders, you don't want to mess up the surgery and make it worse.

22 November 1914

The sun has come out over Flanders, and the pilots in that area are once more flying their usual patrols. Nothing exciting is happening, though, and everything is routine.

North of Verdun the Germans are still locked in fog.

23 November 1914

After one day's flying the rain and fog return, and everyone is once again grounded.

24 November 1914

The sun comes out, kinda sorta, and all too briefly, but the Flanders crowd are able to get into the air one more time.

Gonneham
Corrigan Aujla writes: "0801 Transferred to Gonneham. 50 minutes." (from Saint-Omer)

Saint-Pol-Sur-Mer
Filimor Hance writes: "1045: Overcast skies. Heavy gusts over patrol area. Wondered a coupld of times whether we were going to make it back home. Make it we did, however, and landed in drizzling rain. 1 hour 24 minutes."

Saint-Pol-Sur-Ternoise
Noel Kay writes: "1150: Took off into a light rain shower. Normal patrol. Hit by machine-gun fire over Arras. Minor damage only. 1 hour 6 minutes."

Gonneham
Ries Meismer writes: "1530: Followed No 3 Sqdn to Gonneham. 36 minutes." (from Saint-Omer Extension)

Meanwhile at Pontfaverger FFA 13 is still grounded by fog.

25 November 1914

After one day of flying the rain and fog return. Again no one is flying.

The weather must be poor, with fabric soaking, cold, and rain.


For which side are you flying currently, and with which plane type? I mean it's still 1914 :hmmm:

It was a brutal winter. I refer to Oswald Boelcke's letters to his parents for that information. He is constantly describing fog, rain, and snow.

As for the types, start at the beginning of the thread. I currently have two French pilots - one flying with Escadrille 13 and destined to remain a two-seater pilot forever. That's Noel Kay. In reality the escadrille was flying Farman MF-11s at the time, and would later move to Caudron G.3s and the G.4s. The Farman and Caudron G.3 are not in the game, so I'm flying a Caudron G.4 well over a year before it came out.

My other French pilot, Filimor Hance, is flying a Morane-Saulnier 'L' with Escadrille 26, and will end up as a fighter pilot.

British pilot number 1 is Corrigan Aujla, with Number 3 Squadron RFC, is currently in a BE.2c but will soon be in the Morane 'L'.

My second British pilot, Ries Meismer, with No 4 Squadron, is also in a BE.2c and will remain there until a better two-seater comes along.

Finally I have one German pilot, Odis Först, flying with Feld Flieger Abteilung 13 in an Aviatik B.I. The brothers Wilhelm and Oswald Boelcke were with FFA 13 during this period. I didn't realize that until after I had chosen my squadrons, and didn't plan it that way.

If you read the thread from the beginning you will find quite a few misadventures involving training and the beginning moves of the war, including Corrie Aujla getting separated from his squadron for several weeks and almost captured by the Germans. Despite the lack of flying, and the boredom of routine patrols when I do get into the air, there has been more than a little excitement along the way so far. I'm really becoming attached to all these guys.

26 November 1914

Nothing has changed. The entire region is still either rained out or fogged in.

27 November 1914

Gonneham, No 3 Squadron
Corrigan Aujla writes: "0905: From our new field it's a bit further to reach our starting point, but closer to the finish. Routine patrol. 1 hour 24 minutes."

Gonneham, No 4 Squadron
Ries Meismer writes: "0920: First flight out of new field. Much shorter flight time to patrol area. Clipped a hedge on landing. Tore off landing gear and wrecked plane. I don't know which is worse - coming so close to crashing or being put on report for carelessness. 54 minutes."

Saint-Pol-Sur-Ternoise
Noel Kay writes: "1017: Sun came out. Set out on routine patrol. Engine started acting up. Made it back to base 47 minutes."

Saint-Pol-Sur-Mer
Filimor Hance writes: "1223; Got to fly today. Routine patrol. 1 hour 13 minutes."

Pontfaverger
FFA 13 is grounded by the fog for the 13th day in a row.

28 November 1914

Saint-Pol-Sur-Ternoise
Noel Kay writes: "0815: Nice day. Very quite over the lines - no artillery at all. 1 hour 6 minutes. I've been promoted to Sergent!"

Gonneham, No 3 Sqdn
Corrigan Aujla writes: "1043: Routine patrol. Nothing happening. 1 hour 25 minutes."

Saint-Pol-Sur-Mer
Filimor Hance writes: "1053: Clear sky. Routine patrol. 1 hour 18 minutes."

Gonneham, No 4 Sqdn
Ries Meismer writes: "I've been grounded for two weeks. My time is to be spent studying procedures for a week, then helping the mechanics."

Pontfaverger
Odis Först writes: "Two straight weeks of fog now."