One of my hobbies

[1LtCAP 4,264]

ok...i'm kinda old for this kind of geekiness,....but it is sooo dam much fun.

 

i fly a ww2 air combat sim called Aces High. in the main arenas, you can dogfight any of the available aircraft against any other, regardless of whether or not they saw combat against each other in reality. the flight modeling is fairly decent...actually pretty dam good, right down to the wing stalling at the approximate correct angle of attack.

 

i am on a team that writes historic type setups for a regular event called Friday Squad Ops. this happens 3 fridays of each month. in this, you can only fly against what was historically matched up. for instance, in jan., i wrote a setup for the 1st AVG. in this, we had to sub a couple of aircraft, as we don't have the ki43.....so i subbed the a6m2, as they're similar in performance.

 

next month is the 71st anniversery of the Battle of the Coral Sea, and that is the setup i'm doing for may. what makes this all fun, is that when we do these, we do a LOT of research, trying to dig deeper than just what we see on the military channel shows about these battles.

we go to the point of (in this case) setting the carriers in the correct areas, in my case, i name the bases(carriers here), rather than just letting it go with the default alpha-numeric name.

 

in doing this, i will have the USS Lexington, and the USS Hornet, battling against the IJN;s light aircraft carrier Shoho, aircraft carrier Shokaku, and aircraft carrier Zuikaku. in this battle, we lost the Lexington, but that's the beauty of doing these "cartoon" sims. we may or may not lose her. the japanese lost the Shoho, but again......they may not.

 

there's generally about 300 of us doing this every scheduled night. it's a "one life" event too, so that kind of puts us in the hot seat, trying to survive. no diving into an unwinnable battle, just trying to take as many as we can, but rather, trying to survive.

since this is going to have helldivers, dauntlesses, vals, and kates......that'll be the main objective of the fighters. protect the bombers at all costs.

 

these are great fun, and can give us a little look into what the real heros from way back then did, except that we're in the safety of our homes. i can tell ya though......i've had my heart pounding as i stalked bombers, looking for the right angle to attack, while minimizing their ability to get guns on me.

 

a couple of months ago, we had to escort b-29's over japan. we were in thunderbolts, so fuel was an issue. on ingress, fighters came at us, and we engaged, doing our best to keep them from the forts. i made the mistake of following a ki too low, and got seperated from the group.....over 200 miles behind enemy lines. i was able to rejoin them, thankfully, and got a single kill......then heard distress calls from a b29 that was under attack. 3 of us went to his rescue, killed the fighters, but not before he took on pretty heavy damage. although he couldn't keep up with the main force, the 3 of us hung back with him, all the way back to base. he lost #3 over the ocean, but we still got him back home.

 

it's kind of weird how easily immersed into something like this one can get. i'll find some screenshots to put up later.....but for now, figured i'd post up something a little lighthearted, with all of the crazy stuff going on lately.

[Arbelest 29]

Free download online or is this something you buy in a store?

[Soju 153]

I used to love combat flight sims. I used to play them all the time. Had a joystick and throttle setup. I haven't played them in years. The improvement in technology is crazy. I almost never played online, because I just didn't have a good enough internet connection for it. Sounds like a lot of fun.

 

I used to like flying the A6M2 and A6M5 Zero's the most, for whatever reason.

[Recon Racoon 49]

Sounds like fun, so I'm gonna download it and give it a shot!

[TK421 2]

I used to play combat flight sims all the time, I think I still have all the Jane's games somewhere. I tried to get MS Combat Flight sim to play on my Win7 machine but gave up because there is no support for the old MS SideWinder Forced Feedback I have. That stick was the best and I don't wish to go out and spend $150 for a new one. Always considered of trying Aces High but thought since they advertised it on TV it would either be hokey or a ploy for a monthly subscription.

[1LtCAP 4,264]

Free download online or is this something you buy in a store?

 

the download is free, and it gives you a two week free trial. after the free trial, it costs about 15 bucks a month. no limits on time. there's a training arena, then the mains. it's a fun game

[1LtCAP 4,264]

I used to love combat flight sims. I used to play them all the time. Had a joystick and throttle setup. I haven't played them in years. The improvement in technology is crazy. I almost never played online, because I just didn't have a good enough internet connection for it. Sounds like a lot of fun.

 

I used to like flying the A6M2 and A6M5 Zero's the most, for whatever reason.

 

i fly zeeks when i'm defending a carrier. they're the quickest off the deck, and up to fighting speed. once you're into the knifefight, there's nothing in the air that'll turn with a zeek. the problem is that almost everyting in the air can literally disengage, and reset the fight to their terms though.

 

my favorite(and almost exclusive) ride is the mighty P-38J.

 

in the main arenas, i'm a member of the 80th Headhunters. in the friday squad ops, i fly with the 325th Checkertails.

[1LtCAP 4,264]

I used to play combat flight sims all the time, I think I still have all the Jane's games somewhere. I tried to get MS Combat Flight sim to play on my Win7 machine but gave up because there is no support for the old MS SideWinder Forced Feedback I have. That stick was the best and I don't wish to go out and spend $150 for a new one. Always considered of trying Aces High but thought since they advertised it on TV it would either be hokey or a ploy for a monthly subscription.

it does cost a monthly subscription. about 15 bucks a month. but........for that cost, it is some of the best legal fun you can buy.

 

i'd forgotten to mention.....there's ground action too, although they've changed that a bit, and i don't care for it. it used to be that when you were tanking, your steering was through the joystick, then rudder pedals when you moved to the gun. now, you steer through the keypad, which i farking HATE.

 

i think they still support the ms sidewinder, although i haven't used mine in ages. i switched to a complete ch setup......f-16combat stick, prothrottle, and propedals.

[Parker 213]

next month is the 71st anniversery of the Battle of the Coral Sea

 

For anyone who is into reading WWII naval history, I highly recommend this book. Great account of the Battle of the Coral Sea and the U.S.S. Lexington's final hours.

 

[1LtCAP 4,264]

i haven't read that book as yet, but will pick it up.

 

something that i hadn't realized before doing some of this research.......this was the first naval battle in history where the opposing naval forces never saw each other. it also pretty much set the stage for the battle of midway.

[Parker 213]

Stanley Johnston who wrote the book was a reporter on the Lady Lex. It is an excellent 1st-person account of the battles.

[1LtCAP 4,264]

Stanley Johnston who wrote the book was a reporter on the Lady Lex. It is an excellent 1st-person account of the battles.

 

that makes me REALLY want to read it now. one of the best books i've ever read(and i've re-read it several times) is a book called "combat Crew" by John Comer. he was a top turret gunner/engineer on a B-17. if i recall from the last time i was reading it, it was from his diary, which he kept, as he never expected to survive the war. i was very able to kind of "put myself there" if that makes any sense? i've read many books about 633 Squadron(the dambusters), Douglas Bader, who was a rather incredible RAF pilot with 2 false legs.

 

at a SAR training class for CAP on trenton-mercer airport, just near our first break, we heard the unmistakable sound of radials. multiple radials. they were the collings foundations b-24, b-25, and b-17. we all took our break to go down and tour the aircraft.

 

i came upon a little old guy. i truly wish i could remember his name. i think his first name was Len. he had a ww2 veteran hat on, and was carrying a small shopping bag. i started a conversation with him, to find out he'd flown 24 missions on the b-24 over europe. he then took some things out of the bag. a silk with maps on it. a wallet(sort of) the fact of his being an American airman, in the languages of countries he may fly over. then he opened up the most incredible thing i've ever seen. he had PICTURES of drops from nearly ALL of his missions! by the time he got to this point, this little old guy had about 20 of us gathered around, listening to him like a bunch of little kids. annnd he had a sense of humor. we all saw what appeared to be a way off target drop, and one of the other guys asked him about that. his reply? "that wasn't one of mine, but someone caught hell over that."

 

i truly feel honored when i get to meet these heros, and even moreso when they take the time that this guy did.

[1LtCAP 4,264]

i should also mention that i have had the honor of talking with a couple german pilots too. one was a dick. i really didn't like him. he kept trying to "tease" me into buying his book. that seemed to be all he wanted.

 

i met 2 german aces in florida on kissimmee gateway airport where white1(a FW-190D-8 i think it is) is undergoing restoration. those guys were amazing to talk to. a little hard to understand sometimes....but they talked to me about what they did, what they had to do, and what they went through. what made it amazing, was that it was the first time i'd been able to talk to someone from the luftwaffe.

 

i still think ALL of these guys need to put their experiences on paper, lest there come a day when everyone forgets what was given up.

[Parker 213]

I agree. Those fellows are a piece of history. My dad was a Navy pilot. Didn't see combat, but he got his wings in late 1945. Not to derail your thread, but here are some pics I've posted before of him in an SNJ trainer and with the SBD Dauntless.

 

 

 

[1LtCAP 4,264]

dude, that's awesome!!

 

don't worry 'bout derailing. it's good conversation. can you pass on a thanks from a middle aged geek?

[smoe_picka 0]

I hope you take a trip out to Reading PA in June! http://www.maam.org/maamwwii.html. The collection of WarBirds is usually awesome. You can take a ride for a few hundred bucks. http://www.maam.org/wwii/ww2_rides.htm. I am a airplane junkie.

[Soju 153]

Some of the most incredible and interesting stories I've heard/read are related to the flying in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Absolutely incredible stuff. It is absolutely amazing how much flying has changed in the past 70 years. Having spent the past 6 years as an Air Force aviator myself, it really puts things in perspective on just how unbelievable those people were that flew in WWII. I can't imagine flying across the Pacific, at night, in an unpressurized aircraft, not knowing if you were ever going to be on land again. Not knowing if you were going to get shot down, run out of fuel, get lost, have a catastrophic failure, or what not. Those guys were/are truly something.

[Parker 213]

Some of the most incredible and interesting stories I've heard/read are related to the flying in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Absolutely incredible stuff. It is absolutely amazing how much flying has changed in the past 70 years. Having spent the past 6 years as an Air Force aviator myself, it really puts things in perspective on just how unbelievable those people were that flew in WWII. I can't imagine flying across the Pacific, at night, in an unpressurized aircraft, not knowing if you were ever going to be on land again. Not knowing if you were going to get shot down, run out of fuel, get lost, have a catastrophic failure, or what not. Those guys were/are truly something.

 

I read somewhere that some 15,000 pilots were killed stateside just in training during WWII. Those were the stories I remember from my dad. He said flying at night was the part that stressed folks the most. Finding your way in the dark through celestial navigation? Geeesh!

[NJSlick 0]

War Thunder is a pretty good simulator. I also recommend IL2 Sturmovik 1946. I fly those 2 and FSX.

[1LtCAP 4,264]

I hope you take a trip out to Reading PA in June! http://www.maam.org/maamwwii.html. The collection of WarBirds is usually awesome. You can take a ride for a few hundred bucks. http://www.maam.org/wwii/ww2_rides.htm. I am a airplane junkie.

i think the last time i got out there was about 5 years ago. their black widow was almost half way done. i think they'd just hung the cannons under the belly...........

[1LtCAP 4,264]

Some of the most incredible and interesting stories I've heard/read are related to the flying in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Absolutely incredible stuff. It is absolutely amazing how much flying has changed in the past 70 years. Having spent the past 6 years as an Air Force aviator myself, it really puts things in perspective on just how unbelievable those people were that flew in WWII. I can't imagine flying across the Pacific, at night, in an unpressurized aircraft, not knowing if you were ever going to be on land again. Not knowing if you were going to get shot down, run out of fuel, get lost, have a catastrophic failure, or what not. Those guys were/are truly something.

 

yep. winter over europe, at 22,000 those poor guys flew in -40 and colder.....i can't even imagine that.

[NJdiverTony 27]

Wow, I used to play this game MANY years ago. I've always been an aviation buff, with a special soft spot for WWII warplanes. I used to spend lots of time on PC flight sims, and used to spend quite a bit of cash on PC hardware to "fly". After getting married, having kids, getting very busy with work and just life in general... I got away from flight sims. I didn't even know that Aces High was still around! This thread is making me want to get back into it again!!! It is a lot of fun... Especially in an online multiplayer setting where you can get into epic air battles.

[NJdiverTony 27]

i fly zeeks when i'm defending a carrier. they're the quickest off the deck, and up to fighting speed. once you're into the knifefight, there's nothing in the air that'll turn with a zeek. the problem is that almost everyting in the air can literally disengage, and reset the fight to their terms though.

 

my favorite(and almost exclusive) ride is the mighty P-38J.

 

in the main arenas, i'm a member of the 80th Headhunters. in the friday squad ops, i fly with the 325th Checkertails.

 

The P-38 has always been one of my most favorite planes, too. It was such a unique warbird.

[1LtCAP 4,264]

Some of the most incredible and interesting stories I've heard/read are related to the flying in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Absolutely incredible stuff. It is absolutely amazing how much flying has changed in the past 70 years. Having spent the past 6 years as an Air Force aviator myself, it really puts things in perspective on just how unbelievable those people were that flew in WWII. I can't imagine flying across the Pacific, at night, in an unpressurized aircraft, not knowing if you were ever going to be on land again. Not knowing if you were going to get shot down, run out of fuel, get lost, have a catastrophic failure, or what not. Those guys were/are truly something.

 

know what's the most amazing thing about those guys? not as single one of them thinks that they did anything special. yet they are the reason we are all free.

[1LtCAP 4,264]

The P-38 has always been one of my most favorite planes, too. It was such a unique warbird.

 

if i'm not mistaken(and i may be), the 38 is the only allied pursuit aircraft to serve in virtually every theater of operations, and from start of war to finish. she also produced more allied aces than any other allied pursuit aircraft. she was also capable of going into germany with the bombers long before the pony came on-scene. i still don't know exactly why they weren't used in that capacity though.......

[Parker 213]

America's top ace, Richard I. Bong flew a P-38 Lightning. The P-38 was also responsible for shooting down Adm. Yamamato's Betty bomber over Bougainville. If you fly out of Burbank (Bob Hope) Airport in California, you'll notice a mock P-38 hanging from the ceiling and a mural on the wall in tribute to Bong. He went to flight school in California and got his wings (his gunnery instructor was Barry Goldwater) there. He died tragically in a crash in California in his P-80 while he was a test pilot for Lockheed in 1945.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Bong

(there's an airport named after him in Wisconsin hwere he was raised, back when America named airports after war heroes.)

 

http://www.oregonlive.com/living/index.ssf/2013/04/historian_says_oregonian_rex_b.html

[Rifleman1 32]

Yeah but for them it wasn't a game. It was life and death.

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

 

 

[1LtCAP 4,264]

America's top ace, Richard I. Bong flew a P-38 Lightning. The P-38 was also responsible for shooting down Adm. Yamamato's Betty bomber over Bougainville. If you fly out of Burbank (Bob Hope) Airport in California, you'll notice a mock P-38 hanging from the ceiling and a mural on the wall in tribute to Bong. He went to flight school in California and got his wings (his gunnery instructor was Barry Goldwater) there. He died tragically in a crash in California in his P-80 while he was a test pilot for Lockheed in 1945.

 

http://en.wikipedia....ki/Richard_Bong

(there's an airport named after him in Wisconsin hwere he was raised, back when America named airports after war heroes.)

 

http://www.oregonliv...nian_rex_b.html

yep. and the second highest scoring ace, tommy mcguire has mcguire afb named after him. marge is just inside the security gate, although we all know there's no way it;s the original one.......

[1LtCAP 4,264]

Yeah but for them it wasn't a game. It was life and death.

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

yes, and THAT is what makes these men and women more amazing to me. while we get to get a very slight taste in our cartoon world, they did it for real, and when i've talked with them, not a one of them thinks they did anything special. like sitting in an aluminmum cigar tube at 22,000 feet, dealing with temps below -30, then trying to defend themselves against crazy men in fighters doing 200mph and up as they attack, then flying home in the same conditions for 8+ hours, and all of this with a mere 2 minutes of total firing time per gun........to me that is VERY special.

[silverado427 10,782]

Once my financial picture changes this is going to be my new project a big block nova . I've had camaro's, chevelle's, vette's.