Furball Magazine #2

Furball Magazine #2 July '97

The P-47 Thunderbolt

Many people overlook the P-47 when looking back on W.W.II aviation. However the P-47 played a huge role in the war over Europe. The P-47D made by Republic Aviation Corporation was designed for the U.S Army Air Corps. to be a high altitude interceptor. A change of engines from an Allison, to a Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp early in the war greatly improved the P-47’s performance. Throughout most of the war the Thunderbolt was America’s primary fighter against Hitler’s Luftwaffe. It wasn’t until late in the war that the P-51 (Then a divebomber ) and the P-47 switched roles. Ground support was where the P-47 really found its niche. The “Jug” was able to fly straight through enemy fire making it a vital part of America’s war effort.

I’m afraid to say that the P-47’s AW history is not nearly as interesting as it’s actual history. Quite frankly, no one flies the P-47. It’s just not practical. Yes the P-47 has good armor, but that just delays the inevitable. And yes the P-47 handles good at 25,000 + feet, but lets be honest who really flies up to 30,000 feet just for a dogfight? To sum it up, the P-47 is terribly out of its element in Air Warrior. The P-47is kind of like an all star tackle playing as a running back.[F]

-Pace

Specs.

Top Speed: 292 knts.

Climb Rate (ft/min): 2749

Roll Rate (150 knts. seconds/roll): 6

Roll Rate (300 knts. seconds/roll): 8.5

Durability (5-0): 4.3

Max. Sustained Turn Rate: 15.6

Guns: 8[!] - .50 cal. (1600)

Ratings

100%-0%

Stallfighting: 5%

Booming & Zooming: 25%

Guns: 75%

Armor: 95%

Handling Low Speeds: 35%

Handling High Speeds: 10%

Handling High Altitudes: 65%

Handling Low Altitudes: 25%

Overall: 42%

Pros: Good high alt. handling and great armor.

Cons: Everything else.

The Spitfire mk IX

The Spitfire is a plane that is truly a joy to fly. The Spitfire, probably the best known fighter of W.W.II, has the best sustained turn rate in the Air Warrior skies. It’s guns, when 100% full pack the second most powerful punch of any fighter in Europe. The E-miser, as I like to call it, will flat out turn any fighter in Europe. Which is what you have to do to fly this bird successfully. The only two European planes that can stallfight the Spitfire are the 109 and the P-38. The 109 has a comparable turn rate, but must use its superior climb rate to defeat a Spitfire. The P-38 can out turn a spit when in the hands of a capable pilot. When a P-38 goes nose down and flaps up 1 notch it looks like a tether ball! The spitfire is best at sneaking up on slow FW190’s and P-51’s. I’ll tell you from experience if you are a B&Z’er watch those Spits when you’re low on E. It doesn’t take an ace to kill a slow moving 190 or 51.

Before you proclaim the spitfire to be the messiah of Air Warrior there is a downside to flying the Spit. As one of our writers put it “... The Spit is not a spray and pray fighter.” The Spitfire carries very limited ammunition. 5 kill missions are rare. I find it very frustrating when I fly for 10 minutes to get to a furball, and run out of ammo in the first 2 minutes of the dogfight. Also the spitfire dosen’t take enemy lead very well. A couple pings, and you’re a kill decal. [F]

-Pace

Specs.

Top Speed: 293

Climb Rate (ft/min): 4516

Roll Rate (150 knts. seconds/roll): 4

Roll Rate (300 knts. seconds/roll): 8.5

Durability (5-0): 3.2

Max. sustained Turn Rate: 28

Guns: 2 - .50 cal (500) 2 - 20 mm cannon (240)

Ratings

100%-0%

Stallfighting: 90%

Booming & Zooming: 65%

Guns: 85%

Armor:30%

Handling Low Speeds: 90%

Handling High Speeds: 35%

Handling High Altitudes: 80%

Handling Low Altitudes: 85%

Overall: 68%

Pros: Awesome turning and climbing ability.

Cons: Little armor guns lose lethality quickly.

Basic Combat Maneuvers

his month I’m going to go over basic combat maneuvers. The first maneuver is the split-s. The split-s is simply going inverted then pulling back on the stick until level flight is reached. It is recommended that you have at least 5k ft underneath you before attempting this maneuver. The split-s is especially useful after a head on pass. It is a much more efficient way to change direction then a flat turn. Two mistakes that are commonly made when attempting this maneuver are: (1) Starting the pull with too much speed thus sending your plane like a meteor into the ground. (2) Not having enough altitude underneath you which also results in a decent sized crater. As long as you use the split-s within its envelope you should be getting on your enemies tail quicker, while keeping him off yours.

The second of the basic combat maneuvers is the immelmann. The immelmann is a pull on the stick until inverted flight is reached, then a roll to level flight. This is basically a reverse split-s. This maneuver is slightly more difficult because you need to keep an eye on your airspeed. If you get below 110 knts. during this maneuver it is recommended that you abort immediately, because a stalled plane is a dead plane in a dogfight. There are three common mistakes people make while attempting this maneuver. (1) Trying this maneuver with an enemy on your tail and within gun range (800 yds) is a sure way to end up as a kill decal. (2) Only attempt the imlenmann at a speed below 150 knts. if you have an appetite for lead. This is an extremely energy reducing maneuver, therefore you must keep your bird fast! (3) This is the most deadly of the errors : If you decide to get cocky and try the immlenmann at a low speed and stall, DO NOT continue the half loop. Immediately go flaps down and nose down until the stall light goes out. If you use the immelmann efficiently you will more often then not get better position on your opponent.

Since most dogfights quickly degenerate into low speed turnfights, The flat turn is a very useful and all too common maneuver you use in Air Warrior. It is simply a half roll followed by a sharp pull on the stick. These fights are usually decided by who’s plane handles better rather than who’s the better pilot. The best tool you have in a turn fight is your airplane. 99% of the time a Spitfire will win a turn fight against a 190. Unless the Spitfire pilot is blind or someother way disabled, he’s going to win. The best way to become a good turnfighter is to read about the airacraft, are they best flaps up, flaps down, nose up, nose down. This information will help you to out turn your opponents.

Try out these maneuvers, next month I will show you how to put them together in advanced combat maneuvers.[F]

- Pace

‘AW Jargon’

Here are some terms you should know before going into the arenas. If you wanta more complete list, check the AW manual.

AAA- Anti-aircraft artillery

Ack- Same as above

Alt.- Altitude

Angels- 1000’s of feet, although k is used more.

Bandit- Enemy plane

Bingo- Out of something.i.e., Bingo Ammo

Bogey- Unidentified aircraft

Buff- Group of bombers

B&Z- Boom & Zoom, A type of fighter attack

CC- I understand, or yes

Ditch- Land your plane somewhere other than an airbase

Drone- Computer controlled aircraft, usually C-47’s

Dweeb- An unskilled pilot

E- Energy

Egg-A bomb

Hdg- Heading

K-1000’s of feet 5k=5000 ft

Knts.- Airspeed in knots

OTW-on the way

Ping-The noise you hear when you’re hit.

Poof- Tells people you are signing off.

Prep- To prepare an airfield for capture

Rgr-Same as cc

RTB-Return to base

Vulch- Vulching is to shoot someone before they takeoff

Warp-Caused by network delay, planes seem to jump around.

Here are some Books and Magazines for you aviation buffs

Recommended Reading

Books

Angelucci, Enzo. The Rand McNally Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft. 1983

Apostolo, Giogrio. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Helicopters. Bonanza Books, 1984.

Baker, David Dr. Military Aircraft Library: Future Fighters. Rourke Enterprises, Inc., 1989.

Bonds, Ray. The Illustrated Directory of Modern Weapons: Warplanes, tanks, missiles, warships, artillery, small arms. Crescent Books, 1985.

Bonds, Ray. The US War Machine. An Encyclopedia of American Military Equipment and Strategy. Salamander Books Ltd., 1983.

Bradley, John. World War III Strategies, Tactics, and Weapons. Crescent Books, 1982.

Bryan, C.D.B. The National Air and Space Museum. Harry N. Abrams, 1979

Cave, Ron and Joyce. What About Missiles? Gloucester Press, 1983.

Chant, Christopher. Aircraft Prototypes. Chartwell Books, 1990

Cole, Dick Major; Lightbody, Andy; Poyer, Joe. The Great Book of Fighter Planes: The World's Warbirds. Publications International, 1990.

Cross, Roy. Great Aircraft and their Pilots. New York Graphic Society, 1971.

Davis, Larry. P-51 Mustang in Action. Squadron Signal Publications, 1981

Donald, David, and Lake, Jon. US Navy & Marine Corps Air Power Directory. Airtime Publishing, 1992.

Dwiggins, Don. Famous Flyers and the Ships They Flew. Grossett & Dunlap, Inc., 1969

Forrester, Larry. Skymen: Heroes of Fifty Years of Flying. St. Martin's Press, Inc., 1961

Goodall, James C. America's Stealth Fighters and Bombers. Motorbooks International, 1992.

Graham, Ian. Combat Aircraft: How It Works. Aladdin Books Ltd., 1989.

Gunston, Bill. American Warplanes. Crescent Books, 1986.

Halberstadt, Hans. Army Aviation. Presidio Press, 1990.

Jones, Lloyd S. U.S. Bombers 1928 - 1980's. Aeropublishers, 1984.

Macknight, Nigel. NASA Wings. Osprey Publishing, 1992.

March, Peter R. Combat Aircraft Recognition. Ian Allan Publishing, 1992.

Mason, Francis K. Aces of the Air. Mayflower Books. Orbis Publishing Limited, 1981.

North American Aircraft & Aerospace Museum Guide. Bruce/Beeson Publishers, 1992.

Park, Edwards. Fighters, The World's Great Aces and Their Planes. Thomasson-Grant, Inc., 1990.

Taylor, Michael and Mondey, David. The Guinness book of Aircraft Records, Facts, and Feats. Canopy Books, 1992,

Taylor, Michael J. H. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. Studio Editions Ltd., 1989.

Taylor, John W.R. and Kenneth Munson. History of Aviation. Octopus Books Limited, 1978.

The Aviator's Source Book. St. Martin's Press, 1982

The World's Great Attack Aircraft. Aerospace Publishing, 1988.

The World's Great Interceptor Aircraft. Aerospace Publishing, 1989.

The World's Great Stealth and Reconnaissance Aircraft. Aerospace Publishing, 1991.

Weapons: An International Encyclopedia from 5,000 B.C. to 2,000 A.D. St. Martin's Press Inc., 1990.

Yenne, Bill. The Pictorial History of American Aircraft. Bison Books Corp., 1988.

Zisfein, Melvin B. Flight: A Panorama of Aviation. Pantheon Books, 1981.

Periodicals

Air Classics. Challenge Publications, Inc. Published monthly.

Air Forces Monthly. Key Publishing Ltd. Published quarterly.

Air International. Key Publishing Ltd. Published monthly.

Airshow International. Challenge Publications, Inc. Published quarterly.

Aviation. Empire Press, Inc. Published bimonthly.

Aviation Week A McGraw Hill Publication. Published weekly.

Flying. Hachette Filipacchi Magazines, Inc. Published monthly.

Flypast. Key Publishing Ltd. Published monthly.

Journal of Military Aviation. Withers Publishing. Published bimonthly.

Plane and Pilot. Werner Publishing Corp. Published monthly.

Private Pilot. Fancy Publications. Published monthly.

US Aviator. Airedale Press. Published monthly.

World Air Power Journal. United States of America Airtime Publishing, Inc. Published Quarterly.

...and here are some movies

Films Featuring Warbirds

B-17 Superfortress Air Force

B-17 Superfortress Best Years of Our Lives, The

B-17 Superfortress Bombardier

B-17 Superfortress Memphis Belle

B-17 Superfortress Twelve O'Clock High

B-17 Superfortress War Lover, The

B-24 Liberator Sole Survivor, The

B-25 Mitchell Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo

P-38 Lightning A Guy Named Joe

P-40 Warhawk Flying Tigers

P-51 Mustang Battle Hymn

P-51 Mustang Empire of the Sun, The

PBY Catalina South Pacific

Spitfire Best Foot Forward

Spitfire Spitfire

WWI Aircraft Ace of Aces

WWI Aircraft Dawn Patrol, The

WWI Aircraft Great Waldo Pepper, The

WWI Aircraft Lafayette Escadrille

WWI Aircraft Trial of Billy Mitchell, The

WWI Aircraft Blue Max, The

WWI Aircraft Hell's Angels

WWI Aircraft Wings

WWII Aircraft Air Force

WWII Aircraft Battle of Britain, The

WWII Aircraft Captains of the Clouds

WWII Aircraft Dam Busters

WWII Aircraft Dive Bomber

WWII Aircraft Flat Top

WWII Aircraft Flying Leathernecks

WWII Aircraft Midway

WWII Aircraft One of Our Aircraft Is Missing

WWII Aircraft Sink the Bismarck

WWII Aircraft Tora! Tora! Tora!

WWII Aircraft Wings of Eagles, The

WWII Aircraft Yank in the RAF, A

And The Winner Is...

This month I spent quite a lot of time online. However I wasn’t flying, but searching. For what you ask? I went searching for the most useful, most helpful, most informative, just the best all around downloads and webpages. After exhausting myself (and my hard drive) I finally separated the wheat from the chaff. and here they are:

Here are the Top Websites :

5.http://www.Cris.com/~Twist/ - This guys web page has a lot of technical info, very useful.

4.http://www.inter-look.com/rocket - Haven’t been here yet, this site was suggested and endorsed by some of our writers.

3.http://www.concentric.net/~lsncal - Tally ho Magazine, It’s -almost- as good as Furball :-)

2.http://www.members.aol.com/dragonbanx/index.htm - Lots of AW stuff.

1. http://www.alumni.caltech.edu/~brooke/ - Awesome Webpage w/ downloadable Manual see best downloads.

...And Here are the Top Downloads

3. Flight Operations Manual. - Long Download, but worth it.

2. AW Expansion Pack & Art. - Makes AW look and sound much better.

1. How to Fly & Fight in Air Warrior - Best “Readme” for AW almost 200 pages!

A day in the life of an Air Warrior 2

At 8:00 PM my squadmates and I shuffled into the ready room to get our briefing for the upcoming mission. The briefing officer was a little Hitler wannabe who we all wanted to frag. Fortunately for him, when we were in the O Club, we never got past the planning stage of carrying it out before we would pass out. As the hated wannabe droned on, we learned that the mission was to be a daring raid deep into the heart of A land on the Spitfire factory. This really caught our attention as the Spitfire was the plane we feared and respected most. Anything we could do to slow the number of Spits rising to challenge us was a priority with us. We would be running JU-88s low to the target with ME-109s as high altitude escorts and diversions. The briefing concluded and we walked to the flight ramp with a renewed spring in our step. We quickly pre-flighted our mounts and soon were ready for departure. I firewalled the throttle on my faithful 109 as we took off into the humid evening air with 3 JU-88s and 2 ME-109s. Shortly after takeoff, a spat broke out among the buff pilots as to whether they should fly at 200ft or 500ft and whether or not the stiffs in the co-pilots seats could handle the planes at that low of an altitude. One of the 88 pilots soon had enough of the debate and began a "buff limbo" with each pilot trying to outdo the other in how low they could fly. My wingman and I sat in amused wonder watching the spectacle from up high as the 88s began to chew a path through the countryside. Debris was flying every which way at times obscuring the planes and leaving a clean swept trail behind them. As we approached the front, we could see that the enemy was up en masse. Things weren't looking too good. At this point, the Colonel's radio in his 88 jammed on and we were bombarded with the sounds of him drinking heavily and screaming obscenities at passing cattle. He too saw what was ahead of us. Amazingly, the AW gods smiled upon us as the Az hordes magically split at the front providing us with a safe corridor to the Az heartland. Deep over A land, a P38 came sniffing but proved no match for my beloved 109. The enemy 38 had however drawn us away from the 88s we were here to protect. Soon after, the Colonel spied a bogey dead ahead and scared the pants off his copilot screaming how unfair it all was coming this far only to die short of the target. Once again the AW gods smiled upon us as the bogey turned out to be a C-47 airlifting supplies to the front. We were near our target now and I stupidly lead my wingman into the ack over the Spitfire factory. Well helped on by an explosive enema, I came to the bright conclusion that this was not the best place to be and promptly WEPed my way out of the danger zone. I can only imagine my wingman's facial contortions and crude gestures at me for this nearly fatal mistake. I mumbled my appologies into the radio and led my wingman to a Spit struggling to climb up to our altitude. My wingman toyed with the Spit briefly before filling him with lead. I believe he was pretending it was me. Now the 88 pilots were ready to begin their bomb run. They put their flak vests on their seats and sat on them and strapped on their steel helmets as they dove onto the target. First the Colonel then the other two 88s were obliterated from the sky by the steel curtain thrown up by the Az ack batteries. They never even got to drop their bomb load. After I attempted several times to count and see if that was indeed all the bombers we brought with us, we turned forlornly for home. We were almost at the border when we noticed a FW-190 chasing us. I was low fuel and really wanted to go home and drown my sorrows, but my wingman had other ideas. While I then flew around in a befuddled haze being pinged left and right, my wingman vented his rage, shooting down 3 of the enemy fighters before we were finally overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemy fighters. Some days you just can't win.

-+BLU+

WHAT’S UP WITH THE HOG?

In the sea of nikis and f6s that seem to dominate the pacific arena these days there are the few that fly the F4U CORSAIR. When Vought first built the coursair there philosophy was this,"find the biggest engine you can and get a airframe to support it." They certainly did and thats how the f4 came to be. It could muscle out 2200hp with its Pratt and Whitney double wasp cyclone radial. The best feature of the F4 was stumbled upon by accident! Landing the aircraft became a problem so they bent the wings so they could accomodate the longer gears needed for carrier landings. This resulted in a "Gull" wing shape. This seemed to cause a faster airflow across the wings ,in other words(it made it go faster;) with the gull wings also came a good roll rate.

Why fly the hog?

1.speeeeeed:) it is very fast and can out run any of the Japanese fighters at most alts (be careful with Nikis, Hellcats, and KI-84’s)

2.Armor, second to p47 [And tied with the Hellcat -- Pace] the f4 is tough:) The F4 has the best ammo load of all fighters in AW! I rarely worry about how much ammo I have left but it can be a concern, I usually run out of fuel before ammo, lol.

When flying the f4, get alt, I suggest you go up to 20k to start your rounds, above 20k the hog is king:) it can out perform all the fighters including niki and f6. BnZ is a good role for the hog, it can hold E better then F6 and niki, and zero. You might want to try some E tactics like spiral climbs on the likes of them if you have a speed advantage. Use the flaps when speeds are 160- 210 with one notch you can out turn nikis and tighten up loop radius. Do not engage F6's at co alt unless you’re both 22k or above. What I like to do if I'm lower then 22k is get in a head on with a f6 and spray him and blow through(means just run at the same heading as the head on), alot of people don't realize this but the f6 is actually a pretty fat target which if in a head on you can easily get some pings to sprout. :)

The Hog takes lots of patience and a good idea of the situation to know where to position your aircraft for an attack. Just the enemy saying "I’ve been killed by an F4?" is enough reason to fly the hog :c).Have fun. [F]

-da bird

The KI-84 in the Pacific.

The Ki-84, or the Frank as some people call it is probably one of the best, but least used fighter in the Pacfic arena. The KI-84 has many strong points that can make it a deadly adversary for any plane in the pacific arena, mainly because it does everything well. Think of it as a Japanese F6f, but with alot more speed.

There is one thing that stands out the most in the Ki-84, and that is its speed. It is the fastest plane in the pacific next to the P-51 mustang, and has very good maneuvering ability at almost any speed above 90 knots and below 345 knots. It also has good guns, with lethality ranking next to the 6 .50 calibers on the American fighters in the arena.To fight well in the KI, you can use almost any fighting technique. You can B+Z in it due to its speed, and you can stallfight in it due to its great maneuverability [Turn rate is comparable to the BF 109F-4 -- Pace].

It has a few vices though. It handles VERY poorly at high altitude.( 15k and up )

It loses all of its speed and maneuvering ability at high altitudes, so keep it at low altitudes to fight. It has poor armor too, like most Japanese planes, so avoid enemy airfields that have ack. It also loses all of its maneuverability and the controls freeze up at speeds above 350 knots, so dont get going too fast if you are in a dogfight.

More people ought to give the KI-84 a try in the pacific. If the Ki-84 is used properly, it can be the most lethal killing machine in the Pacific and nothing will be able to touch it.[F]

-AHBlackjak

Gunning a Bomber

Okay I’m going to admit right from the start that I have never been a good, or even average bomber pilot. However I started my Air Warrior carreer in a bomber squadron. In this particular squadron you started out as a gunner. Once you reached the rank of Capt. you flew fighter escort. When you finally reached the rank of Colonel you became a bomber pilot... I never made it to Colonel. However I found that I was quite good at gunning. In this article I’m going to give you a few strategies on how to be a more lethal gunner.

First off you need to know the positions. Lets start with the B-17: The best position to take in a B-17 is the tail. It has a large coverage area and it is located where most pilots attack from: the rear. In an A-26 it depends: if you are planning a high altitude raid, 25k+ then I would take lower, however if a low attack is planned the upper is recommended. I’m not going to go through ALL of the bombers in AW but I think you get the idea.

Next you must realize that visbility in bombers are usually not good. Therefore always be on your toes as far as calling out “bogeys” try to give a location such as this “Cz 190: 8 o’clock High: range: 4200 and closing ” This tells the pilot that he’s got trouble, If this were actually the case this would most likely be a doomed bomber, as 190’s and niki’s are bad company for any bomber. Back on the subject, calling out enemies helps the pilot in his situational awareness. It also helps the other pilots no where to point their guns. Remember half of the mission is GETTING TO THE TARGET.

Another things bomber gunners do is forget to compensate for the speed of the bomber. This especially pertains to the waist gunners as they are firing at a perpundicular path of the bomber. So you need not only compensate for the target, but you must compensate for the speed of the bomber. With all this said the waist gunner positions are not very popular.

Finally you’d be suprised how many people don’t know you can jump around from position to position in the bomber, granted the pilot can’t jump around but all of the other gunners are free to move: here are some of the commands. It is a “J” followed by the first letter of the position you wish to jump to. <esc> jt <enter> would put you in the tail position, given there is a tail position in your bomber. Likewise <esc> jr <enter> will put you in the right waist position. Easy, huh?

Well I hope you learned something from my first attempt at a bombing related article. See you in the air.[F]

-Pace

The Rush

The air is crisp and cold at 10,000 feet. The drone of your engines is hypnotic. You see the fuel depot ahead and there isn’t a bogy in sight. You engage the autopilot so you can concentrate on bombing while you look through your bomb sight. Suddenly, your tail gunner calls out that 3 Spit’s are approaching fast. Your upper gunner confirms. You look quickly at radar but you see that it’s down. You try to keep calm, and you hope that your gunners are good. Because if they’re not, then you’re destined to be a fireball. You hear the tail gun rat-tat-tatting while your B-17 shakes from the spits’ gunfire. You’re almost above the fuel depot, you only need a few more seconds. You hear an explosion as a spitfire is toasted by your gunners. You adjust you heading slightly, and drop all 12 bombs. You engage your WEP in hopes of gaining a little more power but before you can, one of your engine's stall. You call for your gunners to bail and prepare to do so yourself. The ground is rushing up to you, you grab a parachute and strap it on and…You and your B-17 explode into a ball of flames.

Why is bombing so appealing even though the prospect of being shot down is quite real? I think it’s the feeling of power as you drop 550 pound bombs on some poor unsuspecting target, the sound as your bombs explode, and the elation of the race back to safety. According to AW players, there are many different things to that make bombing appealing. For some, they find that shooting down enemy planes makes the bombing worthwhile. Others find the need for accuracy under fire fun. Still more think the points are the best part. Whatever makes it fun, I know many more people will join the ranks as bomber pilots in time to come. [F]

-Fido

WildCards 305th

Arena: Relaxed Realism Europe 3

Commanding Officer: Ferret-305th*WC*CO* (Dizz)

Current Members:

Mighty Mouse-305th*WC* (~Mous)

Martyr-305th*WC*Ops* (Mrtyr)

Eli-305th*WC* (-JAM-)

Venum-305th*WC* (+USMC)

Sera-305th*WC* (Sera)

Om-305th* WC* (Om)

Favorite Airplanes:

P-38J Lightning

FockeWulf-190A

BF-109 "Franz"

Spitfire MkIX

Squad Night: Thursdays at 1900 EST

OK, here's the first Squadron Bio of AirWarrior for Furball Magazine. First about myself. I've been playing AW since DOS, still got my old number (3477 for you vets). I hate Full Realism, its too hard. So I fly RR, and I like it. I like the 38, the 109, and since 24 Jun 1997, the FW. I have a kill/death ratio of about 2.7/1, so I'm not bad, but I'm not great. Average K/D ratio of WW2 was 1.77/1, or for every 1.77 kills, we had a plane shot down. So I'm above average. Anyways, about the squadron...

We were formed on the Earthink/CompuServe Beta Test in 1996. We flew there as bomber squadron, and gradually we moved into the role of Fighter Assault, complemented by Bomber ops. I am the Ops officer of the squad, and we do have a few sites of our own. Check them out (they're listed at the end). We try to fly in Scenarios, but as we all know, our time together is limited by schedules, availability, money, and time zones. However as a squad or K/D ratio is about 4.8/1. So anyways, thats us. Check out our sites, they are much more concise on our ops, etc. [F]

Squadron Websites:

Dizzy's Page:

http://home.earthlink.net/~Eric808

Martyr's Page: http://members.aol.com/Rascal314/WildCards/

Mouse's Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~dspahrdist

Next Time:

Jadgeschwader 54

"The Green Hearts"

-Martyr

Charge!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past month then you have heard these “Rumors” about a surcharge on AOL games including Air Warrior. I myself am quite confused. Through my writting staff, my friends, and my subscribers I have been hearing conflicting reports on this topic. I’m going to try to clear this up for you. This is the “Official” statement from AOL:

Welcome.

By now you've been hearing rumors, innuendo, complaints, counterarguments, press releases and pop-ups until your brains are probably about to melt right out of your ears. We're going to try to help by putting in official words the information you most want to hear:

"Where is each of the games going to end up? What will be a Premium game, and what will continue to remain unlimited?"

First a little bit of background:

As of July 19th, certain games in the Games Channel will be designated as Premium games. In a moment we'll tell you specifically which Games Channel games are going to be designated as Premium games. You can also get more information about what exactly being a Premium game means in the summary below, or at keyword: PREMIUM.

And now, the Games:

The following games, currently available on AOL in preview / beta test format, will become AOL Premium games upon full commercial launch, currently slated for July 19th. Until full commercial launch, they will remain in free preview mode.

Casino Poker

Castles II

Kesmai Classic Card Games

Dragon's Gate

Harpoon

Hundred Years War

Multiplayer Battletech

Worldplay Backgammon

Worldplay Bridge

Worldplay Cribbage

Worldplay Hearts

Worldplay Gin

Worldplay Spades

In addition, there are many new games coming to premium services. We really are dedicated to bringing you the best games possible! Some prospective titles include Macintosh Air Warrior, Air Warrior II, Legends of Kesmai, Virtual Pool, and Warcraft II.

"But I Don't See 'Game X' On The List!"

The following games will remain on AOL in unlimited pricing mode until at least July 19th. Stay tuned for further news.

Neverwinter Nights

Federation

GemStone III

GemStone: DragonRealms

CyberStrike

Modus Operandi

Air Warrior

"But I Still Don't See 'Game Y' On The List!"

The following games will remain on AOL in unlimited pricing mode for the forseeable future.

MetaSquares

NTN Studio games

Puzzle Zone

RabbitJack's Casino

Slingo

Trivial Pursuit Interactive

Macintosh MetaSquares

Out of Order

Strike a Match 2

In addition, all AOL forum content (including quasi-game forums like the Trivia Parlor and Games Parlor) will remain in unlimited access mode for the forseeable future.

We hope this clears up the confusion. Please refer all your friends to this page and to keyword PREMIUM to get the real, true skinny on what's going on in Games. And come back here often for frequent updates as we get new and interesting information for you!

AOL and Gamers

ANALYSIS---

A recent series of rumors regarding AOL's pricing for online games spooked the Air Warrior community and sent waves of protest into AOL's customer support. These rumors had at their source several key elements that made this panic the most severe to strike the AOL Air Warrior community; these elements were:

1. An established outside corroboration. (an SJ Mercury News article)

2. A distinct mistrust of AOL. (ie: 45 minute message, and poor connects, etc. etc..etc.)

3. The Air Warrior Community loves to gossip. (ie: AWers gossip like a Housewife)

These factors established a wave of fear that traveled the Message Boards and radio bands with complaints and riotous behavior such as spamming. The fact that AOL has consistently given the gamers poor service did nothing to assuage the concern of the average gamer as to AOL's intent.

A Wall Street Journal article reported that AOL would surcharge for a specific PREMIUM service of games and that current games would not be the subjects of a $1.99 per hour surcharge. This information has done little to comfort a segment of the Air Warrior community that continues to attack AOL in regards to the pricing issue. This element of gamers are still pressing their complaints and urging various forms of protest.

The role of the Message Boards in this panic cannot be underestimated. The squad boards were the battle ground of information and dis-information. The ability to post articles to a mass audience allowed the dissemination of the message regarding the "threat". Based upon the level of activity in the message boards and the fact that they were used for anti-AOL propaganda it would not be a surprise to see some sort of future AOL Enforcement of TOS that would require the boards be clear of allegations that are damaging to AOL's image. Certain steps were taken during this Panic to remove messages that were considered spamming by the Forum administrators; indeed the level of immaturity by some gamers gave AOL more than enough ammunition to invoke TOS. A gag on future anti-AOL posts may be forthcoming in the wake of the spike in activity on the boards during this incident.

AOL will undoubtedly resort to TOS in any future disputes. AOL's enforcement of TOS is at times tyrannical, at times nonexistant when it comes to children. AOL will selectively enforce its rules; AOL's excuse for this lack of unity in the enforcement is that the Staff cannot be everywhere at once. AOL is correct about the difficulty in the supervision of 8 million members. Recent AOL actions are evidence that TOS and its enforcement must be examined closely. A respected AWer had his accounts Frozen by the TOS police for pulling a newbie's leg in the AW chat room. The accounts were frozen without any notification or questioning. AOL is making it a practice to YANK accounts without giving individuals a chance to answer an alleged TOS violation. This newbie's complaint to AOL resulted in a swift response unlike other complaints to AOL which still remain unanswered. No consideration that this newbie's complaint may have been false were contemplated by the TOS Police. With the continued exercise of these Draconian tactics perhaps TOS Police is too mild. The current enforcement activity has taken the tack of ignoring the dweebs, mostly children, who flagrantly use profanity and to religiously punish those that might practical joke.

The fear of gamers can be summarized in that they have been given no reason to trust AOL. The average AWer has suffered the 45 minute message and horrendous connection troubles. Now a TOS Police and informer dweebs stand at the ready to wreak havoc in the AW arenas. No joking or kidding in the arenas will be a fundamental change from the relaxed and fun atmosphere of the past. The panic may have arrived early in regards to pricing; however, at this time a concern over AOL's direction and its policies are warranted.[F]

-Alan

We leave you with a FAQ concerning this new pricing plan.

1. What are Premium Games?

Premium games, as offered in the new AOL Games Channel, will include the

newest, hottest, multi-player games in cyberspace. You can help us beta-test

some of these games for free until July 19. Just click the top button of this

area to visit the WorldPlay game area.

2. What will Premium Games cost?

Your first hour on any new Premium Game is free. After that, Premium Games

will cost just $1.99 per hour in addition to your regular monthly membership

fee.

3. Will I have to pay for games currently available on AOL?

The $1.99/hour surcharge will apply only to Premium Games. All other games

will continue to be offered free of any additional charges.

4. How will I know which games are free and which are premium?

Once premium services are launched, each premium-service game will be clearly

labeled. Plus, the Games Channel's "Find" feature (on the bottom of the Games

Channel main screen) will tell you if a game is free or premium. And, of

course, you always will be alerted when you are about to enter a premium

services area.

5. Who's WorldPlay?

WorldPlay Entertainment, one of the world's top developers of interactive

games and entertainment, will be the major provider of content for AOL Games.

WorldPlay raises the online gaming experience to a whole new level.

PARENTAL CONTROLS

7. I'm a parent and don't want my children playing premium games. Can I

control their use?

Yes. Use AOL's exclusive "Parental Controls" to control your kids’ access to

premium areas. Screen names you designate as "Child" or "Teen" will NOT have

access to premium games unless you give them access. The default setting for

"Child" and "Teen" is "no access."

As kids grow up, their online access can expand, and Parental Controls can be

changed at any time. But remember: no system of online controls makes up for

good, old-fashioned parental supervision. Please monitor your kid’s use of

AOL and make sure he or she understands AOL’s Safety Tips. For more

information, go to Keyword: Parental Controls.

BILLING

8. How do I know if I'm being charged for playing a game?

You'll always will be alerted when you're about to enter a premium services

area.

You can check the status of your account at any time: up-to-the-minute

billing information will be immediately available whenever you leave a

premium area.

9. I’m enrolled in the AOL light/limited usage plan. Will playing a

premium game count against my monthly free time?

No, it will be billed separately and will appear separately on your monthly

bill.

10. I paid for two years of unlimited access in advance. How does this

affect my bill?

You'll be billed separately for any premium game usage.

11. I’m still on my free monthly trial. Does this count against my free

time?

No. The charges for playing premium games will be billed to you separately.

12. How can I find out how much time I've spent playing premium games?

Up-to-the-minute information about your account is available at Keyword:

Billing.

13. How do I keep track of the free trial time you’re giving me for each

game?

If you have free-trial time remaining in a game, an alert message will pop

up, when you enter that game, telling you how much time remains. Another

message will pop up when you leave, telling you how much free-trial time is

left in that game.

PLAYING

14. Where do I go if I have a problem or find a bug while I'm playing?

Games in Beta Testing have bug report forms you can fill out, usually on the

game's main screen or on the "Play" form. (If you do find a problem with a

game, please fill out a bug report form. Informing us about bugs helps us

quickly find them and fix them.)

Most launched games have "help" areas, accessible from the game's main

screen. These areas give answers to frequently-asked questions, provide help

for new players, and often allow you to contact the game's technical support

folks. You should also check the game's message board areas for more in-depth

information.

Finally, you can check out Keyword: Games Help for live Games Channel

technical support. Currently, this area is manned by Games Channel tech

support folks during prime time, from 7:00pm to 1:00am, Eastern Time.

15. Where do I go if my session is interrupted while playing a game, and I

need time credited to my account?

Go to Keyword: Credit to report an interrupted session. The credit should

appear on your account within a few days.

16. Is there a CD available for these games?

Whenever a CD for a particular games becomes available, we’ll announce it

throughout the Games Channel and especially in the WorldPlay area.

17. How do I find a game to play?

The Games Channel is currently undergoing a major redesign, which will make

finding games much easier and quicker. Until the redesign is complete, the

best way to find games is to use the "Find" button on the bottom of the Games

main screen. This feature will provide a list of all of the games in the

Channel. You can also "surf" through the various games sub-channels --

Action, Adventure, Classic and so on. And of course, we'll promote hot titles

throughout the Channel.

Credits

Thanks to the Writing Staff : da bird, AHBlackjak, Alan, +BLU+, Martyr, and Fido

Also Thanks to: BaMa, Vet, and Chkl1

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