After I'd experienced the one and only 'launcher.exe has stopped working' error, I was able to air start over the Isle of Sheppey, which is probably a wise thing.
I was pootling on the ATAG server which has had good feedback from the strong and the true Clodites - balanced game play and basic maps. There were ~80 players on plus some AI to be had, the weather was good with clouds at about angels 3, but there was still a nasty taste of boche in the air.....
Messaging from the server was good but unfortunately I spawned alone without the friendly faces of Biffer, Smudge and Mouse Tiddley to keep me company. I brought up the map, which to be fair is useless at that scale. I must look into blowing the damned thing up. Anyway I headed SE to the coast of the mainland and towards Ramsgate.
Sitting in the office of the 100 octane Spitfire 1a was fine. I brought down the RPM's to around 2800 with the pitch wibbly and climbed to angels 10 over Manston. Anything over angels 12 and I had to throttle back regardless of what I did with the mixture, or the engine start to buck around. I'll have to look at that. Also I think the fuel gauge doesn't work. I'll have to get Wilkins to look at that one.
I headed towards towards Lympe, using one of Nurse Crabtree's tautest garters to keep the compass in check when Control broadcast a number of contacts around Charlie 8, so off I went!! At around angels 11 I saw 3 bogeys hove into view at 10 o'clock level movinging fast from the channel in land!! I'd been aloft for ~20 minutes so I first thought "Huzzar - if only the girls at Madam Fi-Fi's oculd see met now!!" Then the 3 contacts changed course and circled at what must have been over a mile away - I then remembered that I was alone...
In a very brave way, with my head firmly down as far as it could go I inverted and dove towards the deck - yes I said "bravely"! Hitting about 420mph IAS I levelled out using the trim wheel into a whirling mass of what I could see as Spitfires. 'What's this' I thought 'Have I just wasted my height advantage to run from Sptifires', but then flak started going off and after a few turns I saw a couple of Spitfires chasing a 109. Did I leave them to joust with their mortal foe unhindered? Did I heck - I joined in and got a hit in before one of the other 'Red and Trues' clobbered it and the Blue kites engine stopped and the canopy was ejected. A minor damaged on my part. Not bad for a first flight.
"Is that it Badger you wet lettuce leaf!?" I hear you say! No it wasn't!! whilst at about angels 1 I saw more flak so headed over narrowly missing engaging a Hurricane when I saw a 109 chasing a Spitfire both in a climb. Could I catch it? Could I heck, so spent the next 2-3 minutes following it climbing to around angels 3. Pretty dull and always aware that I was low enough to be bounce and culled extremely easily when - what is this..... a 109 basses over head - just - from 9oclock to 1 o'clockand about 180 metres away!! I can't believe it!! Pitch to fine, rad open throttle to gate - I line up and let the leather shorts wearing cad have a burst!! Hits, Hits, glycol, he then climbs but has no power. He swings round and tries to yo-yo but I catch him again , then again in a turn. I pass overhead and see his engine stop. I test my guns to see if it's worth a return, but I'm empty. No you're right, he was done for so why would I resort to such beastliness....
Off home I went followed by some tracer and a long 20mm burst which was stopped by a couple of Hurricanes who must have been watching. Not sure what went on there, but thanks and good luck to them. Landed back at Eastchurch after 40 to 45 minutes in the air. I'm claiming 1 damaged and 1 probable.
A good flight with no hitches. Apart from the initial crash I had no issues and the game ran fine. I think the ATAG servers switch a lot of the features off and to be honest that was fine. I was on CAP so the ground clutter wan't important till I was in attacking-retreat-mode....
I'll post the next sorties in a separate thead when it happens...
Smedly - Out
