For the first time I started a career in BoS for the Russians, early stage of battle of Moscow. Was assigned an I-16, how could they possibly expect to win the air war against the Luftwaffe with these piece of crap dinosaur age flying coffins... My first mission was to attack a convoy of german bombers, they were Ju-88 bombers escorted by a wing of BF-209's, I struggled to even catch up with the bombers in this decaying underpowered piece of manure, and shortly after the BF-209's easily made short work on my plane and I had to parachute out...
Definitively going to be a challenge
Definitively going to be a challenge
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The stubby little plane, it has always looked like a toy plane to me. I can't say if it's the I-16 that's shaped like a toy, or if all toy planes were designed after the I-16. Just look at it, it's so cute, you'd almost expect it to squeak when it get pierced by incendiary tracers, instead of just plain boringly go down in flames.
Back in CloD land, I ended up downloading the RAF and Lutwaffe Redux campaigns that were made for the Team Fusion mod, of course working as well with Blitz since it's really still that. Replaying now the RAF campaign, it keeps the general mission structure of the original but it's way, way better both in writing and set up, now they look like actual proper missions and you look like an actual proper poor chap, in the wrong place at the wrong time. Got a sortie to intercept some formation of 110s, 20000ft over the Channel headed for Tangmere; nothing like the original missions, this one was a real furball, must have been at least a dozen 110s and about as many of us (not that much for historic numbers, but the game does what it can), meanwhile the radio announced Dorniers in another quadrant that I could see casually strolling around the coast from the map, and somehow a couple 109s out of nowhere joined the brawl over the Channel but were promptly turned into boats by AI Hurricanes. I managed to down a 110 (as requested for mission completion), and while I was aiming at another's control surfaces, I got jumped from behind ending up with all sorts of hydraulics leaks and engine failures, plus half my weapons and ammo belts knocked out, still several miles off the coast. Aimed for Tangmere nonetheless and somehow managed to reach it, if only to land juuust a tad short of the runway...
...but hey, a landing is still a landing, isn't it?
Got my wings literally stripped away sliding between two trees, on the last treeline before the airfield...at least my pants were still blue when I stopped.
Back in CloD land, I ended up downloading the RAF and Lutwaffe Redux campaigns that were made for the Team Fusion mod, of course working as well with Blitz since it's really still that. Replaying now the RAF campaign, it keeps the general mission structure of the original but it's way, way better both in writing and set up, now they look like actual proper missions and you look like an actual proper poor chap, in the wrong place at the wrong time. Got a sortie to intercept some formation of 110s, 20000ft over the Channel headed for Tangmere; nothing like the original missions, this one was a real furball, must have been at least a dozen 110s and about as many of us (not that much for historic numbers, but the game does what it can), meanwhile the radio announced Dorniers in another quadrant that I could see casually strolling around the coast from the map, and somehow a couple 109s out of nowhere joined the brawl over the Channel but were promptly turned into boats by AI Hurricanes. I managed to down a 110 (as requested for mission completion), and while I was aiming at another's control surfaces, I got jumped from behind ending up with all sorts of hydraulics leaks and engine failures, plus half my weapons and ammo belts knocked out, still several miles off the coast. Aimed for Tangmere nonetheless and somehow managed to reach it, if only to land juuust a tad short of the runway...
...but hey, a landing is still a landing, isn't it?
Got my wings literally stripped away sliding between two trees, on the last treeline before the airfield...at least my pants were still blue when I stopped.
Can you stick a link up for the download of the Redux campaigns? I can't for love nor money find them...although I was sure I already had them installed.
@Mole HD - here they are:
Il2 CloD Redux campaigns
Got to the point where I'm transferred from Tangmere to the Spitfire squadron at Manston (so long Hurricane, it's been fun again), with orders to fly along the coast even if more dangerous (because, reasons), but at 20000ft to have altitude in case of Jerries (because, good reasons), my CO will escort me there since he wants to have a few words with my new boss there. I take off and slowly start climbing to altitude, my wing is nowhere to be seen from the moment of takeoff up until the arrival at Manston. Guess he sorted out with a Zoom call. Anyway, since I'm the most embarassing pilot the RAF ever had the luck to enlist, I decide that 25000 is better than 20000 and make a beeline for Manston, not even the several 109s along the way bother reaching so high for poor me. From there just a nice, boring cruise until I see the now familiar shape of the Thanet area and start the descent.
At 15000ft, "Hydraulics failure". But why.
The planes keep behaving normally, so I start to suspect what's going to be involved with the hydraulics failure...I play it cool and ask for landing clearance, I even join the circuit to loose altitude without reaching relativistic speeds, like any barely functional RAF member...when I finally line up for final approach, I'm absolutely not shocked to see my landing gear won't come down . What leaves me mildly more shocked though, is seeing another Hurricane coming in for a landing, from the opposite direction. Who the hell is in charge of ATC there? Anyway, not really my problem, since a belly landing also makes for an extremely short one. But a landing is still a landing, uh?
(The other Hurricane passed by while slowing down, as if it was just any other Tuesday....)
Still hugely more fun than the original missions.
Il2 CloD Redux campaigns
Got to the point where I'm transferred from Tangmere to the Spitfire squadron at Manston (so long Hurricane, it's been fun again), with orders to fly along the coast even if more dangerous (because, reasons), but at 20000ft to have altitude in case of Jerries (because, good reasons), my CO will escort me there since he wants to have a few words with my new boss there. I take off and slowly start climbing to altitude, my wing is nowhere to be seen from the moment of takeoff up until the arrival at Manston. Guess he sorted out with a Zoom call. Anyway, since I'm the most embarassing pilot the RAF ever had the luck to enlist, I decide that 25000 is better than 20000 and make a beeline for Manston, not even the several 109s along the way bother reaching so high for poor me. From there just a nice, boring cruise until I see the now familiar shape of the Thanet area and start the descent.
At 15000ft, "Hydraulics failure". But why.
The planes keep behaving normally, so I start to suspect what's going to be involved with the hydraulics failure...I play it cool and ask for landing clearance, I even join the circuit to loose altitude without reaching relativistic speeds, like any barely functional RAF member...when I finally line up for final approach, I'm absolutely not shocked to see my landing gear won't come down
. What leaves me mildly more shocked though, is seeing another Hurricane coming in for a landing, from the opposite direction. Who the hell is in charge of ATC there? Anyway, not really my problem, since a belly landing also makes for an extremely short one. But a landing is still a landing, uh?(The other Hurricane passed by while slowing down, as if it was just any other Tuesday....)
Still hugely more fun than the original missions.
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My 'landings' in CloD.... erm.... and BoS... and DCS.... are temperamental. I'm blaming my... erm... socks.........
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I find the landings on IL-2 BoS to be far harder than on MSFS2020 (or XP11) for instance.
I find that on Il-2 it's much harder to slow down, planes seem to have enormous momentum and lose speed much more slowly, even after dropping the landing gear and flaps. And of course the propellers having an actual collision model also requires much more careful landings, after all you never really played IL-2 until you wrecked your propeller blades during landing or even takeoff, or sent your plane into a spin during braking on the ground
...after all you never really played IL-2 until you wrecked your propeller blades during landing or even takeoff, or sent your plane into a spin during braking on the ground
All sorted chief!
Absolutely, I'm still finding all but impossible in CloD to land either a Brit or a German plane with less than three-four huge bounces, and that's when it's a clean landing ending with a working propeller and gear/brakes. Then you leave it on autopilot and see this totally improbable, totally clean touchdown without the slightest hint of a bump, as if there was an imaginary rail beautifully sloped from the sky to the ground. I don't have that much of a problem slowing them down (on the contrary, I have a worrying tendency to coming in short), but no way I can't slam wheels down with the force of a minor meteorite. And don't start me on taking off with the 109, I admit my rudder authority with the twist yaw is on the embarassing side, but I can bet it would be far easier to keep it straight in real life than on that sim.
Meanwhile, I enjoy my clean and smooth take offs and landings with my beloved DR400 in FS2020. The DR400 having the torque/horsepower of a couple cylinder of a 109's engine might have to do with that as well.
All sorted chief!
Your second picture in particular feels quite familiar, it might accurately describe plenty of my own landings.
I've since developed this instinct, if I think I might be going too fast for landing, it's because I am definitively way too fast for landing.
I think most of this feeling can be caused by a combination of these factors:
- Most of the planes in IL-2 are much faster than most of the planes in MSFS (excluding the jets, and perhaps the TBM 930 turboprop), so they take longer to shed speed during approach to landing. As most planes in MSFS are much slower, they are also easier to manouver smoothly.
- All the planes in IL-2 are tail draggers, which are notoriously harder to land smoothly that conventional modern airplanes. In MSFS2020 only a few planes are taildraggers. They are also harder to brake smoothly than conventional modern planes.
- Collision damage in MSFS is much more forgiving, so we can get away even with extremely hard landings that would most likely destroy the landing gear.
- The propellers in IL-2 have a hitbox, while the ones in MSFS do not, which makes it easier to land even the taildraggers in MSFS as you don't need to worry about touching the ground with the propeller blades..
Anyway, this is not a "IL-2 vs MSFS" comment, just random observations, I am completely in love with both these games and call myself fortunate for the current variety of fantastic flight sims.
Amen to that. And as a fresh VR user, I'm looking at BoS ever more lasciviously. (That is, as soon as I get to grips with mild nausea and the prospect of a much needed PC and stick upgrade
)
A good landing requires a good approach Go to the quick mission builder start on the runway, preferably a concrete one so you can see where you are going and lining up, and do some touch and goes. If you want tricycle U/C try the P-38 and P-39 Watch some of the Requiem videos on youtube for take off and landing advise
Go to the quick mission builder start on the runway, preferably a concrete one so you can see where you are going and lining up, and do some touch and goes. If you want tricycle U/C try the P-38 and P-39 Watch some of the Requiem videos on youtube for take off and landing adviseJason said the Ju-52 was going to be AI only....... We can only hope it happens again.
Well I indeed doubt they went through the work of implementing paratroop drop and resupply missions in career mode exclusively for the Ju-52, so there's hope for the C-47 (and others)
I would love to be able to fly the C-47. It's basically a rebranded DC-3, which is one of the most iconic and game-changing airplanes in the history of aviation. There are some still flying today.
Some of them at Duxford last JuneWell I indeed doubt they went through the work of implementing paratroop drop and resupply missions in career mode exclusively for the Ju-52, so there's hope for the C-47 (and others)
I would love to be able to fly the C-47. It's basically a rebranded DC-3, which is one of the most iconic and game-changing airplanes in the history of aviation. There are some still flying today.
Great pics, thanks for sharing.
One of the things I miss the most from the pre-pandemic era, is the annual Air Force anniversary airshow, where the public can spend an entire day in an airforce base, with planes and helicopters from several eras are open for visit and there's airborne demonstrations running for the whole day with tons of different planets and helis, civilian and military. I still remember the first time I went, arriving at the parking lot outside the base, after having a nice picnic by the river nearby with the family, opening the car door and getting up, and immediately getting my eardrums violently assaulted by 2 F-16's taking off with afterburners. What an fine intro, I thought!
Good times...
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