HI folks!

[alcxam]

Excellent resource - thanks to all the great people involved - I'm just about to download some sweet missions for SP...
Cheers!!

[ATAG_Knight]

Hi alcxam

Good to meet you sir and do enjoy the missions

[ATAG_Marlow]

Hi alcxam.......you are very welcome! Fill yer boots!

And when you have had a good shot at single player, please come and try multiplayer with us! That's where this sim really shines and the cameraderie of cooperating and sharing sorties with like minded sim pilots adds another dimension, that few of us would want to be without...especially in these covid lockdown times!

I flew single player for a whole year back in 2015. Loved it! Didn't learn that much about air fighting, however, because I found the AI aircraft became more and more predictable. Often they refused to fight back and just sat there, flying straight and level, until shot down. This was very unsatisfying so I began to search for something else. I found it on YouTube, in a vid produced by ACG, called 'The Beginning of the End.' Have a look:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6u4JxgE2S4&t=169s


When I realised that all the aircraft were controlled by real people, all cooperating together, I was amazed. Of course, this vid was produced using an older version of Cliffs of Dover and, as you know, things are improved still further, thanks to the magnificent work of Team Fusion Simulations. So, I built a computer capable of running the sim (Confession: my son built the computer with his best mate!) and eventually discovered head tracking, in the form of Track Ir5. After a year of single player, I felt I must try multiplayer and eventually plucked up the courage to log onto the ATAG Axis v Allies server. Pure chance I chose that one. I took off from Lympne and flew east towards Dover. I knew my way around thanks to my year in single player but that didn't help much because I still knew very little about air fighting.

Reaching Dover, something compelled me to look round, and after fumbling with my hat switch.... I shall never forget the shock of seeing a yellow spinner right behind me. Those 109's are beautiful but totally scary when they're behind you!! The inevitable happened and I ended up in a 'brolly' over Dover harbour....stunned...a bit shocked really, but filled with elation! This was it! The real thing....well near as dammit! I then bought Track Ir5 so I could be competitive and set about learning the art of air fighting...against real pilots...and we have some of the very best 109 pilots in the whole flight sim community! It's a massive challenge but if it appeals to you...come and join us!

One reason why I stayed away from multiplayer was because I believed a lot of 'horrible'....unpleasant people would be on line and I would have to contend with them. When I first logged on, I felt I was intruding in somebody elses private club, or party. However, I downloaded Team Speak and immediately was sucked into the Community...because we probably have one of the friendliest, and most supportive on line Communities anywhere....and we are world wide! I was hugely helped by many members who gave me tips on my set up, information windows, Team Speak and on how to survive a bounce by a 109. I still get shot down today but, hey, after 5 years I'm still learning. This sim really does provide an endless challenge!

If, and when, you ever feel like a 'tour' of the on line world of Cliffs of Dover, drop me a line (or a Pm,) either in this thread or privately, on the Forum and we can go for a 'spin' together.......somewhere quiet on the server where (hopefully) you won't get shot down!

In the meantime, good luck with your downloading and remember...as my first ATAG mentor used to say to me....it's all about the fun! Salute!

[ATAG_Bubba]

Hi there Alcxam,
Welcome! I second Marlow's suggestion. I still enjoy single player, but the online experience takes things to a whole new level. It is challenging but great fun and it really brings the sim to life.
Say hi if you pop onto Teamspeak!
Bubba

[ATAG_Pattle]

Welcome mate.

Get stuck in and have fun.

Need any help, sing out. Our community is second to none in helping each other out.

Cheers,

Pattle

[Meaks]

Welcome Alcxam,enjoy yourself mate,as others have pointed out,if you need any help,just shout

@Marlow.....Oh yes,the old IL2 Cliffs of Dover "The Beginning of the End" video,I was in this,flying for my old 501 Squadron in Ginger Lacey's Hurricane SD-G P2793,in those days I was 501_Meaker,we did this,to one,showcase iL2 Cliffs Of Dover,and two,as a recruitment drive to get other guys interested....it worked a treat.

Here's the other one we did for those interested

[ATAG_Marlow]

@Marlow.....Oh yes,the old IL2 Cliffs of Dover "The Beginning of the End" video,I was in this,flying for my old 501 Squadron in Ginger Lacey's Hurricane SD-G P2793,in those days I was 501_Meaker,we did this,to one,showcase iL2 Cliffs Of Dover,and two,as a recruitment drive to get other guys interested....it worked a treat.

Certainly did, Meaks.....cos I was well impressed! Fell for it...hook, line and sinker!

Incidently, we used to live next door to 'Ginger' Lacey when Dad was at RAF Wildenrath. (1967 - 1968) Very quiet guy who rarely talked about his wartime career. I think he saw it as 'his duty' and he just did it....as so many of that superb generation did! Dad was Air Traffic Control and used to design the Battle of Britain weekend flying displays. I loved 'em. We had free reign over the airfield, could wander into all the hangars and got to sit in various aircraft. It was my fave weekend. We also watched the Black Arrows...F104's (lethal machines) and of course, the Red Arrows in their earlier Gnats. Dad's Air Display design was eventually used across the whole RAF network.

Wildenrath was home to Canberra fighter bombers which could be nuclear armed. I still remember being very frightened when the siren used to go off at 4am in the morning for another 'Alert!' Horrible, horrible sound! Dad used to have to jump out of bed and rush 'down the hole' for nuclear attack exercises that lasted days! Scary times!

[56RAF_stickz]

and yet we had guys that could sleep through those alarms going off. I was never in a position to think about it wrt having a family next door. Lightning and vulcan survival scrambles were pretty impressive to see (hear actually) 24 trying to get airborne in 5minutes lived in your memory. The ground shook, your stomach churned with the rumble specially if you were sat at runway threshold marshalling them out 100yds from pairs reheat being engaged. Of course "survival" was a relative term, specially lightnings that was gonna run outta gas in 40minutes. I dont remember it ever being discussed apart from " I intend to be underneath to catch it". We had a squadron stats clerk used to have to go downstairs, after said if it was real, no way was he going down there cos they wouldnt need stats and he didnt want to have to think about coming back up. Submariners were the ones we felt sorry for.
But the 104 wasnt really as lethal as its rep. The LW struggled with it, but danes, norwegians, dutch and particularly the Italians had few problems. It was being shoe horned into ground attack and low level role made it more of a problem. Single engine, bird strikes, 1950/60 avionics, poor flying weather at low level destroy most planes. But some suggest the Germans struggled because of the restrictions that had previously been imposed on them for training and flying. It wasnt a plane to learn on. The Canadians accident rate was similar to that of F86 which had the opposite reputation.
I would dread to think what our lightnings would have made if the rocket pods/bombs mods made for export versions had been taken and they were put into same role.