2011 Race Event 1 - Southwest Pacific Tour
- Thread starter PRB
- Start date
stormtrooper271
Charter Member
You mean the flight-slide-rule thing? Absolutely! We're trying to make the navigation a little more difficult than following the red line on the GPS. I initially wanted to outlaw drift gauges, and groud speed gauges as well, but decided at the last minute that might be pushing it a bit!
Yep, that thing! I am probably going to participate if I don't suddenly end up with a big assignment for school.
Hope you can make it. If we get to the end of the 30 day period and some pilots are not done, we will extend the dead line, no worries there. It's all about fun, and less about rules...
The Mossie is a touch choice. Here's the reasoning: While it was originally conceived as a bomber, right from the start it was employed as a bomber, fighter, and photo recon ship. For this event the Mossie “family” has to categorized in one class. Since two of the roles in which it was primarily employed was fighter and “the other thing we use fighters for” (PR), we have decided to classify it as a fighter. The other thing is, when we run across ambiguous types such as this, we will classify in favor of competitiveness, meaning we don't want all the bomber pilots choosing the Mosquito for this event...
apollosmith
Members +
I dusted off the E6B and ran a few of the legs tonight. There are enough NDBs in the area, if you have a good grasp of ADF/NDB navigation, it should be pretty easy to complete with only the original panel equipment. And there are lots of visual landmarks to go by. Drift angle, ground speed, or wind gauges won't be authentic anyway, but might come in handy if winds or visibility are quite bad.
I'm really looking forward to this event and polishing up my navigation skills. Can't wait for May 1!
I'm really looking forward to this event and polishing up my navigation skills. Can't wait for May 1!
Hey All,
It is unfortunate that a plane with the history and heritage of the De Havilland mosquito cannot be competitive in a SOH event. Putting it in the fighter class puts it near the bottom while in the bomber and transport class (which it also was) it would be at or near the top. I do understand where your coming from though.
Just so your aware over 2 of every 3 missions (over 70% actually) that the Mossie flew in WWII were bombing runs. The Mossie flew:
28,639 bombing missions
11,156 other missions
39,795 total missions
Source:Lancaster Squadrons 1942-43, Jon Lake, 2002
See this table:
http://www.wwiivehicles.com/unitedkingdom/aircraft/operations-losses-tonnage.asp
Of course as great a plane as the Mossie was the best thing it did was give birth to the Hornet!
-Ed-
It is unfortunate that a plane with the history and heritage of the De Havilland mosquito cannot be competitive in a SOH event. Putting it in the fighter class puts it near the bottom while in the bomber and transport class (which it also was) it would be at or near the top. I do understand where your coming from though.
Just so your aware over 2 of every 3 missions (over 70% actually) that the Mossie flew in WWII were bombing runs. The Mossie flew:
28,639 bombing missions
11,156 other missions
39,795 total missions
Source:Lancaster Squadrons 1942-43, Jon Lake, 2002
See this table:
http://www.wwiivehicles.com/unitedkingdom/aircraft/operations-losses-tonnage.asp
Of course as great a plane as the Mossie was the best thing it did was give birth to the Hornet!
-Ed-
Willy
Administrator
The thing is that if we allow the Mosquito as a bomber, then it will turn into a Mosquito event as no other bomber can compete with it. While not specifically stated in the rules, this event was conceived as a flight through the Southwest Pacific in early WWII period aircraft that were significant there. We threw in the idea of a race with navigation exercises using period methods to make it more interesting. Personally, I don't want the kind of advantage over the other competitors that flying a Mosquito as a bomber would bring. This is more about the sportsmanship and camaraderie than anything else.
srgalahad
Charter Member 2022
Oh great ... donuts and coffee on the carriers ... GI beans and "K" rations on the AAF aircraft ... [that GI isn't short for Government Issue either] ...
When will I ever learn?
If you are going to require/use the GI Beans, don't forget your
dcc
P-38 nut
It is meant to apply to major models. For example, the P-51H cannot play, but other models of the P-51, which were available, can. If the P-38J-15 was in production by the 1 July cutoff, but not the J-25, then any J model Lightning is good.
Thanks Paul. Glad to hear the P-51H is out.
I was thinking of flying the P-38M. Deliveries of the P-38L-1-LO began June '44, presumably to combat units, but the planes didn't reach theatres of operation for several more months. P-38L-5 came a few months later. All 75 P-38M's were post-production conversions of existing L-5's, so I'm guessing it would be eligible (by a bit of a stretch of the "letter" of the law) but it sounds like I should probably pick something a bit earlier to be in the true the "spirit" of the law (early war era).
I'm scheduled to be away on business half of May though, so I'm not sure I'm going to enter the race just yet.
- dcc