Flying and Skip Bombing the Blenheim on Cockpit Instruments

[ATAG_Dutch]

Originally Posted by ATAG_knuckles

Lets go Bomb crap !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amen to that!

[Blackdog_kt]

So, i just came off ATAG, which i had joined to have some quick action when Bliss told us he wanted some people to join the ATAG #2 and test some improvements to the mission.

I hopped in a Blenheim and did a run on the blue ships, sinking two tankers. Then i took a 5 min break and by the time i got back, Dutch had finished getting killed by a Minenshuchboot and Jimbop had logged in.

So, after they told me that the Blenheim doesn't seem to suffer that much from the CTD bug (they had a formation of four going before), we decided to team up and head out.

I think it was Dutch who forgot his rads and cooked the engines on take off, so i followed Jimbop out over the channel and towards a target at Desvres. I was just formatting on him, listening on TS but with no mic myself, so i just waited to see him drop.

At some point i see his bomb bay doors open, i follow suit and drop after him (we were at about 5000ft). He said he would go low to see what we hit and i followed but i couldn't see much...i had too much fun dodging flak and following him through the hills

The target was very well laid out and it almost made me sorry we didn't go low level to skip bomb it. By that time Jimbop had been shot down. However, Dutch had caught up, on his own ingress route and going in at tree top height, so i stuck around to draw some flak for him. I was doing fine until i decided to strafe the tents with my measly single .303 gun

Flak didn't get me but just like when i used to play IL2 back in 2001, my GPU wasn't fast enough to take all that smoke in zoomed in view, i got a couple of skipped frames and crashed right next to the target...which then enabled me to sit there and take screenshots

I like this aircraft more and more each day, if you get a feel about anticipating changes to engine temps you can really throw it around the place. I can finally fly confidently without looking over my shoulder to the CHT temps all the time, i just close flaps a bit when i'm about to cut throttle and get in a long dive, or open them a bit when i want a brief burst of high power, etc. Then i only look at the gauges briefly when i have the time to, not when i'm busy executing maneuvers. It takes some getting used to, but it's lot's of fun when you get it down.

Yesterday i was on ATAG #1 again and after making a run on the blue ships, i picked up a 109 "escort".

I got hit and my starboard wing was on fire because the fuel lines were hit, but the engines were going strong at +5 boost, so i thought "what the heck" and decided to see what she can do.

I kid you not, i don't know if it was the fact that i was losing fuel and getting lighter, but i was evading the 109 all the way to the UK coast. At some point i got into a scissors contest with him, which of course i couldn't win but came close to...the guy was forced to drop landing gear to stay behind me, because i was doing reversals and barrel rolls at 90mph a mere 500ft from the water surface

I lost my starboard engine when i pulled up to gain some altitude and spot a suitable landing place, he got some good hits on me and the engine came clean off the wing. I put it down on the beach, no problems at all until i came too close to the water and triggered the "sinking" animation...it flipped over on its back and i was looking at the sand from inside the ground

All in all great fun. Here's some screenshots from today's test run on ATAG #2 with Dutch and Jimbop.

[Blackdog_kt]

... and the rest.

[ATAG_Dutch]

Heh, heh. Yep that was a blast.

When I crossed the enemy coast, flying up the river estuary at zero feet, calling out for directions to the target, with BD and Jimbo giving me instructions, I suddenly got the theme tune from 633 squadron going through my head.

And what's more, we destroyed the target.

Bloody marvellous.

[jimbop]

Good shots, Blackdog. I didn't realise you could hear me on teamspeak or I'd have given much more precise drop instructions. Should have realised it was just a missing mic. I didn't even realise it was you until after the flight! Loads of fun - I think the new mission is going to be really good.

Here's one of my pics from the mission, taken just after Dutch had wiped them out. I was watching when he dove and though he'd missed since I saw dust from two impacts hit just after the target. I realised he had an impact delay set when boom! Up they went.

And yes, that is my crater... The low level flak is brutal.

[ATAG_Dutch]

Originally Posted by jimbop

I think the new mission is going to be really good.

Just came off ATAG No.1 server with the new mission running.

Red team won, having taken out all three bombing objectives.

Excellent work, Blenheim pilots!

[ATAG_knuckles]

This is what I'm looking for in the near future: !!




Knuckles

[ATAG_Dutch]

Originally Posted by jimbop

It's just occured to me looking at this shot again, why some people seem to find the targets more easily than me when online.

TREES!

Those tanks are almost completely hidden, with trees set to 'high' as mine are.

Jimbop obviously has them 'off'.

Me, I prefer having them for realism, but it's a thought for all bomber pilots hunting for targets!

[ATAG_knuckles]

Dutch

Very interesting point ! and certainly something to consider.

However I think "finding" the target might not be the main issue, we know where the targets are, my problem is keeping them lined up for the bomb run with the limited visibility due to the bomb aimers panel and instrument panel'

your thoughts:

also a previous post (cant remember where) listed the inaccuracy of the real Blenheim, and their use of "Carpet Bombing" which would certainly work if we had at least 3 aircraft, 4 or 5 would be best

Knuckles