Gratz =AVG=S.L.N.

[Medar]

Congrats on graduating BFS tonight...was a good time flying with your class!

[Space]

Salute S.L.N. !

[S.L.N]

yeah, still not happy with the way i fly though.............

Maybe i set my bar too high and cant figure out why the hell i cant reach it
oh well dont know, just know I want to get better....

[Hawk]

You can have anything you want, if you are willing to pay for it, and being a really good pilot comes at the price of practice, patience, and perseverance. Congratulations on making your first down payment toward becoming a really good pilot by successfully completing Joint Ops BFS.

[BigO]

S! S.L.N

Congratulations on completing BFS.

Now you have some good tools to practice and become the pilot you want to be.

See you in the sky

[Tiger]

S!~ Sir,

Congratulations on completing Joint-Ops BFS. As BigO has said, it gives you tools to become the pilot that you want to be. You don't magically become better because Joint-Ops sends you an image of your diploma (although it is rather cool).

In additition, we are developing a training program for the =AVG=. We intend to build on the training that you received in BFS, and we encourage you to take more classes at Joint-Ops.

[S.L.N]

ooh a ribbon

I didnt expect to magically be good, I guess what Im saying is i wont be happy till i can go out, get multiple kills, and return alive consecutively

[Medar]

S.L.N - anytime you want to work on flying in terms of a learning capacity...let me know (however I am not magic either!!). I of course don't know everything there is to know, but I can hold my own against Wolf half the time (and the other half he gets me)...and I consider Wolf a very good pilot! He, Hollywood, Bear, Bojan, and OB (god forbid) are the JO Pilots I love going up against to see how I am improving.

A lot of "getting better" is knowledge outside the cockpit...IE knowing the aircraft you are flying AND knowing the aircraft you are going up against. Some quick examples.

- Wolf and Shayd were flying Ki-84's last night - I was in a Spit Mk IX (CW)...now they can outclimb me on a short run up to a vertical...AND that is bad because they were flying the model that has hell cannons. BUT - they cannot out-turn me. So as long as I keep my energy above theirs and get into a turn fight, I can juke and jig just enough to get behind them every time.

- Bear was flying a J2 - those are small and beasty to shoot down...you have to get right up on them (they take a bit of damage)...AND they are speedy. He got you once or twice when you were flying a '38...and that was because you were down low with him...and he took you into HIS fight rather than you playing to your advantages.

- Happy and Perseus on the student side were flying 190D-9 models...and were also getting sucked into turn fights. Now the D-9 is a great accelerator and a hell of a diver...but not the best turn fighter (it is moderate). KC was going up against them in a Spit...and that is a well-matched fight until the D-9 accelerates out (which it will do faster than a Spit)...Funflak suckered me into extending on his D-9...I was simply outrun in my Spit.

Honestly getting "better" is a lot of the above - knowing the battle before you engage. The turning and shooting? That is literally just practice! When I am getting ready to engage - I am thinking ALL of the above about the other aircraft and comparing it to mine. Unfortunately, I still have a lot of aircraft to learn about!

I graduated BFS with Warren, Trouble, and Raz - and I would be surprised if I shot anyone down graduation night (maybe 1)...and guess who I was flying against? Raptor, Fifties, Bear, OB, Funflak, Kimo, Hollywood, Shayd, Wolf, Sierra, etc. The same names But a year later I am flying as well as most of them, and would gladly go 1 v 1 or 1 v 2 with any of em! (and enjoy every minute of it)...I know you were getting frustrated, but trust me - you did great. You were flying against staff and graduate students that had taken the following:

1. BFS - you just finished.
2. PGS - teaches you ground maneuvering in weather, navigation (ie that ADF from the Co-op), etc
3. IPS - Energy Management, Deflection shooting, and a host of other information
4. APS - AWESOME class - advanced navigation, gauge understanding, trimming concepts, AND Aircraft Profiling (great tool).
5. AFS1 - Advanced energy management, combat control tactics, targeting specific points on aircraft, wingman tactics, etc.
6. AFS2 - more of the above. AFS1 and AFS2 are taught by Ms. Firesalamander - one of the toughest (if not THE toughest) in the JO skies)

The last one that I have not taken is AFS3 (I was on vacation)...but it gets into 2v2, 2v1, and builds on AFS2. I WILL be in the next AFS3 offering. And the above is JUST the fighter path...there is Imtermediate Bomber School, and Advanced Bomber School 1, and ABS2. Those are starting in a few weeks.

Think on the fact that EVERY bogey but one last night has taken ALL the above courses - and most of them are teaching as well.. So considering that - BFS students that shoot even one bogey down? They are doing great.

And I flew your high-six a few times last night - you were getting hits and staying in there with every other BFS graduate...you did just fine in my book.

Anytime you want to break off a server and practice quietly - holler at me. And that goes for anyone, I need the practice as well!

[Derring]

~Salute~
S.L.N. congratulations on completing Joint-Ops BFS.
~Salute~

[Razgriz_37]

~S~

Congratulations SLN, Good Job!