State of the =AVG= Address
Posted: 31 Dec 2008 12:25
S! All,
I just wanted to update you on the current state of the =AVG= as I see it. Currently, we have a total of 35 members, 19 of which are members of the 1st Pursuit Squadron, Adam & Eves, and the other 16 are members of the 2nd Pursuit Squadron, Panda Bears. We also have one applicant waiting in the wings that will be assigned to the 2nd Pursuit Squadron, Panda Bears. Once we have a few more new recruits to fill the 2nd Pursuit Squadron, Panda Bears, we will then begin to assign new recruits to the 3rd Pursuit Squadron, Hell's Angels. As we are filling the last few slots in the 2nd Pursuit Squadron, Panda Bears, I am going to assign the members of HQ for the 1st & 2nd Pursuit Squadrons, and the current members of HQ will be promoted to Group HQ.
The awards system still needs to be developed. Hunter and I were preparing to develop the awards system when he had to take leave due to real life concerns. Some of the awards have already been defined (such as the CBI Ribbon, Training Ribbon, Recruiting Ribbon, and the Instructor's Ribbon) but some work still needs to be done to determine what will qualify for the other awards. And, there are a number of awards that need to be issued for Forgotten Skies and for the Wings of War: Manchuria 1945 campaign.
One other thing that I wanted to mention is that many squadrons in IL-2 seem to adhere to one specific set of server settings such as "full real", or "open cockpit". It is my feeling that the =AVG= does not adhere to one specific set of server settings. We have some pilots that fly "full real" for Forgotten Skies, but they are just as comfortable flying "locked cockpit" with views in Skies~Of~Valor and other public servers. We may also have some folks who are comfortable flying "open cockpit", but the majority of us seem to prefer "locked cockpit" with or without views. My only point here is that we are not moving toward being a "full real" group, or any other type of settings-specific group for that matter.
Regarding the next Wings~of~War Campaign, Warren and I are working on the Normandy map and expect to have the next Wings~of~War campaign ready to deploy sometime in January.
In summary, I expect 2009 to be a big year for the =AVG= as we have just about filled all of the slots in the 2nd Pursuit Squadron and we are about to start filling slots in the 3rd Pursuit Squadron. Members will be assigned positions in HQ for the respective squadrons, and the current members of HQ will soon be promoted to Group HQ. By the end of 2009 I expect to have all of the squadrons in the =AVG= filled. In addition, there have been several requests to form a bomber squadron which we will be doing in time. As we grow and we fill the 2nd, and 3rd Pursuit Squadrons, we will also form the 11th Bomber Squadron. In the meantime, I will be working on becoming proficient with each type of bomber aircraft and it's respective targeting system so that I can conduct futher bomber training as we prepare for the development of the 11th Bomber Squadron.
I just wanted to update you on the current state of the =AVG= as I see it. Currently, we have a total of 35 members, 19 of which are members of the 1st Pursuit Squadron, Adam & Eves, and the other 16 are members of the 2nd Pursuit Squadron, Panda Bears. We also have one applicant waiting in the wings that will be assigned to the 2nd Pursuit Squadron, Panda Bears. Once we have a few more new recruits to fill the 2nd Pursuit Squadron, Panda Bears, we will then begin to assign new recruits to the 3rd Pursuit Squadron, Hell's Angels. As we are filling the last few slots in the 2nd Pursuit Squadron, Panda Bears, I am going to assign the members of HQ for the 1st & 2nd Pursuit Squadrons, and the current members of HQ will be promoted to Group HQ.
The awards system still needs to be developed. Hunter and I were preparing to develop the awards system when he had to take leave due to real life concerns. Some of the awards have already been defined (such as the CBI Ribbon, Training Ribbon, Recruiting Ribbon, and the Instructor's Ribbon) but some work still needs to be done to determine what will qualify for the other awards. And, there are a number of awards that need to be issued for Forgotten Skies and for the Wings of War: Manchuria 1945 campaign.
One other thing that I wanted to mention is that many squadrons in IL-2 seem to adhere to one specific set of server settings such as "full real", or "open cockpit". It is my feeling that the =AVG= does not adhere to one specific set of server settings. We have some pilots that fly "full real" for Forgotten Skies, but they are just as comfortable flying "locked cockpit" with views in Skies~Of~Valor and other public servers. We may also have some folks who are comfortable flying "open cockpit", but the majority of us seem to prefer "locked cockpit" with or without views. My only point here is that we are not moving toward being a "full real" group, or any other type of settings-specific group for that matter.
Regarding the next Wings~of~War Campaign, Warren and I are working on the Normandy map and expect to have the next Wings~of~War campaign ready to deploy sometime in January.
In summary, I expect 2009 to be a big year for the =AVG= as we have just about filled all of the slots in the 2nd Pursuit Squadron and we are about to start filling slots in the 3rd Pursuit Squadron. Members will be assigned positions in HQ for the respective squadrons, and the current members of HQ will soon be promoted to Group HQ. By the end of 2009 I expect to have all of the squadrons in the =AVG= filled. In addition, there have been several requests to form a bomber squadron which we will be doing in time. As we grow and we fill the 2nd, and 3rd Pursuit Squadrons, we will also form the 11th Bomber Squadron. In the meantime, I will be working on becoming proficient with each type of bomber aircraft and it's respective targeting system so that I can conduct futher bomber training as we prepare for the development of the 11th Bomber Squadron.
