This week's interview is with myself which is a little strange in the interview format so its just questions and answers 
When Did You Join AFJ?
I joined AFJ back in the summer of 2004 after having just left a previous squad i was on the verge of joining JG27 because i was involved with them through GhostSkies which i use to be an admin on but opted for AFJ because  =AFJ=rsm persuaded me to join who i have flown with since CFS days.
What has your proudest moment been since joining AFJ?
I would have to say my proudest moment at the time was when we won the first WEC tournament in iL2, at that time AFJ was struggling for numbers and we had around 4 active pilots so it was a real struggle to get enough games together to make it to the final, 95% of the games we played were just myself and rsm winging in unscheduled 2v2 matches against the other teams so 2 AFJ pilots practicaly beat the rest of the teams in WEC to get to the final where we got the rest of the team to fly. We managed to go the whole tournament undefeated and won the competition after strugling to get enough players together for the final match. The second WEC tournament we participated in we did much better in numbers and lots of squad members participated in it.
How long have you been playing flight sims?
I have been playing flight sim based games for 15 years in total.
What flight sims have you previously played?
The very first flight simulator if you can call it such a thing was a game produced by a small British games company called Rowan the title was Operation Overlord and the maximum resolution you could have was 390x240 and was praised for its high end graphics, i had the most basic joystick with the game, you could chose between a Spitfire, Mustang and Typhoon. After this i went to Flight Sim 5 which had graphics slightly better than Overlord but plus side was lots of different locations instead of the generic sky i was use to. I also played Dogfight a game by Microprose which had a few different aircraft in it. The other MS Flight Sim titles i have played include Flight Sim 95, 98 and 2000, I have also played Flight Unlimited 1,2 and 3 the latter which had a really cool glider in that i liked to fly. The first real sim i actually enjoyed was Combat Flight Sim 1 where i started to get involved with teams and online play and met some friends i am still in contact with, the other CFS titles i have played include CFS2 and 3. After the CFS community died i then decided to move to iL2 Sturmovik where i have stayed ever since. The other game i have played but never really got into was Lock-On Modern Air Combat.
What previous squads have you been in?
I have only been in teams for CFS and iL2, the first of which was SAS, Flying 56th Hurricane Squadron (F56HS), PonyXpress (PX), Vultures Row (VR), Venom Massacre(VM), MAX and finaly =AFJ=.
Do you prefer open pit or full real flying?
Sometimes i have to play open pit because its what the majority of my team mates fly and thats fine as long as i get to wing them but if its personal preference i prefer full real, its a lot more involved, the kills are a lot more satisfying and you have to another sense about yourself to suceed compared to open pit flying.
Turn and burn or boom and zoom flying?
Boom and zoom flying is by far the most succesful way of flying hence why i do it but its nessecary to keep the turn and burn skills about yourself, its better to master stall fighting in a small space against an enemy and then turn to boom and zoom so you have the ability to get yourself out of trouble if needed while performing b'n'z.
What is your favourite aircraft?
My favourite aircraft is the FW-190D9'44 its by far the best wulf in the game, i also fly the A9 a lot but prefer the D9's slow speed handling capability in a stall fight and the main reason is it climbs out of a dive with greater height at the top than at the start of the dive if used correctly. Other planes id count as a favourite plane are the P47D, FW-190A8/A9, Bf109G2/K4 and the P-38L.
What is your most hated aircraft?
Its nothing against the plane its the type of people that fly it, the Spitfire, 99% of them are no more than 5ft off the deck turning in tight circles with 400 of their team mates lined up behind them going for the same target taking each other out by flying into each other all the time.
Most difficult aircraft to fight against?
J2M as someone that flies above 6K its the aircraft that offers most resistance for little pilot input
Who's your favourite wingman?
Favourite wingman has to be rsm after having flown with him so many times against some of the recognised best wingmen in iL2 during its peak, not flown with anyone else that has such a great understanding of the simplest of things timing when to come in on the drags.
Which previous members of AFJ do you miss been around?
I miss flying with loads of members of AFJ who i was would come back and fly Locust, Mastiff, Stinger, SkyGhost, TALON, REMO and more.
Who in the squad has the most nosebleeds (highest flyer)?
Im not sure anymore, flying up high doesnt seem to be as high as it use to be there were times on public servers when AFJ's normal encounter height would be 11k and engagements would last 5 weeks but now its all around 6/7k.
Who is the most talented pilot you have flown with/against?
Ive flown against lots of the best pilots 1v1 or in other formats during my time in iL2 including rsm, Maverick, Mantis, XCom, Haupt, Ironman69, Blitzpig_Lixma, JimmyGiro etc. but the best pilot i have ever had to face is probably 123rafaeli.
Do you play any other games non flight-sim?
I play lots of different games, right now im into CoD4, CoD2, Empire Total War, RaceDriver GRID, Fifa10, Operation Flashpoint Dragon Rising and lots more. |
