I can only give you the perspective of observer.
The bout of influenza left me unfit for flight duties, so I was relegated to comms. Ripsnort was to lead the 109's, Bigjim the 190's. We loaded them up for bear, 100% fuel, DT, and gondolas (109's).
We suspected something shifty, so we sent 4 of our best solo pilots out for armed recon. They were the first to encounter the stream of 51's and bombers- and what a cloud it was! The 51's were all the way up to 33K and climbing, the buffs below at 20K.
From there it was frantic calls and killbuffer rolling. I watched BaneX kill 5 in the space of 30 seconds before he himself was killed. Hristo ran a good string, as did several others whose names scrolled so fast I couldn't read.
The 17's made it to the very brink of HQ, but were finally dispatched at the moment of truth. From there the escort scurried back in a running fight to Rookland.
Did everyone have fun? I think most did. I heard a few complaints, but it went pretty well. A few notes to beginners:
1. There is a 32 plane limit to viewing. This means that only 32 planes can be seen in an area at once. If you were killed by a ghost, it might have been the limit.
2. We only replaned if we bailed safely, as per the ROE. Anyone who "came back from the dead" was outside ROE.
3. Next time it will be helpful if we have a bit better lead time for sign-ups. I was worried as LW commander if I would have 12 planes, and wound up turning people away. We can also start the events on time if we don't have to redirect people 5 minutes before event start.
4. If you come in and the event is started, stay out if instructed to do so. We had some people flying Bishop who interefered- remember, the express purpose of the arena is organized events. You are welcome to participate, but don't interfere with the hard work of many people.
It was a great time, and hopefully we will see some great films!
Handy, Hristo, BaneX, Torque... got film?
