Thought This Should Be Shared

[thndregg]

The following is a quote from HB555 from this thread: http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,330864.0.html. The subject being, of course, what makes a good bomber pilot. I thought this might be brought to the General Discussion to share with more of the community. This is the kind of philosophy I try to follow with our bomb group, and respect about other groups in this game. <S>

Lots of patience, and passion, because, truth be known, it is pretty boring flying for an hour or more, dropping your bombs, and turning around and going home. If you run into an enemy fully prepared to defeat you, you fight them until you die and then willingly jump in someone else's plane as a gunner to try to help them survive, and just ride the rest of the mission. The mission, and it's success, is why you are here. Not for the score, the points, the glory or anything else. There is no glory in being a bomber pilot. It is work, plain and simple, and lots of it. IF you want glory, do not ever fly a bomber. If you want satisfaction from a job well done, thumb your nose at the fighter rides and be among the first to WANT to fly a bomber. Do we have favorites? Sure, but at the end of the mission, any bomber is still a bomber.

A full understanding of the mission, with all of the nuances accounted for, is indispensable.
Have you got the route down? IS time a factor? Do you have a back up plan for various inconsistencies in the original plan? Have you considered the wind factor? Are there enough of you to complete the mission, or are you just hoping for the best? Are you willing to fly the mission multiple times off line, or in practice, to make sure you have everything right in your head? Are you willing to help those you are flying with who may not know bombers? Encouragement is as important as knowledge.

Support of squaddies. Yes! I have touched on this already several times, but you have to have it in your mind that even if you are not going to make it home, if there is something you can do to help a squadmate make it, you must give your all to see that happen.

Sometimes the will to make it home and land is all you have. You may be the last guy up from your group. You may be almost out of fuel, shot up, thinking "This is nuts. I am not going to make it. If I auger now, I can (insert something you may want to do here). NO NO NO. That is wrong. you fight for every inch of altitude you can keep, you fight for every mile you can make with those last few gallons of fuel, you do your absolute best to get that plane back to the designated landing field. You NEVER give up, and you never whine!

And THAT, in my opinion, is what makes a good bomber pilot.
I am not comfortable being in command, but I am pretty good at flight lead, and will be there, unless "Honey" has  other ideas. This time of year, I seem to have lots of weekend honey do's.

[climber]

Very cool!

Thanks for posting that.  I don't fly bombers very often but love to support large bomber missions when they pop up.  Usually as a long range escort.  It allows me to go into papa bear mode and do my very best to keep my bombers safe and make sure they get the chance to hit their target and most of all make sure they get the chance to get home.  If I up a 47 with a full fuel loadout, stick above the bombers, dive on an enemy enough to force them away from my bombers and don't get a single kill during a 2 hour flight I don't mind. 

Thndregg, if you ever get your folks over to rookland and need an escort I'll be there!   

-Climber
77th FS "gamblers"

[Razzor 479th]

HB555  Easily one of the best of the best   

[Slate]

      "No glory being a Bomber Pilot" love that line.

  One of the best missions I flew B29's in the first few weeks when they were introduced in game. A multi-hour mission with hordes of attackers. We lost many B-29's and somehow I survived landing my whole formation with a few kills under my belt.
  Don't let yourself be a straggler and try your best to stay in the main formation is key.

  I miss the MOM missions they were great fun and the enemy knew you were coming!

[Daddkev]

  :OHB is the best!

[Zoney]

I do love to escort "that kind" of buff pilot, almost as much as I like fighting "that kind" of buuf pilot.  Wednesday night I had the pleasure of escorting a couple of guys I didn't know all the way in and then safely out on their high alt buff run.  Sorry, I can't remember their names.  Spent 45 minutes bouncing and pinging up every threat that came near.  I landed without a kill and I think I still won.

<S> Buff drivers.