Never got a side I didn't like.
Never got a ride I wasn't happy with.
All is well in the Universe. /close thread
Ya know I couldn't agree with this more. And I always thought you were pretty cool too.
Dantoo
I've been reading this thread and it's left me shaking my head. All this griping about what plane you get or what side you're on. Really Vudu? It's FSO. There's nobody here that's gotten the side or plane they asked for each and every frame or even most of the time. That's just crazy to think it's so and the facts don't support it. I can also say to not only you but anyone else that if you're THAT hung up on what you're flying or what side you're flying on you're probably wrong for FSO. It's about teamwork and the mission here--nothing else. You should be able to carry that out using any plane in the inventory. I've flown frames in Tempests and gotten killed. I've flown some in Stukas and lived. Go figure. In the MA I fly with a bunch of P-38 whackos (myself included) but welcome the oppurtunity to fly something different for a different purpose. Christ it's three nights a month!
I can talk to this because I've been doing this flying in events thing a long, long time going back into Air Warrior and I've been a squad leader in FSO for many a year and side CO for many a frame. As CO I'd take the smaller squads and assign them together in effect making one bigger squad. Putting too many together creates problems of it's own--usually of communication and command. It is what it is dude. Ya just can't make a 12 plane squad out of a 4 plane squad. You can't assign a 4 plane group to do the job of a 12 plane group. The frame objectives pretty much dictate what has to happen insofar as the missions go. To think otherwise, like there's some big conspiracy in order to get "recognition", is just silly. As one of the XOs for my squad I get the objectives and orders every week and this is pretty much what I'm seeing from the other COs too. My old squad, The Damned, dates back to AW and was once like the Borg. It ebbed and flowed and finally I had to pull the plug on our FSO participation because it came down to myself and another guy, maybe a third week in and week out. We didn't get the high value assignments and understandably (for us anyway) so because of it. There were weeks when I had something going on in RL that nobody showed. I knew having been frame CO what a PITA it is to plan a frame let alone have to deal with one of the smaller squads that is just about a no-show leaving a gaping hole in your plan as the frame is starting. I couldn't let us, with all our history, be that guy--so I folded the squad in FSO. It sucked, but it was the right thing to do. But ya know, when we were the big squad, I don't remember having any special influence as to which side or what we were flying. We got what we got like everyone else and looked forward to the next frame.
Problem solved tho. Those of us that wanted to keep flying in FSO found another squad. It just so happened the 412th was going through a similar problem at the time and needed some extra bodies. So we joined with them. But ya know what? They're still just a medium sized squad and month to month we take whatever side we get and fly whatever plane and mission we're assigned and we always have a good time--which I thought was the idea. Straighten me out on that if I've got it wrong.
Perhaps if some of you guys are flying in a 4 guy squad you might consider banding together if only just for FSO. It's fun flying with guys from other squads that you might not otherwise fly with. Even your hated enemas sometimes.