<S> FSO Community
With regret, I need to let you know that I have withdrawn the 68th Lightning Lancers from FSO, effective immediately.
As with many squads, the 68th have seen a steady decline in participation, from a peak where we once had 20 pilots regularly flying on a Friday night to our current status as a 4-6 pilot squad. Unfortunately, my own situation is such that I am rarely able to take part on a Friday night any more and, after polling the squad to see if someone else would be willing to take over as squad CO for FSO and having no takers, we've regrettably made the decision to withdraw as we will not have anyone to prepare orders and take command when we next have CIC duty, which I'm anticipating could be as soon as September.
I first flew in AH2 during Tour 78 in July 2006 and the following month 68KO took me under his wing and invited me to join the 68th Lightning Lancers. This was the era of Knight Alliance missions and huge squad nights from all three sides. Three hundred players plus in the MA was nothing unusual.
I flew my first FSO as a Lancer in September 2007 and was immediately hooked. Friday nights would never be the same again. We've flown every kind of mission conceivable with every kind of result, ranging from the entire squad being wiped out on the runway by a drunk squaddy with an itchy trigger finger, through 9 kill P40 spectaculars where everything went right, epic multi-plane engagements starting at 30K and ending on the deck, B-17 bomber runs full of tension as you knew there were 109's and 190's closing in numbers, returning to carriers with shot up planes and fumes in the tanks and so on.
Thank-you to everyone who's made it such fun along the years - squaddies past and present, those of you we've flown alongside and against, and especially those of you who put so much time and effort into being part of the CM team and scenario designers.
to you all and I hope to still see you in the virtual skies from time to time.
Regards,
68Wooley.