"Triple Threat"

[Bomber_12th]

Some Corsair formation work over west-central Minnesota, featuring three restored Corsairs that fly today.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th056/corsairs_3_zpsgvpzihci.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th056/corsairs_3_zpsgvpzihci.jpg.html)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th056/corsairs_5_zpsyc77ovtt.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th056/corsairs_5_zpsyc77ovtt.jpg.html)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th056/corsairs_6_zpsl2g5jdjd.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th056/corsairs_6_zpsl2g5jdjd.jpg.html)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th056/corsairs_7_zpsvrmkfszp.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th056/corsairs_7_zpsvrmkfszp.jpg.html)

[Bomber_12th]

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th056/corsairs_8_zpsyad1ttu5.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th056/corsairs_8_zpsyad1ttu5.jpg.html)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th056/corsairs_9_zpsgznhtfp9.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th056/corsairs_9_zpsgznhtfp9.jpg.html)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th056/corsairs_10_zps4keg5g4m.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th056/corsairs_10_zps4keg5g4m.jpg.html)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th056/corsairs_11_zps4ud9vqcw.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th056/corsairs_11_zps4ud9vqcw.jpg.html)

[Bomber_12th]

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th056/corsairs_12_zpsoavyzxlv.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th056/corsairs_12_zpsoavyzxlv.jpg.html)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th056/corsairs_13_zpsalj0cnsq.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th056/corsairs_13_zpsalj0cnsq.jpg.html)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th056/corsairs_14_zpsskgp8pgz.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th056/corsairs_14_zpsskgp8pgz.jpg.html)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th057/corsairs_15_zpsh1dxiwjs.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th057/corsairs_15_zpsh1dxiwjs.jpg.html)

[expat]

Why or why do those same planes and those same three paints always look just that much better in your screenies??!!

[evvatc]

Very nice!

[Bomber_12th]

Just know that the vast majority of the screenshots I do take get weeded out, as they turn-out looking like these below...

Just as in reality, the aircraft are moving up and down, or simply out of position altogether, and you don't capture them the way you'd like to.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th058/throwbacks_1_zpsbdgq01dq.jpg (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th058/throwbacks_1_zpsbdgq01dq.jpg.html)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th058/throwbacks_2_zpsf8vptwba.jpg (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th058/throwbacks_2_zpsf8vptwba.jpg.html)

Also, like most of the shots I end up with, there is just a lot that's just not working at all...just too dull/static, and the lighting isn't good.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th058/throwbacks_3_zps4hc3judi.jpg (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th058/throwbacks_3_zps4hc3judi.jpg.html)

This is another shot that the instant I took it I was hoping for better, but the background is very poor/quite terrible, and I didn't get quite the right spacing between all three of the aircraft.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th058/throwbacks_4_zpsr3twzt47.jpg (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th058/throwbacks_4_zpsr3twzt47.jpg.html)

[Bomber_12th]

However, sometimes, even when one of the aircraft is out of position it actually adds to the realism - at least when everything else, like the background and lighting, is cooperating at the time. This one was weeded-out on my first pass, but it actually might be one of my favorites now.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th059/throwbacks_5_zpsnzy7rusw.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th059/throwbacks_5_zpsnzy7rusw.jpg.html)

[expat]

I am commenting more at the graphic quality than the composition (which is also very good). I have a very hi end i7 Haswell 4770k @3.50ghz o/c processor, factory o/c GTX 780 card, water cooled etc etc but can't come close to the sharpness and high resolution of your images. Like to know your system and in particular your settings. Maybe it's a hi res monitor? I have done most of the "Nick" manual tweaks a while ago but don't have time to fuss or tweak my rig settings these days so I may have fallen behind.

[Bomber_12th]

Expat, I'm using a Nvidia GTX560 Ti card, with the Nvidia Inspector antialiasing setting of "AA_MODE_METHOD_SUPERVCAA_64X_4v12" - mandatory, as far as I'm concerned, when running a modern Nvidia card, since it provides one of the sharpest displays you can ask for, and incredibly smooth performance. For a monitor I use a Samsung 19" TV (which took me forever to manually calibrate to display colors/contrast correctly - but otherwise have been very happy with), at 1920x1080. The rest of my system is getting older in comparison to other's - I run an Intel i5-2500 at 3.30 Ghz and 8 GB ram - I keep my frame rates locked at 24, with my settings generally high, and it usually always stays close to that. When processing screenshots, I never resize-them, I will only crop them, to try and cut-down as much as possible on any lost clarity.

[NickB]

Apart from the quality of the excellent screenshots, I am in awe of the formation flying:applause:.

[expat]

Bomber_12th - yes, am liking your Nvidia Inspector suggestion!!

http://s29.postimg.org/gs1zjdec7/a4f.jpg (http://postimg.org/image/eaq8c3ufn/full/)
posted image (http://postimage.org/)

[expat]

OK - end of thread hijack . . !!!! This is much better. Also using Shade.


http://s10.postimg.org/poc7gx87d/f4u.jpg (http://postimg.org/image/kpop2e4ed/full/)
image ru (http://postimage.org/)

[Pips]

Fantastic screen shots Bomber. You really are a master.

They do justice to the brute beauty of the F4U, a truly unique aeroplane.

[MustangL2W]

Not Since "Baa Baa Blacksheep" have I seen a formation of Corsair's as inspiring as that! Bravo Bomber, Bravo!!

[ejoiner]

John these are all awesome. How exactly did you capture this image? Did you have two AI corsairs or do something else?

[Bomber_12th]

Thanks guys for the compliments/feedback on the screenshots! The thought of the Corsair formations from the Blacksheep Squadron TV show definitely did cross my mind when I was taking these screenshots.

Eric, I use the freeware FSRecorder program, and start off by just doing the flight with the lead aircraft, then I fly the second-ship with the lead-ship being played as traffic, and then I fly the third-ship with the first two recordings being played as traffic. Then I go back and play them all together for the screenshots. Sometimes it can get lengthy, but I've gotten pretty good about efficiency. At least it does provide a lot of good formation flying practice - it's one thing if you are only going to do a two-ship formation, as then you only really have to fly the lead-spot well, but when you add more aircraft beyond that, it really becomes critical that everything is flown really well and smooth if you want a good tight formation - from the cockpit paying attention to the positioning in relation to the other aircraft, and keeping that image outside of the cockpit from moving around too much. Small stick inputs and constant working of the throttle.

I did this flight the other night, and because the controls aren't as responsive/light as in the Corsair, it was actually easier to fly a smooth lead with the Hurricane and also keep the 109 tucked-in and better 'attached' to the lead throughout the flight.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th060/BOB_FHC2_zpsxyalbe4p.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th060/BOB_FHC2_zpsxyalbe4p.jpg.html)

[Bomber_12th]

Of course part of the fun too is having a view like this outside the cockpit when flying the three-spot.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th061/corsairscockpit1_zpsrn1blddb.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th061/corsairscockpit1_zpsrn1blddb.jpg.html)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th062/corsairscockpit2_zpsqaakny1l.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th062/corsairscockpit2_zpsqaakny1l.jpg.html)

[MustangL2W]

That certainly looks Fun and Rewarding to fly and create. Like an Oshkosh Dawn Patrol in FSX!

[Bomber_12th]

That certainly looks Fun and Rewarding to fly and create. Like an Oshkosh Dawn Patrol in FSX!

Yeah, though I'd have to add a few more to the flight. ; )

Here is a Scott Slocum photo from Oshkosh this past summer, of one of those Oshkosh dawn missions (note a couple of them are the same as in my shots).


http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th063/11794509_10153503775144176_3021991238405688448_o_z pstdo2sf3y.jpg (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th063/11794509_10153503775144176_3021991238405688448_o_z pstdo2sf3y.jpg.html)

[MustangL2W]

I was there! Now I may be a "Mustang" guy, but standing there in between 5 Corsair's was really something unique. A real Joy to say the least, and nice to see so many NAVY airplanes represented for a change. The Community sure does lack Hellcat's though and that is too bad. Looks like there is someone in the Backseat of the Cavanaugh bird.

[noddy]

Stunning shots as usual.

[Bomber_12th]

I was there! Now I may be a "Mustang" guy, but standing there in between 5 Corsair's was really something unique. A real Joy to say the least, and nice to see so many NAVY airplanes represented for a change. The Community sure does lack Hellcat's though and that is too bad. Looks like there is someone in the Backseat of the Cavanaugh bird.

Yeah, there was someone in the backseat of the Cavanaugh Corsair - a guy which was involved in managing the restoration of the Olympic Flight Museum Corsair (number 115). It usually always surprises people to hear that some of the Corsairs flying today have a backseat in them - obviously not nearly as great a visual experience from that seat as compared to flying in the back of a P-51.

Regarding the Hellcat, for having the best WWII combat record than any other Allied fighter, it seems rather odd that there are so few flying today. There are only five - three are based in Texas (Rod Lewis (ex-TFC), Friedkin family, and Lone Star Flight Museum), one in California (Commemorative Air Force), and one in Washington (Flying Heritage Collection). At least in recent memory, there has never been a Hellcat based on the east coast, but that will change once the Collings Foundation Hellcat is flying (a former radar-equipped example, which has been under restoration at American Aero Services in Florida). Allied Fighters also has a Hellcat project which will be restored to fly. Outside of those, I'm not aware of any others being restored to fly (the Yanks Air Museum has two Hellcats, one completed and one under restoration, and they always advertise their aircraft as airworthy, but they are never flown (save for a select couple) - whether that changes or not in the future remains to be seen).

By comparison, there are about 25 Corsairs flying today with several more under restoration to fly (including the rare Brewster F3A Corsair under restoration in Texas and a Pacific Theatre combat-vet F4U-1 birdcage example under restoration in California). For other USN types, there are about 15 Wildcats, 6 Tigercats, and 32 TBM Avengers flying today. Currently there are 3 SBD Dauntless types flying today, and there is an additional SBD-4 Dauntless which should be flying very soon, having been under restoration for several years (one of the Lake Michigan recoveries from the 90's that the Navy let go of to the civilian market). Currently there is only 1 Helldiver flying (Commemorative AF), as there only has been for decades, but there are two more which are actively under restoration to fly, composing of an SB2C-1A in California and a SB2C-5 in Minnesota.