Over Flanders Fields Aircraft
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OFF Data Tables
The following charts and tables were built from performing in-game flight testing of the OFF aircraft.
All comments and statistics found on this web site are based on this data.
Legend
DH2:De Havilland D.H.2,
DH2-1916:De Havilland D.H.2 (1916),
AD2:Albatros D.II,
AD3-160:Albatros D.III (160),
AD3:Albatros D.III,
AD3OAW:Albatros D.III (OAW),
AD5E:Albatros D.V (Early),
AD5:Albatros D.V,
AD5a:Albatros DVa,
AD5a200:Albatros DVa (200),
F2b:Bristol F2b,
BS:Bristol Scout D.3,
DFW:Deutsche Flugzeug Werke C.V,
DR1:Fokker Dr.I,
D7:Fokker D.VII,
D7OAW:Fokker D.VII (OAW),
D7F:Fokker D.VII.F,
E3:Fokker E.III,
HAL:Halberstadt D.II,
HAN:Hannover C.III,
N11:Nieuport 11,
N16:Nieuport 16,
N17:Nieuport 17,
N17L:Nieuport 17 Lewis,
PD3:Pfalz D.IIIa,
BE2:RAF B.E.2c,
FE2:RAF F.E.2b,
RE8:RAF R.E.8,
SE5:RAF S.E.5a,
SE5V:RAF SE5a Viper,
ROL:Roland C.II,
CAM:Sopwith Camel,
PUP:Sopwith Pup,
1A2:Sopwith Strutter 1.A2,
1B1:Sopwith Strutter 1.B1,
TRP:Sopwith Triplane,
TRP2:Sopwith Triplane (2 gun),
SP7:Spad V.II,
SP13:Spad X.III
About the Aircraft in OFF
In-Game Evaluation
All aircraft data other that what is shown in the screenshots of each aircraft is gathered in-game by flying each aircraft repeatedly and measuring results.
The following settings are used for all tests:
- Phase 3 V1.30L
- Default Damage Model (no extra DMs are installed)
- Auto Mixture on
- Static Weather
- Wind off
The tests performed consist of the following:
- Flying each aircraft and making general observations about such things as stability, awkwardness, quirks, etc.
- Observations of the view from the cockpit noting obstructions (e.g. exhaust stacks, struts, headrests) and grading
each aircraft "poor", "fair", "good", "very good" and "excellent" accordingly.
- Stalls (power off, full power)
- Climb and dive (including stress testing)
- Turn rate
- Roll rate
- Dogfighting each aircraft against similar and dissimilar aircraft and noting strengths and weaknesses observed.
The Armament of WW1 Aircraft
All aircraft mounted machine guns in WW1 were either 0.303 in. or the metric equivalent 7.92 mm.
Prior to the development of the gun synchroniser in 1915, the Lewis Mks (Allied) and Parabellum MG14 (German)
machine guns were the primary guns used on aircraft.
These machine guns utilized deflector plates mounted to the propeller to protect it from bullet damage.
OFF does not have any aircraft of this type in the plane set.
The Spandau LMG 08 (German) was the first synchronized machine gun developed. It was first used on the
Fokker E.III. The Parabellum machine gun was thus relegated to rear gun status.
Following suit, the British soon developed the Vickers Synchronized Machine Gun.
All the aircraft in OFF that have guns that fire through the prop are either Vickers or Spandau depending on nationality.
The only very strange exception to this is the RAF B.E.2c which has a single Lewis mounted on the fuselage and clearly fires through the prop
yet there is no deflector plate! The B.E.2c has a four blade prop too making this arrangement even stranger.
Forward Mounted
- Vickers Synchronized 0.303 in. Machine Gun Of British design, the Vickers was used as a foward mounted gun because it was
easier to synchronize through the propeller than was
the Lewis. Heavier than the Lewis, the Vickers was belt fed and produced a rate of fire of 450 to 600 rounds per minute.
All Allied aircraft that fire through the propeller use the Vickers.
- LMG 08 Spandau Synchronized 7.92 mm Machine Gun
Usually mounted in pairs, these German designed machine guns were mounted on the nose of Axis aircraft and
were synchronized to fire through the propeller. The Spandau had a firing rate of 400 rounds per minute.
All forward mounted guns on German planes are Spandaus.
-
Outside the Arc of the Prop Forward Mounted
- Lewis Mks Machine Gun American designed 0.303 in. gun used by Allied aircraft.
The Lewis was only used for rear guns and guns that fired
outside the arc of the aircraft's propeller. It has a rate of 500-600 rounds per minute.
- Parabellum MG14 Machine Gun German designed and used for rear facing guns on all Axis aircraft after the development of the gun synchroniser in 1914.
The 7.92 mm Parabellum was gas operated and had a rate of fire of 700 rounds per minute.
Rear Guns (Rear Gunner)
- Parabellum MG14 Machine Gun German designed and used for rear facing guns on all Axis aircraft after the development of the gun synchroniser in 1914.
The 7.92 mm Parabellum was gas operated and had a rate of fire of 700 rounds per minute.
- Lewis Mks Machine Gun Used on all Allied rearward facing guns.
Rear Gun Aircraft in OFF
The planes in OFF with a rear gunner include:
F2b, FE2 (this plane uses a gunner which mans both the forward and rear guns. The pilot cannot fire the forward gun. Only the AI gunner can do that.),
RE8, 1A2, DFW, HAN and ROL.
Forward Mounted Guns in OFF
In the OFF plane set, all German forward mounted guns are the synchronized Spandau variety either in a single or twin configuration.
A number of Allied Vickers guns are mounted in a twin configuration as well.
Allied forward mounted guns are one of three configurations:
- A Lewis mounted such that it fires outside the arc of the propeller.
Allied aircraft configured this way include
DH2 (pusher prop), DH2-1916 (pusher prop), FE2 (pusher prop), BS, N11, N16, N17L and BE2.
- A synchronized Vickers Of these are two configurations:
- Single One firing foward mounted synchronized gun.
Aircraft equipped like this are: F2b, N17, RE8, 1A2, 1B1, TRP and SP7.
- Twin These are twin mounted Vickers.
Twin mounted Vickers outfitted aircraft include: CAM, TRP2 and SP13.
- A combination Vickers and Lewis Aircraft configured this way use a Lewis usually mounted on the top wing in addition to the synchronized Vickers.
Such equipped aircraft are: PUP, SE5 and SE5V.
None of the German planes in OFF use the "outside the arc" method.
Bombers
Bombing during WWI was mostly done by hand by simply tossing a bomb over the side or dropping it in a funnel-like chute. There were a few "heavy bombers" used in the war but OFF does not model any of these.
The planes in OFF that are capable of carrying bombs or other ordinance (e.g. rockets and flares) are:
1A2, 1B1, BE2, CAM, DFW, F2b, FE2, HAN, RE8, SE5 and SE5V.
The Best and The Worst
Individual evaluation of each aircraft can be viewed by clicking one of the above thumbnails.
The Best
Fastest Planes
- SP13 (147mph)
- SE5V (136mph)
- SP7 (132mph)
Best Altitude
- HAN (86mph @ 24,500 ft)
- SP13 (146mph @ 21,800 ft)
- D7F (124mph), D7 (115mph), D7OAW (114mph), DFW (101mph) @ 21,000 ft
Best Engine Performance (Higest and Fastest)
- SP13 (146mph @ 21,600 ft)
- SE5V (132mph @ 19,000 ft)
- SP7 (131mph @ 17,000 ft)
Strongest Firepower
- AD5a, AD5a200 (Twin Spandaus. 550 rounds each, total 1,100 rounds)
- AD2, AD3-160, AD3, AD3OAW, AD5E, AD5, DR1, D7, D7OAW, D7F, PD3, TRP2, CAM (Twin machine guns, 500 rounds each, total 1,000 rounds)
- SP13 (Twin Vickers. 400 rounds each, total 800 rounds)
Best All-around Cockpit View
- AD3, AD3-160, AD3OAW, AD5, AD5a, AD5a200, AD5E, E3, N17, N17L, PD3, SE5V
- AD2, SE5
- D7, D7OAW, D7F
Best Cockpit Forward View
- DH2, DH2-1916, FE2
- AD2, AD3, AD30160, AD3OAW, AD5E, AD5, AD5a, AD5a200, E3, N17, N17L, PD3, SE5, SE5V
- F2b, D7, D7OAW, D7F, HAN, ROL
Best Cockpit Rear View
- AD3, AD3-160, AD3OAW, AD5, AD5a, AD5a200, BE2, BS, DR1, D7, D7OAW, D7F, E3, HAL, N11, N17, N17L, PD3, SE5V, CAM, PUP, TRP, TRP2, SP13
- AD2, SE5, SP7
- AD5E, N16, 1B1
The Worst
Slowest Planes
- E3 (85mph)
- BE2 (85mph)
- HAL (87mph)
Worst Altitude
- BE2 (91mph @ 10,000 ft)
- DH2 (89mph @ 11,000 ft), FE2 (91mph @ 11,000 ft)
- E3 (84mph @ 11,500 ft)
Worst Engine Performance (Lowest and Slowest)
- E3 (84mph @ 11,500 ft)
- BE2 (91mph @ 10,000 ft)
- FE2 (91mph @ 11,000 ft)
Weakest Firepower
- N11, N16 (194 rounds)
- N17L (291 rounds)
- 1A2 (300 rounds)
Worst All-around Cockpit View
- DFW
- 1A2
- 1B1
Worst Cockpit Forward View
- DFW, CAM, PUP, 1A2, 1B1, TRP, TRP2
- BS, DR1, HAL, N11, N16, RE8, SP7, SP13, BE2
- F2b, D7, D7OAW, D7F, HAN, ROL
Worst Cockpit Rear View
- DH2, DH2-1916, F2b, DFW, HAN, RE8, 1A2
- FE2, ROL
- AD5E, N16, 1B1