Tides of War

Tbar I understand your point I dont feel this post presents us having a huge problem, from the initial resignition of 1 pilot it has flagged up many seperate issues, which can only be a good thing.

Here at BSS things are very relaxed, hell thats the way I like it, but perhapse we have become sloppy, from the initial thrill of the squad and new blood enthusiasm our "active" pilot numbers have thinned to I would say less than 10. In this I include every1 who either

a.Attends musters is always about and calls themself Tbar

b.People who are able to show for matches

c.people who cant show but let us know they are about

I use the term "active" loosly as an active pilot may not for months on end be able to attend a match (take me as an example I will probably never get to attend the LTS event due to the time zone)

As happens with anything online people get bored and disapear. I have done it myself many times in the past. I'm not naming names, those who are about know who they are because they are reading this, IMO your an active member even if I never see you in the air!

@Saj I'll probably be looking at a 9pm our time start 1 day in the week (not tuesday cos I watch UFC) I dont know when your about, hell I just shove IM on and grab you when I see you! anything you need help wise give me a kick m8 you know where I am.

Although this post did start on a negative point, and yes Tbar it does need spliting sorting and closing, I feel from it we have had a good insight as to how things are.

So I'm off now to start many new topics all ovr the shop to keepyou guys on your ToW's

Cheers all

Ok, I want to chime in with my 2 cents worth, no joking intended. First I want to say I wouldn't mind if the terms of membership where a little more streingent. If you want to belong to something then you should be able to at least communicate with the rest of us your intentions of showing up, having pc problems or what ever.

Second, you can't play a game if you don't have the team to field in a event. How do you think a baseball team or football team ( American or Euro ) would do if only part of the team showed up to play.

Third, I sure we are all here to help new people in some way. I feel the best help I have had has come from the people I fly with the most, my team mates, and for what I have learned I try to show my respect by showing up to all the events I can outside of my RL. I think I do a pretty good job of that, even though I suck at being a pilot, but who cares I'm having fun. In addition I will say that I have been lax at attending Monday night US practice for a few weeks, but sometimes I just have to see what Jack Bauer is doing on 24. (I love the way he treats terrorists.) which just happens to be at 9:00 PM EST.

Forth, The thing is when the guy who asked me to join this squad, (who will remain nameless here because he doesn't show up to play any anymore. I think he said the game was "boring".) I made a personal commitment to participate. I know what it's like to be a part of something, yet your team mates don't take it seriously enough to even make practice. I once fielded, equiped, managed and coached a city league softball team. I had guys who showed up for practice and I had guys who didn't.

When it came time to play the games, who do you think I let play? The guys who showed up to practice are the ones who played. Do you think these where my best guys? No they weren't and we lost a lot of games but we became better as a TEAM. They made the effort to show up while some of my star players sat on the bench an complained. In addition, while my stars complained my other player got better and better and we started winning more and more.

In closing, I'll take the losers, the average pilots and the "newbies", if they show the commitment to show up and play. With that we can have one of the best squads to ever play AA. You don't think so. Just try me and find out. Look what Pappy did with his rag tag group of pilots! Hail Black Sheep!

And, T-Bar you where right on target with your e-mail, keep'em coming.

JoKeR!

nail on the head there Joker. I remember the first match of 4 squad 9 BSS pilots showed, and I'll give you one guess who stepped out, we didn't get rid of the worst or the newest pilot, everyone was putting the effort in back then. Our own Tbar (who was probably the 2/3 best pilot on our runway) stepped out so all us new and less able pilots could fly. If 9 pilots showed now I have no doubt in the same thing happening, one of the better pilots would happily sit and let the newer guys have their fun. It gets them hooked and keeps them coming, just look at me!

So Tbar thanks dont think I ever said it at the time, was still getting to know you all. Anything you or anyone in BSS needs they think I can help them with just lety me know!

cheers all

Picken

(all round nice guy)

In closing, I'll take the losers, the average pilots and the "newbies", if they show the commitment to show up and play. With that we can have one of the best squads to ever play AA. You don't think so. Just try me and find out. Look what Pappy did with his rag tag group of pilots! Hail Black Sheep!

Our own Tbar (who was probably the 2/3 best pilot on our runway) stepped out so all us new and less able pilots could fly. If 9 pilots showed now I have no doubt in the same thing happening, one of the better pilots would happily sit and let the newer guys have their fun.

OK.. now we are finally understanding what this squad is all about. Bro's .. brotherhood .. guys who "join" to be part of .. not abandoned us .. get bored ; just leave ; etc and so forth .. its a type of friendship you would fight for. .. its commitment to something .. but keeping in mind RL and most important RL priorities first.

What Joker says .. is exactly what I did .. took all the noobs and "Black Sheep" of AA.. bunch of guys that didn't even know each other .. and now we are finally growing into a 'squad'....

The pilots that show up .. are the ones that need to fly. That is what they joined for . So , yes .. I would sit. To me it does not really matter if we loose ..what matters is that we fight together. . not alone. What matters is that we have fun, and watch each other's 6!

::Salute:: !!

I'd just like to comment on the energy generated here concerning Euro practice. Its great to hear that positive action is imminent to get this up and running but where is it in reality. I turned up last night (as i do every week) at the designated 8pm GMT to find none of our Euro pilots and no Euro practice....again! I did however fly in FFA with Joker and Strife and had a great time but this can't be classed as "training". I, for one, feel discouraged when I make the effort to attend "practice" regularly only to be dissapointed by the lack of attendance.

We talk a lot about pilots loosing interest in BSS, but we have to set up enough meaningful activity to encourage them to stay. I certainly don't expect people to ignore RL and turn up to everything but think that us newer pilots need the help of more experienced pilots if we are going to improve as individuals and as a team.

I enjoy flying with all of you guys at BSS and feel encouraged by the solidarity being demonstrated in this thread. I also think Tbar is absolutely right to email his thoughts to us all RE: communicating your commitment to the squad on a regular basis. More of it I say.

Zarn

To Saj,

Read what Zarn says. If you want to be a future CO .. then take care of the needs of the pilots your responsible for. What they want .. is consistency. Something they can count on every week. Nope, not possible for every member to be there every week .. not even Saj. However, some type of communication each week concerning practice and who is going to be there would help. USA Squad pretty much has things covered because of all that is going on with BSS and USAAC and the events and so forth that we can use. The Euro group, personally I"m a little week on because of the time zone consideration. This is where Saj and Picken need to pick up the slack.

To Zarn,

I don't need to tell you there is a Time Zone problem, you understand that. However, every Sunday we do have a total squad practice .. so be there or be square. Check the BSS website .. sortie schedule. sortie Schedule here on the forums might not be right as we have not paid proper attention to that.. but the website is right.

To Team,

Tbar can't be at every practice and every event. I love it when I'm missing and someone .. steps up .. and takes control .. and continues. Keep doing this!!

No one is dong 'wrong' here. We are all just finally paying attention to some weak areas we have .. once addressed and recognized .. you guys will voice opinions and possible solutions .. and BINGO .. we will come up with some positive moves ..

Take a look around at who is actually reading and responding to topics here on the forums .. and consider that they are really the whole of BSS! In that respect we don't really have a huge pilot roster. Sure the current roster looks like a lot of pilots .. but you and I all know that is not the 'real' list. So we do need to recruit at all time .. if you can get them on TS .. you probably got them for life We need pilots both USA and EURO. Yes we do have pilots that show up now and then such as HotShot, Gosline and AirBoss. Yes we do want to keep them and at least they 'muster' up .. but at the current time for whatever reason they are NOT regulars up in the air we can count on. We can only count on the once that take the time to check the forums .. and those that muster up .. and those we actually see in the air.

Through recruiting .. we might come up with more Euro pilots .. and thus someone will be at the practice .. and maybe it will be Zarn that is teaching noobs that practice session!!

Good Post Zarn,

I had a good time flying with you also on last night. I really hope that some of the people not showing for practice and matches and such take a look at these posts and try to see it from our point of view. (Not to point fingers at anyone, but I had a pilot last night tell me that he hasn't looked at the forums in months. And I say WHY THE HELL NOT!! Take some damn responsibility upon yourself and take a look around at whats happening. Get involved or at the very least let someone know why you can't at that time in your life, but, damn don't leave us hanging in the wind begging you to show up for practice or a match. IF YOU REALLY DON'T WANT TO FLY WITH US, OK LET US KNOW SO WE CAN MAKE ROOM FOR SOMEONE WHO DOES or will at least make and effort to COMMUNICATE WITH US. IF you can't show up how damn hard is it to write a e-mail or post on this forum to let someone, anyone know.)

We are definitely trying to put together a world wide FAMILY of pilots to fly the skies of Air Attack.

We want to participate in the matches and games' but we cannot effectively do so without a full squad of pilots from both sides of the world.

We do need a full compliment of Euro Pilots and a Full compliment of US pilots. This was we can have team playing for ToW squad at all events thus making our FAMILY well known among all the other squads.

I'd love to see pilots from other squads asking me things like " Damn, how many guys are there out there flying with ToW tags. or "Hell no I'm not playing that match. ToW's going to be there and we don't stand a chance."

From the last four squad I was able to play (my first by the way), it was more like "Hey, ToW's only got six planes in the air let's blow'em out of the sky, get all these easy points and move on the the next one." All in all I still had a good time, but it would have been better if we could of had a few more planes. Maybe they wouldn't have run over us and we would of had a chance. Don't get me wrong either, if I would have been the only one from my squad to show up I still would have played just to make sure we had our FAMILY represented.

I don't care if we have the greatest pilots flying, I want the guys that have the heart to show up and play when we have a match. I want the guys who show some interest in what we do and show up and practice with us.

I want new guys asking us to come join our squad, instead us having to go out and recruit them all the time. The guys that ask to play for us are probably the ones that will stay and play for us, but as it is now when we can't even get more than six planes flying at any one time, I doubt many people are going to be interested unless they find someone who is like me, that wants this FAMILY to grow.

If it sounds like I'm a little passionate about this matter, its because I'm a damn believer in what I say and the FAMILY that I'm proud to represent us, if I'm aloud to say such a thing with out causing problems for anyone!

JoKeR

yer I'm guilty of this Zarn. I must be one of the most random people I know, I get told it repetedly and moaned at about it by my wife "you never give me any warning, or plan" I like the here and now what I fancy is what I do! This said I do intend to make evey Euro timed event (I wont be at them all but I do try) One thing or another I have missed the best part of 3 months worth of scedualed flights. Zarn when I can make it I will, I'm sure Saj is the same, perhapse next week I will make it and you will be unable due to a giant pixie or something!

Dont get discouraged mate, if you need help (1v1 training, any pointers or just anothre ToW tag to fly with) throw me a line a bone an email a post an offline msn message or even try that swinging aborigional telephone thing of crocodile dundee! Even if I cant make it you'll get an answer.

It really isnt until 8pm wednesday that I know I cant make it, 7.55 and there's still a chance I just cant pin myself to anything at the moment

I'm going to get this 1v1 ladder going and also a 2v2 (dont ask me the pairs or timings I just thought of it 13 words ago!)

1 thing I always have TS on so if I'm there I'm about best time to get me is when I'm there

@Saj SHAME ON YOU NOT MAKING PRACTICE YOU BAD BOY YOUR GROUNDED!!!!!!

yer u caused a problem joker u posted while i was typing mine so its all out of sink and I havent replyed to anything you said!!!!!!! awkward git

I so damn worked up now about this matter that I'm starting to sound like the very guys I used to despise when I was in the Marines, you know the ones, the damn Butter Bar lieutenants and Navy Ensigns that just knew that where better that you, but yet could still barely wipe there own ass or file a flight log with out help from PFC file clerk in flight operations. I like I've said before I'm not in charge of anything and I haven't been asked to be put in charge of anything. In fact don't think I'm qualified for any of that. I just want to see us get better and I will show up when and if I can or you will know about it.

JoKeR!