WesWorld

*Trumpets parp, drums roll* It is time to annouce the annual Talons over Cordoba Contest for 1940!

RULES
1. Any nation can enter a maximum of two fighters, that is to say the primary role of the aircraft must be to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft; they can be of different types or the same and may be twin-engined fighters or carrier-based fighters.
2. Entries must be production machines, that is to say they must be in regular squadron service (for at least a minimum of six months) and in no way modified from the production standard. All prototype and pre-production aircraft are prohibited from entry. All-up weights should be roughly identical to production machines in service and efforts to lighten the airframe or the removal of equipment to save weight are prohibited. The polishing of surface finish and the tightening of panel gaps is allowed and minor aerodynamic coverings of gun ports and other protruding and drag-inducing imperfections is also allowed. Revised windscreens to reduce drag are prohibited.
3. Engine tuning is allowed but the addition of superchargers to non-supercharged engines is prohibited. Fuel additives are prohibited but special boost systems using separate mixtures not added to fuel are allowed as long as such equipment is fitted as standard. Special racing spec engines are prohibited. Each team can bring two engines for each aircraft entered but both must be the same model and set up identically and one engine must be a spare only and can be fitted during the main events if repair of the race engine proves impossible or impractical. Changes to propeller types are also prohibited as are changes to radiators to reduce drag or to improve cooling.
4. No armament to be fitted, ballast to weight of guns must be added, only those fighter aircraft fitted for bomb racks may be entered into the bombing contest.
5. All aircraft must be fitted with a radio transmitter/ receiver for safety reasons.
6. Pilots must have over three years of flying experience on single-engined types, official state or company test pilots are allowed to compete but other civilian pilots are not. Rank of the pilot is not an issue.
7. All single-engined and twin-engined aircraft will compete in separate race events, all duels will also be separate but the Grand Final Duel will feature both types of fighter. Bombing and altitude and cross country races will be of mixed groups. Pilots will score points and these will be tallied to declare a winner.


As ever there are eight groups of six. That is 42 single-engined and six twin-engined fighters. About four spots are reserved for NPC nations.

My entries are;
No 1 Major de Aero Antonio Valdez, commander of Squadron 1/2 of the 1st Grupo of Aerea Regimenta No1 based at Cordoba [two confirmed kills in the South American War], he is flying his personal silver FMA I-02 Pulqui C/N1044 with a blue tail for the second time at Talons.
No 2 Major de Aero Carlos Claudio, commander of Squadron 2/2 of the 2nd Grupo Aerea Regimenta No 2 based at Bahia Blanca debuts at Talons is flying his personal silver FMA I-02 Pulqui C/N 1106 with a red cowling and tail.
No 3 Flt. Lt. Bob Stanford Tuck is a newcomer to Talons and he is flying a standard production Hawker Tornado F.Mk.I MN231 powered by a 1,980hp RR Vulture II 24-cylinder engine
No 4 Squadron Leader Douglas Bader returns to Talons this year and he is flying Hawker Typhoon F.Mk.I WG891 powered by a 2,180hp Napier Sabre II 24-cylinder H-24 engine.

Quoted

Originally posted by Hood
Entries must be production machines, that is to say they must be in regular squadron service (for at least a minimum of six months) and in no way modified from the production standard.

For clarification: since Talons takes place in August, the aircraft entered must be in squadron service by February 1941, correct?

France and Chile reserve two spots; Bulgaria reserves one.

Latvia reserves one spot.

Representing Germany

Oberleutnant Heinrich Bär and Feldwebel Anton Hafner, from Jagdgeschwader 51, flying the Focke Wulf Fw190

Representing Yugoslavia

Lieutenant Mihailo Bodi and Sub-Lieutenant Djorde Popovic, from No.62 Squadron, flying the Soko Jastreb


In addition to the official entrants to the competition, is it permissable to send other demonstration aircraft for examination by interested parties?

Sorry, yes, Talons will be the last two weeks in August so any fighter must have been in frontline service from February 1940 (not 1941 Brock!) at the minimum.

All nations are welcome to send demonstration teams, static aircraft displays, flying displays etc to drum up sales etc. There will be a big trade fair at Cordoba Airport during the two weeks.

I'd pefer if all entries are made here rather than PM so everyone can see what's going on and so I can keep better track of who is sending what! But feel free to ask any questions or discuss any choices with me via PM if you wish.

Quoted

Sorry, yes, Talons will be the last two weeks in August so any fighter must have been in frontline service from February 1940 (not 1941 Brock!) at the minimum.

Forgive me, I'm confused at this point.

If the contest is to be held in August 1941 (which I assume from the "Talons Over Cordoba 1941" title) and aircraft must be in service for at least six months prior - why would the cut-off be February 1940 instead of February 1941? Unless you mean six months prior to the date of entry - which, game wise, would be August 1940. It makes little difference for Germany, but it does for Yugoslavia.

Brazil and Romania each reserve two spots.

Thailand reserve one spot, to be filled by a yet unnamed Navy pilot flying one the the Thai Navy's Re-2001 fighter-bombers

Quoted

Originally posted by BruceDuncan
In addition to the official entrants to the competition, is it permissable to send other demonstration aircraft for examination by interested parties?

It has been in the past

Quoted

Originally posted by BruceDuncan

Quoted

Sorry, yes, Talons will be the last two weeks in August so any fighter must have been in frontline service from February 1940 (not 1941 Brock!) at the minimum.

Forgive me, I'm confused at this point.

If the contest is to be held in August 1941 (which I assume from the "Talons Over Cordoba 1941" title) and aircraft must be in service for at least six months prior - why would the cut-off be February 1940 instead of February 1941? Unless you mean six months prior to the date of entry - which, game wise, would be August 1940. It makes little difference for Germany, but it does for Yugoslavia.

I believe the error is in the thread title, as Talons has pretty consistently been an annual competition, and the last one was 1939.

Canada reserves it's usual two slots, TBD

It also says 1941 in the write-up, incidentally; the repetition is what threw me. Hence my request for clarification.

Well, if it's 1940, Denmark and Iberia will both field 2 single engine fighters

If it's 1941, Iberia will field 2 single engine, Denmark will field 1 single and 1 twin

Nothing fancy from Japan except for the Navy sending the 11. Air Demonstration Squadron "Blue Impulse" (a.k.a. "The Air Demonstration Squadron Formerly Known As Manzo's Flying Circus")

For the 1940 season, the squadron flies 6 A7K1 fighters with a new color scheme.

#1 Leader: Captain Fuchida Mitsuo
#2 Left Wing: Lieutenant Sakai Saburou
#3 Right Wing: Lieutenant Nishizawa Hiroyoshi
#5 Slot: Lieutenant Sasai Junichi
#6 Lead Solo: Captain Genda Minoru
#7 Opposing Solo: Lieutenant Iwamoto Tetsuzou

Sorry folks I meant 1940, not 1941. Working on too many nefarious plans for 1941 has clouded my mind...

Walter, I take it your just sending the Air Demonstration Squadron and not a formal two aircraft entry into the actual contests?

Quoted

Working on too many nefarious plans for 1941 has clouded my mind...

Sounds to me that there won't be a Talons in 1941 then. You'll be so busy with those evil plans that you won't have any time for the competition.

Quoted

Walter, I take it your just sending the Air Demonstration Squadron and not a formal two aircraft entry into the actual contests?

That is correct, sir.

Given that the competition will occur in 1940, Yugoslavia must needs withdraw.

Germany will, of course, continue.

I've fixed the thread title, then.

Entries:

Bulgaria enters Porucik (Senior Lieutenant) Lidiya Ivanova (b.1916), who will be flying her assigned MkII Fairey Firefly.

Chile enters two pilots. The first is Comandante de Escuadrón (i.e. Lieutenant Commander) Baltasar Arismendi, flying an American-built Naval Aircraft Factory ZF1N (discussed this one via PM). The FACh sends Teniente Colonel Horatio Bereguer, the commanding officer of the 2nd Fighter Regiment, in his F2E (the ENAER-built I-02).

France enters two pilots, Edmond Marin La Meslee and Marcel Haegelen. Marin La Meslee joined the Air Force in 1931 and graduated officer candidate school in 1937. He now leads the first escadrille of Groupe de Chasse I/5. Marcel Haegelen served in the Great War as a SPAD pilot, and accrued 21 kills; since the end of the war, he has been employed as a test-pilot for Hanriot, and a reserve officer in the Armee de l'Aire. Both pilots are flying Arsenal VG.39bis fighters.

Italy will be sending Tenentes Salvi and D'Aguilero with Fiat Centauro fighters. Pretty much exactly the same as the previous year but painted a dull green grey scheme instead of red.

Quoted

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/WvRooijen/Wesworld/BI.png[/IMG]
#1 Leader: Captain Fuchida Mitsuo
#2 Left Wing: Lieutenant Sakai Saburou
#3 Right Wing: Lieutenant Nishizawa Hiroyoshi
#5 Slot: Lieutenant Sasai Junichi
#6 Lead Solo: Captain Genda Minoru
#7 Opposing Solo: Lieutenant Iwamoto Tetsuzou

Did #4 get caught by the Yakuza?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraphobia