[ColaBen]

Hi' Guy's
Is it a possibility to have a Green Flare for Landing permission instead of the Radio message ??
And a Red Flare for Stop / No Landing instead of the Radio message.
This would be extremely realistic hock:
ColaBen

[caldrail]

Agreed. I've mentioned this sort of thing before. Radios in military aircraft were a novelty at the start of the war and none too reliable in some cases. The extent of air traffic control varied according to circumstance. Whereas most fighters in 1939 operated from grass fields with flare gun signals if required, by 1945 in America a B25 slammed into the Empire State Building because he ignored the warning by a traffic controller about the poor weather over New York.

Flares were in common use in WW2 but they were used for communication when necessary, not as a matter of course. Under normal operation a pilot would take off and land as desired keeping a careful lookout.

[pursuivant]

Agreed. I've mentioned this sort of thing before. Radios in military aircraft were a novelty at the start of the war and none too reliable in some cases. The extent of air traffic control varied according to circumstance. Whereas most fighters in 1939 operated from grass fields with flare gun signals if required, by 1945 in America a B25 slammed into the Empire State Building because he ignored the warning by a traffic controller about the poor weather over New York.

Flares were in common use in WW2 but they were used for communication when necessary, not as a matter of course. Under normal operation a pilot would take off and land as desired keeping a careful lookout.

I've alway found it strange that a game like IL2, where so much care has been taken with flight, damage and gunnery models, treats communications as an afterthought. Sadly, I'm not sure what can be done in this regard.

My landing/communications peeves are that aircraft always land one at a time, regardless of type, they land in flight order, regardless of damage status (crippled aircraft should get priority - at least when landing on airfields), and enemy aircraft seem incapable of taking evasive or aggressive action once they're committed to the landing pattern. It would be nice if damaged planes, or planes with wounded crew, could fire a flare and get priority landing status - as was done historically (at least by the USAAF). It would also be nice if enemy planes reacted appropriately when "bounced" while orbiting the airfield while holding for landing.

[Bombsaway]

One more thing would to be able to command your wingman to return to base. If you are landing he sometimes follows you in and crashes.

[rossmum]

One more thing would to be able to command your wingman to return to base. If you are landing he sometimes follows you in and crashes.

You can, but you have to order the whole first section to do so as well.

[duffys tavern]

In some cases, damaged a/c always landed last, couldn't take a chance of fowling the RW. It was just understood.

[Bombsaway]

Can you make your crew bail out without you?

[pursuivant]

In some cases, damaged a/c always landed last, couldn't take a chance of fowling the RW. It was just understood.

Policy varied depending on the situation. I believe that it was pretty much understood that planes with low fuel, serious mechanical failures or critically wounded passengers got priority while damaged but flyable planes and planes which couldn't land safely (due to damage, malfunction or an untrained crewman taking over for an incapacitated pilot) landed last to avoid the situation you described. In the U.S. Navy, if the plane was too badly damaged to land on deck safely, sometimes it would be directed to ditch alongside a ship (usually a destroyer) so the crew could be quickly rescued.

As I said, it's a pity that IL2 treats communications and such as an afterthought.