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We all have times when, with the best will in world, real-life intervenes when we are flying and we have to “Quit to life” (BOO) i.e. get out of the game a bit sharpish. If we just spawn out then we lose a life and the squadron loses an aeroplane. Obviously we will try and avoid such situations (e.g. by not taking off twenty minutes before we have to pick the kids up or Herself is due out of the bath), but sometimes stuff happens. If you really have to go then you have to go and we will understand, but if you have a few minutes to prepare then the loss can be minimised with a little forethought.

If you just spawn out then you die and the Squadron loses a plane – nausea all round and someone has to spend their precious gaming time fetching a new plane from the depot, assuming we are allocated a new one (not guaranteed). If you land an undamaged aeroplane at a friendly base other than our own and then spawn out you don’t lose a life but the ‘plane becomes the property of the squadron based at that airfield. This is actually worse because our CO has to beg the other squadron to get one of their pilots to give up his flying time to fly the machine back to Home Base. A pilot that causes Cam to have to beg a favour from the CO of another squadron can expect some robust feedback.

However, if you land a damaged aeroplane at a friendly airfield then, by the magic that is the RAF’s organisation, that ‘plane will be returned for repair to Home Base and, depending on its level of damage, will be ready for flight in as little as three hours.

The trick then is to ensure that if you have to rush off you ensure that you land at a friendly airfield and that your aircraft is damaged before you exit the game. Those clever chaps over at another Squadron have come up with the idea of landing normally but just as you turn your fuel off you raise the undercarriage, that way only the prop should be damaged and thus the repair time minimised. Frankly, I think that is trying to be too clever and it is not foolproof. My own favourite is the soft, thistledown landing but with the wheels up (God knows I have made plenty of them since I started playing this game). This guarantees the aeroplane will be damaged but is very unlikely that it will be severely damaged or written-off and it also offers the faster exit from the game.

Yes, this is, if not a cheat then, certainly an exploit. However, it is one that in the view of Him With The Vote is justifiable because it doesn’t affect the game as such and in real-life pilots were not called away half-way through a patrol. So please use it.

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