A.C.E. 3/ACE CD 3.iso/files/docs/rftskied.lha/ReachForTheSkies.doc

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       REACH FOR THE SKIES - THE BATTLE FOR BRITAIN
       ============================================

              INSTRUCTION AND FLIGHT MANUAL
              =============================

INTRODUCTION

Summer  1940.   The future of World War II hangs in the balance.  The cream
of  the Luftwaffe and the aces of the R A F are locking horns in their most
crucial confrontation yet "The Battle for Britain".  You have the chance to
re-live  that  famous  battle, play the role of an R A F pilot or Luftwaffe
flying  ace  and  shape  the  course of history Your performance determines
whether  the  outcome  is  a  repeat of the R A F victory or an unequivocal
Luftwaffe success.

"Reach  for the Skies" is not a mission based game which can be lost or won
on  the  basis  of  one  mission.  Instead it is a simulation of the entire
conflict  that  became  known  as "The Battle of Britain".  You will win or
loose  depending  on  your long term performance during the conflict.  Your
aim  as  an  R  A,F  Pilot  or  Controller  is to maintain your reserves of
aircraft while also protecting the shores of South East England, while as a
Luftwaffe  Pilot or Controller you lead the German forces as they cross the
English  Channel  in  search  of  victo-  ry.   Climb  aboard  a  Spitfire,
Hurricane,  JU87,  JU88,  BF-109,  BF-110,  HE111 or DO17 and engage in dog
flghting  with  only your skill and wits to protect you.  You can also plan
the  battle  as  a Controller, actually making the strategic decisions that
will win or lose the battle


This manual contains instructions on the use of the software as well as the
mechanics  of  aircraft flight and combat.  Air combat during the Battle of
Britain did not depend on the monitoring of complex com- puter systems in a
jet  powered  war horse, but rather the delicate guidance of a graceful but
temperamental  mount  during  an  airborne  joust.  While it is possible to
enter  the  game  immediately  by  following the instructions in the "QUICK
START"  section it is likely that your first outing will be a short one and
we  strongly  advise  that  you  read  all  of  the instructions as soon as
possible in order to discover the finer details of this simulation

All  references  below are to KEYBOARD control.  For corresponding MOUSE or
JOYSTICK controls, consult the section "SUMMARY OF CONTROLS".

Please  note  that  any additional information too recent to be included in
this  manual  can  be  found  on your game disks as an ASCII "READ ME" text
file.   If  your  version  does not have this file, then the manual already
contains all of the relevant information you require

MAKING A SELECTION

When  you  need  to make a choice within the simulation you will use one of
the following methods;

DOT  SELECT  - A number of option screens (such as SIDE SELECT) present you
with a choice in the form of plaques with dots on them If a dot is flashing
then  that  is the current default option which may be selected by pressing
RETURN/ENTER.   To  change the default option you use the LEFT/RIGHT CURSOR
KEYS and then RETURN/ENTER to make your selection.

Dot  select  is  also  used  on  map  screens  during  the game to find out
information, where the dots represent features such as airfields, con- voys
and  aircraft.   Using  the  LEFT/RIGHT  CURSOR  KEYS  will high light each
factory  shown on a map.  Pressing RETURN/ENTER will provide information on
the  factory  and  allow  you  to issue orders Pressing CURSOR UP/DOWN will
change  from Factories to the next category (aircraft, airfields etc) where
you can use LEFT/RIGHT, to repeat the process.

NUMBER ENTRY - There are two ways of entering numbers.  If the number has a
cursor  at the end, it is possible to edit the number by using BACKSPACE or
DELETE  and  the  NUMBER  KEYS.   Examples  of this are when setting RANGE,
HEADING etc when playing as CONTROLLER.

The  second  method  is  when there is no cursor next to the number (as you
have  a  fixed  choice  of  numbers) in which case the CURSOR LEFT key will
decrease the number and CURSOR RIGHT will increase it.

MENU  BAR  -  A  number  of  game  options,  including  control  device and
difficulty,  are  selected  through  a  MENU  BAR at the top of the screen.
Should  you  wish  to  change any of these options before flying you should
refer to the section of the manual "MENU BAR".

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

This  manual  contains machine specific instructions for the IBM PC version
of  "Reach  for the Skies".  Some instructions may differ for the Commodore
Amiga  and  Atari ST computers and these will be listed on a separate "User
Guide" included in the packaging

IBM PC and 100% compatibles

Required     IBM PC (and 100% compatibles) with at least
             540K of base memory, Hard disk with at least 3.5
             meg of free space, High Density Floppy Disk Drive
             (3.5" or 5.25"), VGA 256/16 colour or EGA
             16 colour graphics

Supports     Ad-lib, Sound Blaster, Roland MT32/LAPC- I
             EMS/KMS, Microsoft compatible mouse and driver,
             keyboard or joystick

INSTALLATION AND LOADING INSTRUCTIONS

IBM PC and 100% compatibles

To  play  "Reach  for  the Skies" it must first be installed onto your hard
disk as follows.

Insert  "Disk  1  into  your preferred drive (A or B).  Select the drive as
normal,  type  INSTALL  and  press  ENTER/RETURN  and  follow the on-screen
prompts.

SOUND  SUPPORT:   During installation you will be asked to select the sound
card to be used for SOUND EFFECTS and then again for MUSIC.  "Reach for the
Skies" supports the use of twin sound cards

This  means  that  you  may  select  a Sound Blaster card to play the sound
effects  and  a  Roland  card to play the music, provided that you have the
necessary hardware.

The  sound  cards  supported  are  Ad-lib,  Sound  Blaster  /  pro,  Roland
LAPC-I/MT32.

Note:   If  you wish to change the configuration after installation see the
section "CHANGING YOUR CONFIGURATION" later.

SAVING PILOTS PROGRESS

Players  should  note  that  the  program  automatically saves your pilot's
progress  and any photographs you take to hard disk at the end of each game
day.

Video  footage,  which uses more disk space, is not saved automatically but
only when you select the save option included on the video playback screen.

WAR AIMS - WINNING AT "REACH FOR THE SKIES"

As  an R A F officer your fighters must avoid risky and unnecessary contact
with Luftwaffe fighters, concentrating instead on turning back, or shooting
down, the bombers.  Remember that your sources are limited and should never
be  risked  in unnecessary combat with fighters for the purpose of personal
glorification.

In  PILOT  mode  you  will  have  three  pilots  with which to complete the
campaign.   If  you  lose your life three times then the R A F will quickly
become  demoralised and the Luftwaffe will win the day.  In CONTROLLER mode
you must manage your resources and create a strategy to effectively protect
against  the Luftwaffe threat.  Your responsibility will be for all of your
fighters  and,  although lost pilots will be mourned, you will continue the
conflict,  regardless  of  the number of pilots lost.  Should you allow the
British  Air  Strength  to  fall  below  50%  the  Luftwaffe  will gain the
advantage they need to sweep your defences aside and launch the invasion of
Britain.

Maintain  British  Air  Superiority until the end of September 15th and the
invasion will be cancelled and you will have won the day.

As  a  Luftwaffe  officer you must clear the airs of R A F fighters to gain
air  superiority.   Only then will the way be clear for Operation Sealion -
The invasion of Britain.

In  PILOT  mode  you  have  three  lives with which to bomb and strafe your
assigned targets to weaken the British defences.  At the con- trols of your
deadly  fighters you must hunt down the British defend ers and destroy them
in  aerial  combat.   Reduce  the  British  Air  strength below 50% and the
Luftwaffe  will  be  successful.   In CON- TROLLER mode you must select the
targets  your bombers will strike at as you strive to break the will of the
R  A F.  Your responsi- bility will be for all of your fighters and bombers
as  you  set up the bombing raids and assign fighter cover in your quest to
attain air superiority.  Succeed in reducing the British Air Strength below
50%  and  you will be eating dinner at the Ritz.  Fail and you will have to
make your excuses to the German High Command.

Hard  drive tidy - The PC version of Reach for the Skies includes a utility
called  "tidy"  which  will  remove  unwanted  files  from your hard drive.
Video,  photographs,  high  scores  and  game introduction files can all be
removed to free hard drive space.  To use this utility select the directory
that  you  have  installed  Reach  for  the Skies into and then type "Tidy"
followed  by  the  first letter of the file type you wish to remove (listed
below)

V - Video files
P - Photograph files
H - High scores and player records
D - Demo/intro fiies
A - All of the above

Actual R A.F strength during the Battle

The  R  A  F  started  with  about  700  fighters:   430 Hurricanes and 270
Spitfires.  Fighter production during the period was about 100 fighters per
week; 60 Hurricanes and 40 Spitfires.

The  simulation  starts  with  60 aircraft (although not all may be in ser-
viceable condition on the first day) and the production rate is one fighter
per  day.   The  ratio  with  reality in both cases is just below 10%.  The
ratio  of  Spitfires  to  Hurricanes for both stock and produc- tion in the
simulation is 50/50

GETTING STARTED

After  loading of the simulation you will see an introduction sequence (256
colour ONLY) followed by the title/credit screen.  Pressing ESC at any time
will terminate the intro or credits and take you to the first game screen.

SIDE SELECT
This is the first Screen you will see once "Reach" has loaded successfully.
It  allows you to decide which side you will control during the battle.  It
shows  two  plaques - one for the R.A F and one for the Luftwaffe.  Next to
their  names  you will see a small square.  If it is flashing it means that
the plaque is currently selected.  You can change the selection by pressing
one of the CURSOR LEFT/RIGHT keys.  When the flashing square is next to the
name you want, press ENTER/RETURN on the keyboard to confirm.

THE ROYAL AIR FORCE (R A F)

If  you  choose  the  R  A  F,  you will be moved to the pilot's Ready Room
screen.   This  is  where  you  select  a  log book into which to save your
progress.   If  this  is  your  first  game all the log books will be blank
(marked "Sprog")

The R.A.F. Ready room
A  dark highlight bar will show which log- book is currently selected.  Use
the key- board arrow keys to move the bar up and down the stack of books to
choose which log book you will use then press ENTER/RETURN

(If  you  choose  a  logbook  other than Sprog's, then you will move to the
Orders  Screen and continue from the point after that pilot's most recently
completed mission.  This can only happen if you have played this simulation
before and have a previously created pilot).  If you have not played before
you will be presented with the following screen.

LOGBOOK;
Having  selected a logbook, you will be pre- sented with a top dOwn view of
the  book lying on the table.  You now have the oppor- tunity to enter your
name.  Type in your name (a maximum of 10 characters is allowed) then press
the down arrow key on your keyboard to move the cursor down to the callsign
box.   Delete  the  callsign and add in your own if you wish.  When you are
sat-  isfied  with both your name and callsign, press ENTER/RETURN or press
the down arrow key and highlight NEW PLAYER then select as normal.

(Note that if you have chosen a log book that has previously been used, you
will  have  a different option at the bottom of the screen Select OK to use
the   character  and  his  callsign.   Selecting  RECONFIG  allows  you  to
re-configure  the  role that character plays.  CANCEL takes you back to the
initial R A F/Luftwaffe selection screen)

ROLE SELECT:

There  are  three  options  to  choose from PRACTICE, CONTROLLER and PILOT.
press  RETURN/ENTER  to select or use CURSOR LEFT/RIGHT to change the high-
lighted selection.

PHASE SELECT/ORDERS BOARD

Following  your  selection of ROLE you will see the PHASE SELECT screen and
the  ORDERS  BOARD  which  will  be  discussed before giving details of the
PRACTICE, CONTROLLER and PILOT options

This  screen  allows  you  to  choose  which  phase  (characterised  by the
Luftwaffe's vary- ing tactics) of the Battle of Britain you enter.  Details
of the phases are given in FOUR PHASES OF THE BATTLE and depending on which
phase  you  select  you  will  need  to  adjust  your  tactics to match the
Luftwaffe.

This screen provides a summary of the options you have selected, as well as
detail- ing the number of aircraft that Fighter Command have made available
to  you.   Select  CONTINUE  to enter the main game, RESET to return to the
first option screen or QUIT to exit the simulation.

PRACTICE

When  you  select  the practice option you will be presented with a SUMMARY
SCREEN.

This screen shows the various groups of aircraft (referred to as "flights")
which  your  computerised  CONTROLLER has ordered to respond to an incoming
threat.  By using the CURSOR UP/DOWN keys you can check the orders given to
each  of  the  flights  and decide which aircraft you wish to fly in.  With
your  chosen  aircraft highlighted press CURSOR LEFT/RIGHT to highlight one
of  the  options TAKEOFF, INTERCEPT, LAND or CANCEL listed at the bottom of
the screen.

Practising  allows  you to play one day of the simulation, without risk ing
your  status  in the overall conflict.  If you select this option the first
time  you play the simulation you will be able to practice the first day of
the  first  phase you have chosen.  Should you be shot down it will have no
effect  on  the  overall  conflict.  The difficulty level will be that of a
beginner  and  VULNERABLE  will be selected.  If you wish to practice while
invulnerable (you can not be shot down and will 'bounce' if you hit the sea
or  ground) or in "REAL FLIGHT" (less powerful, more realistic flight), you
should  refer  to the section "MENU BAR" for information on how make such a
change.   You  will also need to refer to the sections of the manual listed
under FLYING WITH THE R A F.

CONTROLLER

CONTROLLER  - For those players who prefer a bit more strategic involvement
in  the  battie, you can assume the role of a controller in the R A F.  You
must  decide  what  the R.A.F's response will be to the Luftwaffe's inbound
raids each day.  Your orders will have a strong effect on the outcome.

As  an  R  A  F controller you will decide on the movement of aircraft from
factory  to  airfield and airfield to airfield, as well as which air- craft
to  deploy  against  the  enemy.   The  ultimate  aim of a controller is to
maintain the number of R A F aircraft so that it remains above the critical
level  needed to prevent the Luftwaffe from gaining aerial supremacy during
the  battle.   If the British Air Strength falls below 50%, then the threat
of an invasion will become a reality

We  recommend  that you assume the role of a Controller only after you have
become  a  successful  Pilot, because when playing as a Controller you will
have  to  fly  as  a  Pilot once you have set up each day's response to the
Luftwaffe.

The  Luftwaffe  will  attempt  to  reduce the R A F strength in a number of
ways:

Shoot  down  R  A F aircraft in combat Shoot R A F aircraft whilst still on
the ground Bomb R A F repair facilities located at airfields Bomb the R A F
aircraft  factories  Bomb  shipping convoys carrying aircraft spares coming
from  America  Bomb  radar  facilities  to reduce the R A F's early warning
capability

To  maintain  the  R  A F's air strength above the critical level, you must
ensure  that  the  loss rate does not significantly rise above the aircraft
production rate.

Providing that the four factories remain undamaged, each will produce a new
air- craft once every 2 days.

(a) Currently highlighted group
(b) Current date
(c) Number of available aircraft today
(d) Name of current Airfield/location
(e) Detected threat

You  are  now  in  the Control Room, looking down over the map of the South
East  of  England.  The text on the top line gives the name of the location
that is currently highlighted (the flashing dot), the day/date and also the
number of aircraft made available to you for today by Fighter Command.

On  the  map you will see several small dots which mark the following areas
of interest:

Marker               Group type
Red square          Spitfire airfield
Blue square         Hurricane airfield
Light grey square   Aircraft Factory
White square        Detected threat
Blue cross          Other airfield
Dark grey area      Conurbation
White cross         Barrage balloon
Red marker          Anti Aircraft Artillery (AAA) site
Black marker        Radar site

As  CONTROLLER you can interact with those locations marked with a coloured
dot.    (Detected  threats,  Aircraft  factories,  Spitfire  and  Hurricane
airfields).   Use the CURSOR UP/DOWN keys to move between groups and CURSOR
LEFT/RIGHT  to move between individual members of a group.  The top left of
the screen gives the name of the location that is currently highlighted and
pressing RETURN/ENTER will bring up a clipboard giving more information.

1 - Detected Threats
There  will  always be at least one or more white "Detected Threat" squares
over  the channel at the start of each day.  These show the position of the
Luftwaffe  aircraft  as they approach England.  One important point to note
is  that  Radar  was in its infancy during the Battle of Britain.  For this
reason  the  information  given  on  your charts will be estimated and will
often change in some respect each time you check on a Detected Threat.

The  clipboard  gives  each raid a letter to avoid confusion.  If there are
bombers  in  the  group,  then  the  type is displayed.  The number of air-
craft, their heading and altitude is also shown.  This information has been
collated  from  various  radar stations and is therefore consid- ered to be
reasonably  accurate.   The  type  of bomber has been calcu- lated from the
speed  of  the aircraft.  As a result it is not possible to predict exactly
how many of the aircraft in the raid are bombers and how many are fighters.
It  is possible to calculate the target of the raid from their heading, but
this  isn't  always  reliable  as  the enemy often doesn't turn towards its
final target until the last possible moment.

It  is  wise  to  get  information about ALL of the Detected Threats before
developing a response.

2 - Aircraft factories
Throughout the battle, new aircraft were being manufactured to increase the
number  available  or replace those that were destroyed in combat.  A stock
of  aircraft  can build up at factories if left unat- tended.  They must be
moved to airfields before they can be employed in the war effort.

If  an  aircraft  factory  is successfully attacked, all of the aircraft in
stock  will  be  destroyed  and  the production capability will be severely
impaired in the future.

There  are  four  factories  manufacturing  air- craft in the South East of
England.   Two  make  Hurricanes  and  two  make Spitfires.  On selecting a
factory on the map, a clip- board is displayed.

This  clipboard  tells  you  the type of aircraft (a/c) manufactured at the
factory  and how many completed ones are in stock.  The 'next a/c shows how
many  days  it  will be before a new aircraft will be finished.  When it is
ready  it  will  automatically  be added to the ones in stock.  The 'moved'
figure  indicates how many aircraft you have moved from the factory on that
particular day.

Below this information are three options:  DEPLOY, CANCEL ORDERS, RETURN.

DEPLOY  -  If there are a/c in stock at the factory you will be prompted to
select  a  new  base  (airfield)  to  which the a/c will be moved.  Use the
CURSOR  LEFT/RIGHT  as  normal to highlight the required airfield and press
RETURN/ENTER.  A clipboard will be dis played and you should use the CURSOR
LEFT/RIGHT KEYS to increase or decrease the number of a/c to be deployed at
this  air- field.  Pressing RETURN/ENTER will confirm the move and ESC will
cancel it.

If  you now select the same aircraft factory again on the map, you will see
that  the  aircraft stocks are at 0 and the moved total is at 1.  The moved
a/c  is  now in transit to the selected airfield, but it won't be available
there  until  the  next day.  If you want to cancel the move, select CANCEL
ORDERS.   To  leave  the  clipboard  without can- celling the order, select
RETURN instead.

Note:   Aircraft  en  route  to airfields will not be attacked by Luftwaffe
raids

3 - Airfields
This  is where the CONTROLLER'S job really starts.  With the limited number
of a/c stationed at these airfields you must defend England against attack,
issuing  intercept  orders  to  your fighters, while also keeping an eye on
pilot  morale,  the  state  of  the  air  fields and the repair facilities.
Selecting  an  airfield  will  provide  you  with  a  clipboard showing the
following information and options

Runway Status
The  Luftwaffe will try and bomb the runway to prevent use of the airfield.
If  the  runway  is  READY,  then  all  is  well  and  your aircraft can be
scrambled.

Damaged airfields can take up to 5 days to be repaired

Repair Status
This  shows the status of the a/c repair facilities at this airfield, where
damaged  (but  not destroyed) a/c can be repaired.  If the status is READY,
then  this  facility  is  functioning  normally.  Repairs will be performed
quickly unless the facilities have been affected by bomb damage.

Morale
The  current  state  of  the  battle will have an effect on morale.  It can
range  from  Poor, Fair, Fine, Good up to High.  At the start of the battle
morale  will  be  FINE.   Your  actions as Controller will have the biggest
influence  on  the  state of morale (Each R A F airfield has its own morale
level as does each Luftwaffe Rendez-vous point).

(i) What affects Morale?

It goes up if
(a) the Controller gives an airfield a rest day the day after its a/c
    were scrambled.
(b) any aircraft from the airfield are involved in a successful mission
    against the enemy.
(c) all a/c scrambled from an airfield return undamaged

It goes down if:
(a) you use airfields every day over a long period
(b) any of the airfield's aircraft are shot down.

(Moved  aircraft  affect the morale of the airfield they are moved to.  The
morale level becomes an average of the aircraft already present and the new
arrivals)

(ii) What effect does Morale have?

Morale  affects  the  way  the  computer  controlled pilots behave.  A high
morale  level  means  they  will  be more successful in engaging the enemy.
They  will  be more effective in combat and more likely to spot an enemy on
their six (behind them) and manoeuvre more effectively.

Aircraft Ready
The number displayed here shows the total number of operational (undamaged)
a/c  at  this  airfield.  However you should note that the controller's job
was made harder by the strict limits placed on the use of fighter resources
by  Fighter Command.  Each day you will have only a small number of a/c you
are allowed to scramble to meet all incoming threats.  The number available
is  listed  in  the  top  right  of the map screen and will vary during the
campaign.

Tomorrow
This  is  the  total  number  of  a/c  ready for the next day.  This figure
includes repaired a/c and a/c en route from factories.

One Week
Unfortunately  some  a/c  might  take up to a week to repair.  The num- ber
that fall into this category are included in this figure

Fighting
This  number  tells  you  how  many  a/c  from  this airfield are currently
involved in combat with the Luftwaffe.

Redeployed
This  indicates  how many a/c from here are being moved to another airfield
today.

Four options are also available on the Airfield Clipboard:

SET RESPONSE
Selecting  this  option  will  allow  you  to  scramble aircraft to meet an
attack.  This is described in more detail in PLANNING YOUR RESPONSE

STAND DOWN
This will cancel any responses that you have set up for this airfield

REDEPLOYMENT
This option allows you to move a/c to another airfield in the same way that
you  move  a/c  from factories.  It is useful when you need to reinforce an
airfield  that  has  lost  a  lot of a/c or you want to move a/c with a low
morale  from  a  front  line airfield and replace them with a/c with a high
morale.   You  should  note that as with a/c travelling from factories, a/c
redeployed in this way are unavailable for one day

RETURN
This takes you back to the map

PLANNING YOUR RESPONSE

If  you  have  not already done so, select each of the Detected Threats and
note  down  the  number and type of a/c as well as their altitude speed and
heading.   If  there  is  more than one threat you will need to decide upon
your  tactics  as  CONTROLLER.   Do  you  spread your forces and attempt to
counter  all the threats or attack in strength, hoping to defeat one attack
quickly and then turn to face another.

You  will  rarely  have enough a/c to meet all attacks, so you will have to
formulate your own strategy and see how well it works.

Once  you  have  decided  on the Detected Threat you will counter first you
should select the closest airfield with operational aircraft.

When  the  clipboard is shown, select SET RESPONSE from the options and the
board  will  be  removed  to  show one of the 'Detected Threats' on the map
flashing.   Using  the  CURSOR  LEFT/RIGHT  keys  move the highlight to the
threat  you  wish to deal with and then select it.  A new clipboard will be
displayed allowing you to set up your response

The  type  of  German  bomber is displayed Beneath this are the values that
define the R A Fs response to the threat.

The force size box is highlighted and using CURSOR LEFT/RIGHT will increase
or decrease the number of a/c to be scrambled, up to the maximum allowed by
Fighter  Command.   When  you  are satisfied use CURSOR DOWN to move to the
next field.

Your  control room staff automatically insert default heading, altitude and
distance  values onto the clipboard, based on the information received from
the  Radar network.  These figures are used by the a/c to navigate to their
'Circle  Point' (where they await updated head- ings from the CONTROLLER to
guide  them to their target).  It is important to note, however, that these
default  figures will often result in your a/c meeting the enemy head-on As
discussed  later  in  IMPROVED  FLIGHT  AND  COMBAT  TACTICS a head on con-
frontation  is  far  from desirable and ideally you should alter these fig-
ures to position your a/c in a better 'attack position'

Select 'OK' to close the clipboard and initiate the response

EDIT RESPONSE
If you wish to change your orders select your chosen airfield again and you
will  notice  that  you  have the opportunity to edit the response you have
just  set.   It  behaves  in  exactly  the same way as for when you set the
original response.

PREPARE TO SCRAMBLE

Having  set up your response (or responses) it's time to check the last two
options available on the R A F Map Screen.  Using the CUR- SOR UP/DOWN KEYS
move   the  highlighter  until  either  SUMMARY  or  FLY  are  highlighted.
LEFT/RIGHT CURSOR will then move between the two.

(1) SUMMARY

The  Summary  screen lists all of the flights that you have set up for that
day.   One  flight is highlighted and extra information for it is displayed
in  the  panel  at the bottom of the list.  You can select whichever flight
you  wish  out  of  those  available  using  the  CURSOR UP/DOWN KEYS.  The
highlighted flight will be the one you will fly in.

At  the  bottom  of the screen are the options that allow you to confirm or
cancel  the  rele- vant flight.  If the orders are cancelled then that will
be  shown  in  the  status column next to the flight orders and that flight
will  stand  down.   You  can  reverse  the  cancellation  by re- selecting
'confirmed'.

Use  CURSOR  DOWN to select 'Return to Control Room' and then RETURN/ENTER.
You  will  be  asked  to  accept the changes you have made to the orders or
forget  them.   If you forget them, any changes you have made to the orders
will be cancelled.

Whichever option you choose, you will return to the Control Room.

(2) FLY

You are now ready to switch to being a Pilot in the RAF, helping to execute
the orders you have made as a Controller.  Selecting 'Fly' will take you to
the  Pilot's summary screen.  Once there selecting 'TAKE OFF' or 'FLY' will
put you in the cockpit of the a/c.

See PILOT for details on how to fly the aircraft.  At the start of each new
day you will return to the Control Room to formulate new orders.

PILOT

Whichever  role  you  select  (PRACTICE,  CONTROLLER  or  PILOT)  you  will
eventually  end  up  at the pilots summary screen, preparing to take to the
air.

This  screen  shows  your a/c and the others which are to be scrambled with
you  and  shows where they are flying from and which raid they are going to
attack.

At  the  bottom of this screen will be a number of options.  They will vary
depending  on  whether  you  are  flying  as a trainee in PRACTICE, or as a
proper PILOT.

Practice
Trainees will have the options to Takeoff, Intercept Land or Cancel

Pilot
Pilots will have the options to Takeoff, Fly or Cancel

TAKEOFF (Practice or Pilot)
This  option  will  place  you  in  the  cockpit,  on the runway, ready for
takeoff.

INTERCEPT (Practice)
Trainees  can  go  straight  into  a fight with the enemy by selecting this
option.

LAND (Practice)
This  option  will  position your a/c on an approach to your home airfield.
You  will  need  to practice landing when you have limited fuel as this may
result in you needing to return to an airfield to refuel or to rearm.

FLY (Pilot)
This  option skips takeoff and puts you in the air en route to intercepting
the Luftwaffe raid.

CANCEL (ALL roles)
This  will  cancel  the  summary  screen  and take you back to the previous
screens

Selecting  any  option  other  than CANCEL will put you into the cockpit of
your  aircraft,  ready  for the battle ahead.  To learn how to fly, see the
section FLYING WITH THE R.A.F.

FLYING WITH THE ROYAL AIR FORCE (R A F)

Whatever  route  you  took  to get this far, you will now be sitting in the
cockpit  of either an R A F Spitfire or Hurricane aircraft.  We will assume
that  you  are  at  the rank of Pilot Officer (the default rank and easiest
level).  For details on changing Rank and Difficulty see "THE MENU BAR".

TAKEOFF
If  you  chose  TAKEOFF  you  will enter the cockpit of your aircraft as it
taxis  down  the runway for takeoff.  At the easiest level (Real Flight NOT
selected) this will provide enough speed to take off (for details on taking
off  with  the  "Real  - Flight" menu option selected see the section "Real
Flight"  later  in  the manual) Once the aircraft is in the air, it is time
for  you  to  take control.  You might like to press Function key 5 (F5) to
see  your  a/c  from  an outside view.  You shoould notice the landing gear
underneath.   Press  G  to  raise  the undercarriage then press F5 again to
return to the cockpit.

(You  can discover much more about the variety of different views available
by turning to the section "DIFFERENT VIEWS"

Press  P  to  pause the simulation whenever you want the chance to read the
following instructions on how to fly

Because  of  the  excessive  power  available  to you in the beginners mode
(Pilot  Officer rank with REAL FLIGHT switched off), there is no reason why
you  can't  throw  the  aircraft  around  the  sky to get a feel for how it
responds.   Try  using your control device (which at the moment will be set
for keyboard by default unless you have altered it via the Menu Bar).

This  section  of  the  manual  is  conveniently  separated into two parts.
FLYING  THE  SPITFIRE/HURRICANE  tells  you  all you need to know about the
controls  in  the  cockpit  and how to fly the aircraft MAKING AN INTERCEPT
takes  you  through combat with the Luftwaffe and explains the best tactics
to use when in the air.

FLYING THE SPITFIRE/HURRICANE

What is in a name?

The  Spitfire  became  a  legend,  a  symbol  of the success of the British
people.   All over the country, Spitfire funds were started in nearly every
city, town and village.

Spitfire
Despite  the  impression  that  it  made  on  the public, the Spitfire only
accounted  for  20%  of  the  enemy aircraft destroyed during the Battle of
Britain.  It had a long service life and it was a very photogenic aircraft.
It han- dled superbly and was the sports car of the aircraft industry.  Its
speed  and  manoeu-  vrability made it more than a match for the Luftwaffes
best  fighter  the  BF-109.  Unfortunately the guns they had were painfully
inadequate in comparison to those fitted in the Luftwaffe aircraft.

Hurricane
The  Hurricane  was responsible for 80% of the destroyed enemy aircraft but
was  not as popular as the Spitfire in the eyes of the public.  Its success
was  due  in  part  to  the  fact  that  the  R  A F had greater numbers of
Hurricanes  than  Spitfires,  but also because the Hurricane's wooden frame
and  panels  (compared  to  the  Spitfires metal) could take more damage in
battle  as  enemy  bullets  often  passed  straight  through, missing vital
components.  rather than ricocheting around inside.

SPITFIRE / HURRICANE COCKPIT

The  cockpits for the Spitfire and Hurricane are so similar that we use the
same  cockpit  design for both aircraft in this simulation.  You can easily
tell  which  aircraft  you  are  in  by pressing '1' on the key- board.  An
Information  Readout  panel  in the cockpit will tell you which one you are
in.   You  could  also switch to an external view of the a/c instead as the
Spitfire  and  Hurricanes were visually quite different.  If you are a real
expert  you should also be able to tell the difference by the way each air-
craft   type  handles  when  in  the  air.   Both  Spitfire  and  Hurricane
aerodynamics  are  accurately repre- sented, as far as is possible, in this
simulation.

The  cockpit  shown below should be studied along with the keyboard control
card enclosed in your package

DIALS
The  dials  on  both  the  R  A F and Luftwaffe aircraft were calibrated in
imperial  units  (ft  miles etc ) rather than metric units.  This step from
reality was taken for your benefit.  We decided that having to get familiar
with  two  different  sets  of  units  in the same simulator was taking the
desire for "accuracy.' beyond a reasonable limit.

However  you  will  probably  have  noticed  that, for the sake of accuracy
speeds  are calibrated in miles per hour rather than the more normal modern
(for aircraft) unit of knots.

(1) Sights
This  allows  you  to  line  up  your  shots when firing on the enemy.  The
distance  between  aircraft will obviously have an influence on whether you
hit  it  or not, as will the angle of your approach to the target.  This is
explained in more detail in the section "MAKING AN INTERCEPT.

(2) MPH
This  shows you the current speed of your aircraft.  The range is from 0 to
460.  The numbers on the dial are in units of ten, so 14 is really 140 MPH.
The red area from 0 to 60 is a danger zone.  If the needle enters the zone,
you will be in danger of stalling.  Note that neither aircraft can actually
fly at the maximum speed shown on the dial as the manufacturers were forced
to use any gauges that they could get there hands on at the time

(3) Artificial Horizon
The white line indicates the pitch and bank of the aircraft.  The num- bers
6,  3  and  0 on the left and right are in units of ten degrees, so 6 is 60
degrees, 3 is 30 degrees and so on.

(4) Rate of climb indicator
This shows the rate that the aircraft is climbing or descending in feet per
minute.   The  gauge  only  shows  up  to 4,000 feet climbing or 4,000 feet
descending.   For  more  detailed  information  you will need to 'cheat' by
referring to the V.S.I readout on the Information Panel

(5) Altimeter
This  gauge  shows your altitude above sea level.  It works in the same way
as  a clock, having two needles and the figures represent units of ten feet
or  one hundred feet.  If the long needle is pointing at the 2 it indicates
twenty  feet and if the small needle points at the 2 it indicates 200 feet.
The  number  in  the  bottom  right hand corner next to the gauge shows the
altitude  in  one  thousand foot units only.  For each 360 degree turn that
the  large  needle  makes,  a  change of 100 feet has been registered.  For
eeach 360 degrees that the small needle turns a change of one thousand feet
has been registered.

(6) Heading
Each  unit  on  this  readout is equal to 10 degrees, so 21 is equal to 210
degrees.  From this you can easily calculate your current heading.

(7) Slip and turn
The top needle indicates the slip and the bottom needle indicates the turn.
Each graduation on the turn needle reptresents a turn rate of 3 degrees per
second.  When an aircraft turns, it slips as well.  This can be compensated
by  use  of the rudder.  Z turns the rudder left, X will turn it right.  To
re-centre it press C.

(8) 12 hour clock - can be used for dead reckoning
The clock shows you the correct time of day in hours and minutes

(9) R.P.M
The  R  P M (Revolutions per Minute) gauge reflects the percentage of power
being  applied  to  your  aircraft's engine.  As with the M.P.H.  dial this
does  not  give  a  true indication of the maximum R P M of your a/c as the
dials were not origlnally designed for use in these aircraft

(10) Information Readout (1)
For  those  pilots who find it difficult reading all of the gauges and tak-
the  information in, a digital readout has been provided giving you most of
the  information  you require in an easier, but less realistic, format.  Of
course, if you want to fly as the real pilots did then you should only rely
on  the original instruments.  Press I on your key- board to toggle between
the digital information and your callsign and aircraft type

(1) Speed
The speed of the aircraft is registered in miles per hour (M P H)

(2) VSI - Vertical Speed Indicator
This  shows  the  vertical  speed  of  the  aircraft in feet per minute.  A
positive  or  negative number indicates whether the aircraft is climbing or
diving

(3) Altitude
This show the height of the aircraft in feet above sea level

(4) Heading
The current heading of the aircraft is shown here in degrees

(5) Pitch
The  pitch  axis of the velocity vector (not the aircraft) is mea- sured in
degrees

(11) Fuel
This  gauge  shows your current fuel levels.  If the needle reaches the red
zone,  then  you  are low on fuel and should land back at your air field to
refuel  before  taking off again.  Refuelling will be automatic but it will
take  a  few  minutes  before  you  can be airborne again depending on your
distance  from  the  nearest  airfield.   If  your  aircraft is damaged the
mission will be over for you as the ground crew will take your aircraft for
repair

(12) Flap switch (F)
The  flaps  are down when the switch is down.  Flaps are only used when you
are  bringing  the  aircraft  into land.  Pressing F on the key- board will
toggle them up or down.  During flight they should be up

(13) Wheel brake light (W)
When  the wheel brakes are applied this light will come on.  Toggle them on
and off by pressing W on the keyboard.  Wheel brakes are only used to bring
the a/c to a stop once it has landed

(14) Video light (V)
When the light is on, it means that video film is currently being recorded.
Pressing V will toggle this on and off.  Pressing O will rewind and restart
the  tape  if you wish to overwrite the footage already in memory and start
again

(15) Auto-pilot light (A)
When this light is on, the auto-pilot is engaged

(16) Auto-gun light (T)
When  the  guns are switched into auto mode (press T) then this light comes
on.   If  an  enemy  a/c flies through your sights and is within range, the
guns will automatically fire as long as you have enough ammunition left and
your guns haven't jammed or been damaged in battle

(17) Control device sensitivity
This  number represents the current setting for the control device This can
be adjusted by using the F3 and F4 keys.  Only keyboard control is affected
by  any changes made.  Mouse and joystick sensitivity are adjusted by their
own software or setting up procedures

(18) Control surface indicator
This  shows  the  position of the ailerons, elevators and rudder.  Move the
aircraft with your control device to note the changes registered here.

The  ailerons  cause  the  aircraft  to roll the elevators cause the a/c to
climb and the rudder is used when the aircraft slips.

(19) Ammo counter

(20) Gear (G)
These  lights  indicate the gear status.  When the red light is illuminated
the  gear is raised, when the green is illuminated the gear is loered.  The
gear can only be lowered when the aircrafts speed is below 200 mph.

The Pilots Map (M)
Every  pilot  carries  a  map  with  him in the cockpit of his Spitfire or
Hurricane  which  shows  the location of each wing leader.  To look at your
map, press the M key on your keyboard.

This  map is almost exactly the same as the one available to the Controller
in  tjhe  Control  romm  back at the R A F base.  Yoy can select any of the
squares  on the map that represent the R A Fs aircraft (including your own)
or  the  enemies  bandits  (inbound  detected threats).  A page will appear
giving  your  additional information on each aircraft.  To exit this screen
select FLY or press ESC.

DIFFERENT VIEWS

There  are  many  different  views  available, both inside and outside your
aircraft

Outside view (F5)
When  in the cockpit, try pressing function key F5.  You will be shown your
aircraft  as  viewed  from  the  outside.   There is an additional panel of
information  at  the bottom of the screen but you don't have to worry about
that  for now.  It is described in detail at the end of this section.  When
you wish to return to the cockpit view, press F5 again to toggle the view

Rotating the outside view (1 and 2)
You can change the position that you view your aircraft from when using the
outside  view (F5).  Try pressing the number 1 key on the main keyboard and
holding  it  down.   The view will rotate in the X axis (in the horizontal)
around  the  outside of your aircraft.  Now let go of key 1 and try holding
down  key  2  instead.  This moves the view in the Y axis (vertically).  If
you  want  to  reverse  the  direction  that  the view moves around in, try
holding down the ALT key first then either the 1 or 2 key.

Zoom in/Zoom out (F1 /F2)
From  the outside view you can get a closer look at the aircraft by zooming
in with function key F1.  You can zoom out by pressing F2

Track view (F6)
Function  key  F6 toggles between the cockpit and the track view Track view
differs  from the normal outside view.  It views the aircraft from the rear
and  tries  to  keep  the  same view no matter what manoeuvres the aircraft
might make.  It is just like the view you would get if another aircraft was
tracking you from behind

Home base view (F7)
F7  will show the view from your home base.  In the RAF's case this will be
an airfield

Satellite view (F8)
This view will show your aircraft from above

Bomb view (F9)
Pressing  F9  when  you  are  bombing  will give a view from the bomb as it
descends

Bandit views (Shift 0)
You  aren't restricted to outside views of your own aircraft.  You can also
have  a look at the enemy under certain circumstances.  When in combat, try
pressing  the  SHlFT  key and the number key 0.  You should see the outside
view  of  an  enemy aircraft.  If you don`t then an enemy isn't in range or
hasn't yet been assigned to you.

External view panel
When  viewing  your  aircraft  from outside you can still keep track of the
speed, heading etc using the external view panel

The  SPEED,  HEADING, ALTITUDE and CALLSIGN shown on the panel are those of
your own aircraft

View depends on which external view you selected eg.  F5 = Outside view and
F8 = satellite view

'RANGE'  and  'BEARING'  are  the  range  and  bearing  from your cur- rent
position to the current waypoint

WAYPOINT  shows the navigation waypoint currently selected.  If you wish to
change  a  waypoint  press  (inverted  comma) to increment the waypoint and
(semi-colon)  to  decrement the waypoint.  A waypoint is a point or an area
where the aircraft should perform an action such as bombing a target.  Each
R A f flight has three main waypoints

TAKEOFF - This waypoint is over the home airfield

CIRCLE  -  This  is  the  area the aircraft patrols, ready to intercept the
inbound  threats.  After a successful engagement an RAF fighter will return
to its CIRCLE waypoint until it is assigned a new target.

LAND - This is also over the home airfield.  If during combat an a/c is low
on  fuel  it  will return to its home base to refuel and then return to the
circle waypoint.  If it is out of ammunition it will continue to fy, acting
as  Wingman  for  its partner until both aircraft are out of ammunition, at
which  time  they  will  return  to  base to re-arm.  Damaged aircraft will
return to base for repair.

Waypoint  note  -  Aircraft  will always attempt to reach their current- ly
selected  waypoint.   However,  these  are  a  standing  order' and will be
overruled  if  an enemy comes within range.  If this happens the air- craft
will  attempt to engage or evade the enemy before returnlng to its original
course.

Internal views
As  well  as  external  views  the  Spitfire and Hurricane have a number of
internal  views.   These  allow  the player to scan the skies for enemy a/c
from within the cockpit.  The internal views available are;

Key             Internal view
3             Left back 45 degrees
4             Left
5             Left front 45 degrees
6             Front (normal cockpit view)
7             Right front 45 degrees
8             Right
9             Right back 45 degrees

Pressing  [  in any of these views will move to a 'look up view' which will
allow  you  to  see  a  larger part of the sky, but less of the cockpit and
controls.  To exit 'look up view' press ].

Behind you!
Unfortunately you cannot look directly behind you, mainly because it wasn't
physically  possible  because  all you would see is your own pilot's chair!
To  see  what  is directly behind you either use the look up view and check
your  mirror  or  try  the 3 or 9 key views and weave the aircraft left and
right to get a brief glimpse of anything on your tail

SWITCHING BETWEEN AIRCRAFT

Reach for the Skies allows you to switch between the aircraft of any flight
in  the  air  (as  long as they are on your side!).  This gives you an even
stronger infuence on the outcome of each day's mission.

To  switch,  hold  down  the  SHIFT  key  and press number 9 to jump to the
cockpit  of  your  wing  man  (if you have one) or a number from shift 1 to
shift  8  to jump to the cockpit of another wing leader then SHIFT 9 to get
to  their  wing  man.   You  will see the callsign in the Information panel
change to show that you are now in a different air- craft.

MAKING AN INTERCEPT RADIO MESSAGE

In those days, a radio was referred to as a wireless

The  RAF  aircraft  were  fitted with an AM set which could be picked up by
domestic  wireless.   This  meant that people on the ground could listen to
the exitement, drama and tragedy of air warfare.

The  RAF  aircraft  were also fitted with something called pip-squeak.  The
signal  transmitted  was used on the ground to track friendly aircraft.  It
was an obvious ancestor to the modern IFF technology.

Shortly  after  the  start  of your mission you will start to recieve radio
messages about the bandits (enemy aircraft) nearby.  The messages appear at
the top of the screen preceded by the callsign of the sender and are colour
coded as follows:

Another pilot or your Controller

If  the  message  is  in WHITE then it has been sent specifically to you by
another  pilot  or  your  controller.   You  should take note of it and act
accordingly

DARK  BLUE  messages  are  radio  chatter  being  sent to another pilot and
provide information on how the battle is going

If the message is GREEN then you have sent the message as a comment on your
immediate situation.  These messages are the simulations way of warning you
about  enemy  aircraft  that  you  would  normaly  be  aware  of  in a real
situation.  You should act on these warnings immediately.

For example - FROM RED 2: BANDIT AT 11 O CLOCK. RANGE 6 MILES

This  is  a  message  from a fellow pilot.  If the message was displayed in
WHITE  then  the  message  was  specifically for you.  BANDIT AT 11 O CLOCK
means  that there is an enemy aircraft at the 11 O clock position a head of
you, 6 miles away.

To  reach the enemy and engage, you may fly manually (in-real time) or turn
on  the  Auto-pilot by pressing the A key.  If you want to get to the enemy
quickly, you can also turn on Accelerated Mode.

ACCELERATED MODE

Pressing  the  TAB  key  on  the  keyboard  will  put  the  simulation into
accelerated  time  mode.  This will speed up time for everybody, allow- ing
you  to get to the interception point in seconds rather than min- utes.  It
affects  the enemy in the same way.  Note; If you activate Accelerated Mode
while in manual, with a negative pitch, you may quickly end up crashing.

A  message  at  the top of the screen will inform you that Accelerated Mode
has been activated.

If  you  come  under  threat  or  come  within  6  miles of the enemy, then
Accelerated mode turns off automatically.

In addition SHIFT and TAB will lock the game into accelerated mode (as will
holding  the  TAB key) but these are dangerous as your a/c may be destroyed
while not under your control.

You  should  soon  see  the  aircraft ahead.  If it is far away (6 miles or
more)  then  it  will only be visible as a small moving dot in the sky.  As
you  get  closer  you will begin to see more detail.  If all goes well, you
should eventually see it at close range.

(You  might  receive  updates  from  you controller if the aircraft makes a
change in heading.  Respond to the new information accordingly).

Speech
Some  machines  will  have  a digitised speech option.  When turned on, you
will  hear  radio  messages  from  other  pilots.  A few examples and their
significance are given below;

Some trade for you - An enemy aircraft is close by your position

Okay, let's engage - I have seen the bandit (message to Wingman)

Tally Ho - I have seen the bandit and am engaging (message to
controller)

SHOOTING

If  this  was a modern day fighter, you would probably just launch a couple
of  AIM9R  sidewinders  and  sit  back  and  watch as they chased the enemy
aircraft.   However in the 1940s combat was totally dependant on the pilots
own skill and reactions which is why com- bat is so much more exciting as a
result.   You  must  be within 250 yards of the enemy target before you can
start  shooting  (SPACE  BAR) and the only weapon you have at your disposal
are your machine guns.

Deflection
The  problem  with bullets is that they do not arrive at their target point
instantaneously.  They take time to reach their target which could mean the
enemy  has  moved  out of the way.  To compensate for this you will have to
anticipate  where  the  target  will  be and aim for that area so that your
bullets hit it as it arrives.

The  ability to defeat the enemy in air combat means the difference between
success  and  failure.   You  should  refer  to the section 'IMPROVING YOUR
SHOOTING' for furthur details of the best tactics to employ

Look up front view-([and])
There are many different views available to you when in the cockpit of your
R  A  f  aircraft.   However, one of the most useful during com- bat is the
'look up' front view.

Press  the [ key on your keyboard.  You will see a new view of the sky from
within your cockpit.  This is the view you would get if you were to look up
a little from your normal cockpit view.  You get a much clearer view of the
sky  here  so  you can track enemy aircraft more easily.  You also have the
added  bonus  of  a rear view mirror so you can see when an enemy bandit is
behind you (on your six),

You might think that side views are more important when trying to follow an
enemy plane, but they aren't!  When you turn to follow an aircraft you will
bank steeply, so your side views will only show a very high shot of the sky
(too  high to be of any use) or the ground or sea will fill the view on the
other  side  as you turn, Without the `look up' view, it would difficult to
follow the enemy accurately and give chase).

Whenever  you want to go back to the normal cockpit view from the `look up'
view, press the ] key.

Combat View (RETURN/ENTER)
Only possible when an enemy is within 6 miles of your a/c, this is probably
the  most  useful  view  available.  It is an outside view where the camera
moves  so  that,  regardless of which manoeuvres you and the enemy perform,
both aircraft will remain in view (Draw a line from the camera to the enemy
aircraft and it will always go through your aircraft).  In this way you can
work  out the best manoeuvre to perform in order to get the enemy into your
sights

Locking on (L)
You  can  lock  the  combat  view  onto  the  currently displayed bandit by
pressing  the  L  key.   This  key  will  toggle the lock on and off.  When
unlocked,  the  view  will automatically change to the nearest bandit.  You
will  notice the bandits callsign (as displayed on the panel in the outside
view)  will  change  colour to indicate that the combat view is locked onto
it.

The  locked  bandits  will always remain in the centre of the screen so you
can  see  exactly  where they are at all times.  If you put your air- craft
into  auto-pilot  and  auto-guns  then  you  might be able to watch the dog
fighting unfold before you from the outside view.

Note  that  the  rotational  keys  (1  and 2) do not have any effect during
combat view.  However, zooming in and out again with F1 and F2 does operate
as normal (See Different views for more details)

WINNING THE DAY

As  an  RAF officer you must hunt down the Luftwaffes bombers while evading
their  deadly  fighters.   Destroy  the  bombers  before  they  reach their
targets,  or  inflict  such  heavy  damage that they will be forced to turn
back,  while minimising the loss of the RAFs precious air- craft.  You will
kow  that  your  mission  is  over when you CONTROLLER informs you that the
Luftwaffe  are returning home, but you will not know how well you have done
until you finally return to base.  For this you should;

(1) Find an airfield (preferably your own) and land.

(2) Turn on the auto pilot (press key A) and Accelerated Mode (TAB) to
land automatically.

(3) Press F10 to bring up the Menu Bar and select End Mission
(only  available  when  the RAF have destroyed all Luftwaffe bombers or the
Luftwaffe bombers have attacked their target).

On  ending  a  mission  you  are  usually  taken directly to the Debriefing
Screen.

LOSING THE DAY

There are a number of ways in which to end the day in failure.

(1) Crash/ get shot down
In practice mode you will be taken to the debriefing screen described later
before returning to the side select screen.

In  pilot mode you will be taken to the ready room when you first or second
pilots  are  killed,  in  order to enter a name for your new pilot.  On the
death  of  your  third  pilot you will go directly to the debriefing screen
before restarting the campaign.

In  Controller mode the loss of a pilot will not affect you directly except
that  the  number  of aircraft available will be reduced and your task will
become harder.

(2) Select abort mission
Aborting  the first mission will return you to the side select screen as no
player  record  will have been saved.  After the first day your char- acter
record will be active and so you will return to the beginning of the day in
order to restart.

(3) Ejecting (Ctrl & E)
RAF pilots who eject over England will usually survive to fly the following
day, ewhile those who eject over the channel are often drowned.

Luftwaffe  pilots  ejecting  over England are likely to be captured and sit
out the remainder of the war, while those bailing out over the channel will
often  survive due to the superior search and rescue facilities provided by
the German U-boat fleet

DEBRIEFING

To  get  to  the  debriefing screen you must have ended a mission either by
selecting  'End  Mission'  from  the Menu Bar, or by landing safely at your
home  airfield (See 'Real fight' for more details) or by ejecting (Ctrl and
E) or being shot down.

A Debriefing Clipboard is displayed with a number of options available

(1) PHOTOGRAPHS
If  you  took  any  photographs  during  the mission, select this option to
review them

If  you  have taken any photographs the first one photograph A, will be put
up  on  the projection screen automatically.  The slide projector has three
options on it.  NEXT takes you to the next photograph.  DELETE will destroy
a  photograph if you don't want to keep it on disk.  PREVlOUS will take you
back one to the previously viewed photo- graph

To leave this room and return to the Debriefing, select the EXIT door.

(2) VIDEO
This  allows  you  to  view  any recorded video film that you shot during a
mission.   Until it is saved, video is held in the computer's memory (RAM).
You  should ensure that you save any video you wish to keep so that you can
use the memory for recording new footage on your next missions.  (The O key
rewinds and restarts the video, thus over writing old recordings).

The available options give you the chance to look at the recorded footage.

(a) Load
To load in a previously saved film you will have to type in the name of the
footage  you  previously saved and select OK.  You must then select PLAY to
view it.

(b) Play
To play the footage in memory select this option.

(c) Exit
To leave this room and return to Debriefing, select this option.

(d) Save
To  save  the  video in memory, select this option and give the file a name
before selecting OK.  The footage will be saved to floppy or hard disk.

(e) Next
If  you  recorded more than one piece of footage in a mission without using
up all of the available film then you can proceed to the next film and then
PLAY  it  with  this  option.   The length of film available depends on the
amount  of  available  memory.   (On the PC this feature takes advantage of
expanded memory if any is available).

(3) Progress Report
On  selecting  the  Progress Report option, you will first see the data for
your  individual  pilot covering the last mission and also giving the grand
total  since  you began.  The information tells you how many air- craft you
have lost, how many you have shot down, the number of ground targets hit by
the  Luftwaffe whilst you were in the air, how long you have been in combat
for and your kill rating.

The  same  information  is available for the entire squadron by select- ing
the squadron option at the bottom of the clipboard.

The  Kill  rating  is  a score which is calculated from the number of enemy
bandits  you  shot  down  and  your current rank.  The higher the rank, the
higher your rating will be for each bandit.

The  current  British  Air Strength is also displayed at the bottom of this
clipboard.   This is a very important figure and shows you how well you are
doing.   If  it falls below 50% then the RAF will lose the whole battle and
the simulation will end.

To leave the Progress report and return to the Debriefing clipboard, select
EXIT

(4) COMBAT REPORT
The  Combat report gives a detailed breakdown of the day's combat including
the date, the home airfield, the type of Luftwaffe bombers encountered, the
time  of  the attack the height of the attack, and the number of casualties
on either side.

To leave the Combat report and return to Debriefing, press any key

(5) ACES
The  Aces  list  gives  you  the top ten RAF pilots in terms of their total
confirmed  kill  rating.   Your  name  will  only appear on the list if you
manage to get more than the lowest entrant.  How high up you appear depends
on your total.  If a pilot on the list is killed, this will be entered next
to his name.

(6) NEXT DAY
The  final  option  in Debriefing will end the day and take you to the next
one.  What happens next depends on the role you chose earlier.

Practice
Trainees  in  practice  cannot go to the next day.  You are only allowed to
practice  on  the first day of any phase.  Selecting 'Next Day' will return
you to the orders board for additional training.

Controller
You  will  advance to the next day of the conflict to plan out your tactics
in the Control Room

Pilot
You will advance to the next day in the phase

At  the  very bottom of the Debriefing clipboard you will find any comments
from  your  superior officers on how the battle is going.  The messages can
only  change once a day depending on the events that have occurred.  If you
are  in PRACTICE you will be informed how well or how badly you did in that
day's training exercise instead.

For  further  information on controlling the simulation you should refer to
the  section  'THE  MENU BAR' for details on how to improve your flying and
combat  refer to the sections 'REAL FLIGHT' and 'IMPROVED FLIGHT AND COMBAT
TACTICS'  (lmproving  your shooting, Fighter combat and Notes on the theory
of fight).

THE LUFTWAFFE

Having chosen the role of the Luftwaffe from the selection screen, you will
be  moved  to  the Squadron Meeting Room where you will see Obersteleutnant
Werner  Molders sitting pensively at a table.  On the blackboard behind him
are  a  list of available pilots (default set- tings at start).  You should
select one of these and then proceed through the option screens in the same
way as for the RAF.

Depending  on which ROLE you selected there will be some slight differences
from the RAF.  These are listed below.

PRACTICE

The  Luftwaffe  PRACTICE  mode features different options to the RAF as you
will  be  taking an attacking role rather than a defensive one.  The option
you can select are;

COAST
This option will take you in your aircraft and place you immediately at the
edge of the SE coast of England, ready to execute your orders.

INTERCEPT
This will take you immediately to an interception with the RAF Be ready for
a dogfight.

BOMB JU87
This  option takes you in your aircraft to a position just before a bombing
run.  This is the perfect opportunity to practice bombing and strafing

CANCEL
This will take you back to choose another role if you change your mind.

To  learn how to fy and what tactics to use in the air once you are in your
cockpit,  please refer to the R,A.F.  PILOT section and IMPROVED FLIGHT AND
COMBAT TACTICS'.

CONTROLLER

Once you are adept in the role of a Pilot you should try taking on the role
of  Controller.   You  will  make  decisions about which targets to attack.
Each  day  the  German  High  Command  will present you with a selection of
strategic  targets (one of which was actually bombed on that day during the
battle) and it is up to you which tar- get, or targets, you will attack and
the number of your available air- craft to use.

As  Controller,  your  aim  is  to  reduce  the effectiveness of the RAF by
lowering  the  British Air Strength to less than the critical level of 50%.
If  the strength drops below this level then the final preparations for the
invasion can be started.

There are a number of ways of reducing the air strength:

Shoot down RAF aircraft in the air.

Shoot RAF aircraft whilst still on the ground.

Bomb RAF repair facilities located at airfields.

Bomb the RAF aircraft factories

Bomb shipping convoys carrying aircraft spares coming from America

Bomb radar facilities to reduce the RAF's early warning capability

Deny the RAF the use of their airfields

Having  selected the phase you wish to start the battle in, select CONTINUE
on  the  next  screen  to confirm your choice.  You will then move into the
Luftwaffe's  Control  Room.  Here you will see a large map of the SE corner
of England.

(A) Currently highlighted group
(B) Current date
(C) Number of available aircraft fights today
    (Each fight is two a/c)
(D) Name of current Airfield/location
(E) Available targets
(F) Rendez-vouz points

The  general  layout  is very similar to the RAF Control Room.  However the
ultimate objective of the Luftwaffe is obviously very different.

All  Luftwaffe  aircraft  are organised in flights of two aircraft.  As you
progress  through  the  campaign High Command will provide you with varying
numbers and types of aircraft, depending on how well the campaign is going.

The  map  in  the  Control  room  shows  similiar  items to that of the RAF
CONTROLLER

Marker                   Group Type
Blue Cross               Airfield
Light grey marker        Aircraft Factory
Dark Grey area           Conurbation
White cross              Barrage Balloon
Red marker               Site
Black marker             Radar Site
White Dots               Rendez-vous point
Red Dots                 Target

However  the  groups  that  you  can interact with (red and white dots) are
different.   The  white  dots  show your rendez-vous point, where groups of
bombers  and fighters join in formation for the journey to the target.  The
red  dots  are the targets and these will vary in type from day to day, and
phase to phase depending on the plan of the German High Command

One  of the targets will be highlighted (flashing) and you should now check
the  identity  of  each  target  in  turn  by  highlighting  then  pressing
RETURN/ENTER

In  this  example  the target in question is a Convoy carrying cargo to the
shores  of  England  from  the  United States of America.  The state of the
convoy  (whether  it is damaged or not), the size (number of ships) and the
current heading is also revealed.

Press any key to make the clipboard disappear.

Now select a Rendez-vous point and press RETURN/ENTER to select it.

The  Rendez  vous  point  will  be  assigned  an  identification letter (to
distinguish it from other points).  It also shows the aircraft type and the
current morale level.

(Morale  can  range from Poor, Fair, Fine, Good up to High.  At the start
of phase one it will be at FINE).

You will also notice a number of selectable options underneath.

SET ATTACK
This  allows  you  to  set  an  attack  on  a Target of your choice.  Press
RETURN/ENTER  to select this option and you will return to the map.  One of
the available targets will be highlighted (flashing) and you should now use
CURSOR LEFT/RIGHT keys to highlight the tar- get you wish to attack.  Press
RETURN/ENTER  to  select  the  target  and  display  the  'ATTACK AGAINST:'
clipboard.

Target
The  name  of the target is shown first.  In this example, it is a shipping
convoy in the chan- nel on approach to England with vital supplies

Bomber Type
This  shows  the  currently available Bomber Type for this day.  All bomber
types  are available during the entire confict but the following list shows
those most likely to be used in each phase

Phase            Type
1                Ju87
2                Ju88
3                He111
4                DO17

Flights
Below this is the number of fights assigned to this target.  Press the down
arrow  key  to highlight this then use the CURSOR LEFT/RIGHT keys to change
the  number  of fights until you are happy.  Remember a fight is two a/c so
selecting  two fights will launch two wing leaders, each accompanied by one
wing man

Altitude over coast
You  can  manually  alter  the  altitude by typing in a new number from the
keyboard.   The  lower the altitude the closer the aircraft will get to the
target  before detection.  Keep in mind that you might want to set up a few
aircraft  at higher altitudes to act as decoys.  In this situation you want
them  to  be detected early so that the RAF concentrates on them instead of
the  real  threat  from  the  aircraft  coming  in  undetected at the lower
altitude.

Target bearing at turn/ Target range at turn
These  two  values  dictate where the assigned aircraft will make its final
turn  towards  its  ultimate target.  You include a sudden turn to disguise
your ultimate target.

Bombing method
The  penultimate  option on the clipboard is the bombing method This can be
set at one of three settings:

(i) DiveBomb
This  begins  at  an  altitude  of  10,000  feet  (See  'Combat'  for  more
information on 'Bombing' manually)

(ii) Low level
This is at an altitude of only 2000 feet

(iii) High Level
This is at an altitude of 10000 feet

When  the  bombers  are  setup  to your satisfaction, select Setup Escourt.
Another clipboard is displayed.

You can choose between Bf109 and Bf110 for fighter type

The  formations available are Close, High and Free.  See Fighter Tactics in
the section IMPROVED FLIGHT AND COMBAT TACTICS for an explanation of these

CANCEL ATTACK
This will cancel any responses you have set up for this Rendez-vous point

RETURN
This option returns you to the map without setting an attack

EDIT ATTACK
Once  you  have  set  an attack from a Rendez-vous point selecting it again
will  give the option to EDIT ATTACK.  Selecting this will take you back to
the  map  where you can choose an attack to edit.  An attack clipboard will
be  displayed  and you can alter the attack in the same way that you set an
attack.

SUMMARY
When  you  have  set  up  all  you  want  for  that  day, you should select
'Summary'.   This will summarise the orders you have given for the day.  If
you  want  to  cancel  any  of them select CANCELLED from the bottom of the
screen.   This  will  appear  in  the  status  column  next to the relevant
aircraft's  orders.   To  change  it back select CON- FIRMED and the status
column  will be empty again.  When you are happy with the orders use CURSOR
DOWN  key  to highlight 'Return to the Control Room'.  You will be asked to
ACCEPT or FORGET anything you have changed on the Summary screen.

ACCEPT  will  return  you  to the Control room and accept the orders on the
summary  screen,  including  any  changes  you have made.  FORGET will also
return you to the Control room, but it will forget any changes you made and
leave the orders as they were before you selected the Summary screen.

FLY
This  will  take  you  from  the  Control Room and into the Cockpit of your
aircraft  from  here  on you will assume the role of a PILOT until the next
day,  when you return back to the Control room ready to set up the new days
orders.

PILOT

Each  of  the  three  roles (PRACTICE, CONTROLLER or PILOT) will eventually
lead you to climbing into the cockpit of the aircraft assigned to you.  You
will  first  have  to  select  an  option  from the bot- tom of the Summary
screen.

This  screen  shows  you  your  aircraft  and  the  others  which are to be
scrambled  with you on that day.  You can highlight a different aircraft by
using the CURSOR UP/DOWN keys.  Whichever aircraft is high- lighted will be
the  one you will fly in.  At the very bottom of the screen there will be a
number of options depending on your role

Practice
You  can  either  select Coast, Intercept, Bomb or Cancel.  To learn to fly
the  aircraft  you  should  select  Coast.   This  gives  you  a  chance to
familiarise  yourself  with the controls before you have to enter combat or
bombing runs.

Controller
Controllers can select Begin or Cancel.

Pilot
Pilots can also select Begin or Cancel

Having made your choice you will be taken to the cockpit of your aircraft.

SUCCESS OR FAILURE

If you select PILOT mode you will have three pilots to use in the campaign.
You  will  win if your pilots can survive until the end of the campaign and
reduce  the  British Air Strength to below 50%.  You will lose the campaign
when you lose your third pilot.

As  a  CONTROLLER you will win upon reducing the British Air Superiority or
lose  when  the  simulation  reaches  the  15th  of  September with the RAF
maintaining their superiority.

FLYING WITH THE LUFTWAFFE

We  will  assume that you are at the rank of Leutnant (the default rank and
the easiest and most unrealistic level).

All  of  the  dials  and  gauges  displayed  in the cockpits of the various
Luftwaffe  aircraft are calibrated in imperial units (feet, miles etc) This
step  from  reality  was  taken  for your benefit.  Having to famil- iarise
yourself  with two different units of measurement in the same simulator was
taking the desire for accuracy beyond a reasonable limit.

Now  you  are in the cockpit, it is time to look at the controls before you
Press  P to pause the simulation.  You can now study the con- trols at your
leisure.   Whenever  you  wish  to  see  them  in action un- pause (press P
again).   There  are six different aircraft to fly in as a Luftwaffe pilot,
(four bombers and two fighters).  The type you are allocated depends on the
phase and the mission orders.

FLYING THE JU87 BOMBER

The Ju87 or Stuka bomber was a great success in the spring of 1940 where it
played a major part of the German BlitzKreig.  It proved to be a remarkably
accurate  bomber and with its high pitched wailing siren it instilled panic
into  the  enemy.  So much so that the German High Command developed tunnel
vision  when  it  came  to  making bombing strategy.  In fact much time and
effort was wasted in trying to modify the Big Bombers to allow them to dive
bomb.   The  Stuka's  stable  mate,  the  Ju88, was actually used in a dive
bombing role as well as the more nor- mal level bombing approach.

However,  the  Stuka's  success  in  Europe  was  due  to the fact that the
Luftwaffe  had  air  superiority.   During the "Battle of Britain", the RAF
found  the  Ju87 to be easy pickings.  When the Stuka pulls out of its dive
it  is  very slow and so very vulnerable.  During the course of the battle,
the  Stuka  squadrons were allocated more and more escort fighters.  In the
end though the Sruka had to be withdrawn.

In  this  simulation  you  can fly the Stuka.  It is also possible to dive-
bomb  and  strafe  targets.   You  can  move to the rear gunner position to
defend  the  aircraft.   The forward guns that are used for strafing can be
used  in  air  combat.  However, unless you are playing at the easy levels,
you  will  be  either very lucky or very skillful to get an RAF aircraft in
your sights long enough for a shot.

JU87 COCKPIT

Dials
(1) Sights
This  allows  you to line up your shots when shooting or bombing the enemy.
When  shooting,  the  distance  that  the  aircraft  is  away from you will
obviously have an influence on whether you hit it or not, as will the angle
of  your  approach  to the target.  This is explained in more detail in the
section 'IMPROVED FLIGHT AND COMBAT TACTICS'

(2)  Altimeter:   This  instrument  measures the height above sea level The
zero  position  is at 12 o'clock.  The large needle rotates 360 degrees for
every  100 feet.  The small needle rotates 360 degrees for every 1000 feet.
The digits display the altitude in 1000's feet

(3)  Direction  Indicator:   This  dial  displays the aircraft heading.  No
corrections  for  deviarion  or variation are required.  North is at the 12
o'clock position

(4) Air Speed indicator:  This shows the indicated speed calibrated in tens
of  miles per hour.  The indicated air speed does not always show the speed
that  you  are  flying at (true air speed).  In fact the true air speed and
the indicated air speed only coincide at sea level

(5) Fuel dial (Fuel capacities are shown in Aircraft Comparison Table)

(6)  Turn indicator:  Each graduation on the dial represents a turn rate of
3 degrees per second

(7)  Rate  of  Climb  indicator:   This  displays the vertical speed of the
aircraft  in  1000s  of feet per minute.  The zero position is at 9 o'clock
Climb is represented by a clockwise movement.  The instrument is limited to
show a maximum reading of 4000 feet per minute.

(8) 12 hour clock - This can be used for dead reckoning

(9)  The  rpm dial shows the engine speed.  The maximum reading in straight
and level fight is 5000 rpm

(10)  Air brakes are applied when the light is illuminated.  The air brakes
are used to slow down the dive

(11) Flaps are down when the light is illuminated.  The flaps are either up
or down.  There is no intermediate position and they are normally only used
for landing.  Flaps are toggled up and down using the F key

(12)  When  the  light marked "VID" is illuminated a video of the action is
being recorded.  The video can be played back at the debriefing.  On second
world war aircraft, gun cameras were used to produce motion pictures of the
action when the guns were fired.

(13) When the light marked "AUTO.' is illuminated the autopilot is engaged

(14) When the light marked "GN" is illuminated then the autopilot will fire
automatically.   Please  note  though  that the autopilot must be on before
auto firing can occur

(15)  This  number  indicates  the  sensitivity of the keyboard and digital
joystick controls

(16)  Press I to toggle between the two types of information present- ed on
the aircraft data panel

(17)  The  control  surface  indicator  shows the position of the ailerons.
elevators and rudder

(18)  The  weapon instruments and controls are to the right of the cockpit.
There is a switch to toggle between guns and bombs using the backspace key.
The rounds remaining are shown below.

(19) Gun rounds remaining

(20)  Bombs  remaining The Stuka is fitted with 3 bombs at the beginning of
each mission One bomb is released for each press of the trigger

Pilot's Map (M)
Pressing  M  when  in the cockpit will display the pilot's map.  This shows
the wing leader of each fight of aircraft.

You  can  select  any  of  the  squares  on the map that represent the wing
leaders  of  your  nights or those of the enemy or the assigned targets for
that day.  A clipboard will appear giving you additional information

DIFFERENT VIEWS

For details of the various views available see the section 'FLYING WITH THE
ROYAL AIR FORCE

WAYPOINTS

As with the RAF the Luftwaffe have three different types of Waypoint:

TURN  POINT  - This is where the bomber turns to make the final approach to
the  target.   If  you are playing as a controller, you can choose where to
set  the  turning  point.   This is important because you can disguise your
intentions until the last minute.

ATTACK - This is the point where the bombs get dropped on the target

Dive-bombing with the Ju87 "Stuka".

Dive-bombing,  as  developed  by  the  Luftwaffe is a very accurate bombing
technique  which  requires  no  instrumentation.   Select  bombs  using the
backspace  key  First attain a height of 15000 feet and a speed of 150 mph.
Then bunt (stick forward) the aircraft to start the dive Dive at the target
at a pitch of about 80 degrees with air brakes extended.  At 4000-6000 feet
pull  back on the stick as the target moves through the gun sight press the
trigger.

RETURN  - This is where the aircraft heads for after the mission In reality
it will be the same as the rendez-vous point where the mission began

Internal views
The  JU87  aircraft  has  all  the  same  internal views as the Spitfire or
Hurricane,  as  well  as  an  additional  'rear  gunner  view'.  The Ju87's
internal views are:

Key        Inside view
3       Left back 45 degrees
4       Left
5       Left front 45 degrees
6       Front (normal cockpit view)
7       Right front 45 degrees
8       Right
9       Right back 45 degrees
0       Rear Gunner (also the Y key)

Pressing  [  in any of these views will move to a 'look up view' which will
allow  you  to  see  a  larger part of the sky, but less of the cockpit and
controls.  To exit 'look up view' press ].

SWITCHING BETWEEN AIRCRAFT

When  playing  the Luftwaffe you can switch between aircraft in exactly the
same  way as for the RAF by pressing Shift and a numeric key from 1 through
to  4.   From  each  of  these  wing  leaders you can jump to a wing man by
pressing Shift and 9.

FLYING THE HEAVY BOMBERS (JU88, DO17, HE111)

When  on the Luftwaffe side if you are using Big Bombers then the objective
is to defend them against the RAF fighters.  The actual flying, bombing and
subsequent  strafing is done automatically.  You can defend the Big Bombers
by  escorting  them with Bf109 or Bf110 fighters or you can take control of
the  gunner  positions inside the bomber.  There are three gunner positions
each with a small control panel:

Forward gunner (press 6)

1.When this light is illuminated then the gun is damaged and will not
  work

2 When this light is illuminated, then the gun will fire automatically
  Guns will fire automatically anyway if you move to another cockpit
  view

3.This number indicates the rounds remaining.

Rear look up (press Y)
Rear look down(press H)

JU88

A  stable  mate of the JU87, the JU88 was used in both normal level bombing
and dive-bombing raids

Shooting
When you aren't the pilot, you take the job of gunner.  Instead of steering
the  nose  of  the aircraft to point at the enemy, you wait until the enemy
appears  in view and then you can move the gun sight around the screen with
the  CURSOR  keys to track it.  Fire when the enemy is in your sights using
the SPACE BAR.  You can also use CONTROL and CURSOR KEYS to move the sights
quickly around the screen

Auto-fire (T)
This  will  put  your  gun into auto-fire mode.  However, when an enemy a/c
comes  within  range, the cursor will track it automatically and attempt to
shoot it down.

Damage light
If  your gun is damaged or jammed then this light will come on to warn you.
During  a  mission your crew may manage to repair the gun at which time the
light will go out.

Rounds
This  tells  you  how  many rounds of ammunition you have left on board and
ready for use.

These  three  features  are present on all three internal views (6, Y and H
keys).   Each  gunner position behaves in the same way.  If an RAF aircraft
ducks  under your front gunner (6) then switch to the gunner underneath (H)
to  track  it.   If it passes you then it might end up behind.  Press Y and
keep your eyes peeled!

DO17
The  Dornier  17  (DO 17) bomber was a new bomber design that the Luftwaffe
intro- duced during the course of the battle.

HE111
The  Heinkel  111  (HE111)  bomber  was  another new bomber design that the
Luftwaffe introduced during the course of the battle.

Luftwaffe Fighters (Bf109 and Bf110)
The  Luftwaffe  used  two fighters during the "Battle of Britain" to escort
their  bombers.   Both  aircraft  were  designed  by  Willy  Messerschmitts
Bayerische  Flugzeugwerke  design  team.   The  single engined Bf109 was an
outstanding  success  and  was  well  matched gainst the Spitfire.  The two
engined  Bf11O  was  an  outright  failure  The  Bf110's  shortcomings were
recognised  during  the  battle  and  at times the Luftwaffe were forced to
adopt  the  absurd  tactic  of using Bf109 squadrons to escort the Bf110 so
called  fighters.   When there were no Bf109s to protect them, Bf110 pilots
would,  if  attacked, sometimes fly in a defensive circle.  This tactic has
been  used  many times during the history of air combat, notably during the
Vietnam war and The First World war

Both the Bf109 and the Bf110 are present in this simulation.  You will find
that Bf109s are not always available and so you will have to make do.  This
could be quite a problem if you are flying at Wing Commander level

Cockpits
In this simulation there are six different Luftwaffe aircraft (four bombers
and  two  fighters)  from  which  to  choose.  During any one mission it is
possible to move between one of the bombers and either of the fighters.  As
it  is  not  possible  to  fit three sets of cock- pits into memory we have
compromised  by using the same set of cockpits for the two fighters.  There
is one difference though.  In the single seater Bf109 there is no rear view
because  in  practice  a  pilot could not look directly behind him.  To see
behind,  follow  the  proce- dure outlines for the RAF Fighters.  The Bf110
does have a rear view, in fact which is manned by a rear gunner

(1) Sights
This  allows  you to line up your shots when shooting or bombing the enemy.
When  shooting  the  distance  that  the  aircraft  is  away  from you will
obviously have an influence on whether you hit it or not, as will the angle
of  your  approach  to the target.  This is explained in more detail in the
section 'IMPROVED FLIGHT AND COMBAT TACTICS'

(2)  Altimeter:   This  instrument  measures the height above sea level The
zero  position  is  at 2 o'clock.  The large needle rotates 360 degrees for
every  100 feet.  The small needle rotates 360 degrees for every 1000 feet.
The digits display the altitude in 1000's of feet

(3)  Direction Indicator:  This instrument displays the aircraft heading No
corrections for deviation or variation are required

(4) Turn indicator:  Each graduation on the dial represents a turnrate of 3
degrees per second.

(5) Air Speed indicator:  This shows the indicated speed calibrated in tens
of  miles per hour.  The indicated air speed does not always show the speed
that  you  are  flying at (true air speed).  In fact the true air speed and
the indicated air speed only coincide at sea level.

(6) 12 hour Clock - can be used for dead reckoning

(7) Fuel dial (Fuel capacities are shown in the Aircraft Comparison Table)

(8)  The  rpm dial shows the engine speed.  The maximum reading in straight
and level flight is 5000rpm.

(9)  Flaps  are  down  when the switch is down.  The flaps are either up or
down.   There  is  no  intermediate  position  and  they  are only used for
landing.   Flaps  are toggled up and down using the F key.  See the section
'Landing in Training' for more information.

In  reality,  on  the Bf109, flaps were used for takeoff as well.  For this
purpose,  it  was  possible  to  vary the degree of flaps applied.  In this
simulation,  Luftwaffe  aircraft  always  start in the air and so it is not
necessary  to simulate variable flaps.  It is possible to defect by landing
a Bf109 in England so landing flaps have been provided.  It is not possible
to defect in the Bf110, the rear gunner will not let you.  You will find it
impossible to lower the gear on the Bf110.

(10)  When  the  lights  are  illuminated,  the  gear is down.  The gear is
toggled  up  and  down  using  the G key.  The gear cannot be lowered above
200mph.   Also,  as  noted  above, the gear cannot be lowered at all on the
Bf110

(11) The wheel brake light is illuminated when the brakes are applied.  The
wheel brakes are toggled on and off using the W key

(12)  When  the light marked "VID-' is illuminated a video of the action is
being recorded.  The video can be played back at the debriefing.  On second
world war aircraft, gun cameras were used to produce motion pictures of the
action when the guns were fired

(13) When the light marked "AUTO" is illuminated then autopilot is engaged

(14) When the light marked "GN" is illuminated then the autopilot will fire
automatically.   Please  note  though  that the autopilot must be on before
autofiring can occur

(15)  This  number  indicates  the  sensitivity of the keyboard and digital
joystick controls

(16)  Press  I  to toggle between the two types of information presented on
the aircraft data panel

(17)  The  control  surface  indicator  shows the position of the ailerons,
elevators and rudder

(18)  Remaining  Ammunition  The BF110 has a rear gunner position.  Press Y
key  to  switch to the rear gunner.  This position is controiled in exactly
the  same  manner  as  any of the gunner positions found on the JU88 bomber
aircraft.

COMBAT

As  a  gunner  on  a heavy bomber the enemy will come to you.  When the RAF
fighters  suddenly  swoop  to  attack you will need to be fast and accurate
with your shooting to send them spiralling downwards

As  a fighter pilot in either the BF109 or BF110 you will have to hunt down
the RAF's intercepting fighters in order to protect your bombers

Speech
Some  machines  will  have  a digitised speech option.  When turned on, you
will  hear  radio  messages  from  other  pilots.  A few examples and their
significance are given below:

We  are  under attack!  - The bombers you are assigned to protect are under
attack from the RAF

Spitfire attacking - A Spitfire aircraft is attacking

BOMBING

Luftwaffe bomber aircraft must destroy specific tar- gets.  In the JU87 you
can accomplish this by bomb- ing or staffing your target.

The  other  bomber  aircraft  available  (the JU88, DO17 and HE111) perform
their  bombing  runs automatically.  (You are positioned as a gunner and so
have no influence on piloting the aircraft).

ENDING THE DAY

Your mission with the Luftwaffe will end when you either,

(i) Complete your mission and return to Luftwaffe airspace

(ii) Get shotdown/crash or eject

(iii) Defect by landing at an enemy airfield

(iv) You select Abort Mission from the file menu in order to start again

(v) End mission option on menus

In  the  above  situations  you  will  follow  the procedure covered by the
sections "Winning the Day", "Losing the Day" and "Debriefing"

REAL FLIGHT

With  'Real  flight'  selected  on  the  Menu  Bar (which is discussed in a
moment) your aircraft's power will be set at a more realistic level meaning
that you have less power available and thus need to be more skillful

Take off
In  Real  Flight  takeoff is not automatic.  Instead you should press the /
key  to  increase the engines R P.M to maximum.  At just over 40mph, gently
push  the  stick  forward.  This brings the nose down and it is possible to
see  more  of  the  ground.   As  well  as being important for safety, this
manoeuvre  reduces  drag and hence increases acceler- ation.  At a speed of
over 80 mph, gently pull back on the stick until you are airborne.  Also as
soon  as  possible after takeoff lift the gear (G key).  The easiest way to
see if you are airborne is to watch the altimeter on the digital readout.

Takeoff  speed  is not sufficient to allow adequart climbrate.  So fly with
little  or  no  climb  until  the speed has reached 180 mph.  It is safe to
climb  at  speeds  of  over 140mph.  Climbrate of between 2500 feet/min and
3000  feet/min  can be sustained.  The actual value depends on altitude and
aircraft type

First Production Spitfire

Height             Top Speed          Rate of Climb
feet               mph                ft/min

2000               295                2195
5000               307                2295
10000              328                2490
15000              348                2065
18500              362                1700
20000              360                1480
25000              349                 900
30000              315                 325

Landing
Press  G  to lower the landing gear.  Check that the light comes on.  If it
has  been  damaged  and  the  light  fails then you will have to perform an
emergency landing without them!

Press  F  to  bring the flaps down.  Check that the flap lever is down.  On
the  cockpit.   If  you  cannot get the flaps down (due to damage) then you
will have to approach at about 10 mph faster than normal.

The  correct speed for landing is either 85 mph.  (with everything working)
or 90 mph if you are gliding in (due to lack of any fuel)

Mislandings
If you fail to land increase speed to 120 mph before attempting to climb

After landing
Bring  the  RPM down to 0 by pressing the - key then wait.  The ground crew
will  re-arm  and  re-fuel your aircraft.  If your aircraft is damaged then
you will be moved to Debriefing.

You  will  find that you have to power right down to get the speed to below
100 mph when descending on the glide path.  You should aim for a glide path
which  is  at  about 5 or 10 degrees below the horizon- tal, ideaily aiming
for 7-8 degrees

Try the following:

(i) Reduce speed to 90 mph

(ii) Set glide path to 7 degrees.

(iii)  Pull  back to bring the nose up.  The aircraft should lose speed and
after a few seconds it will continue but on a steeper descent

(iv)  Increase  the  RPM  by  pressing the + key to change to a shallow- er
descent

THE FOUR PHASES OF THE BATTLE

Phase 1: Convoys

Start: July 10th 1940

In this phase, the Luftwaffe are attacking the convoys in the channel.  The
main  aim  is to entice RAF aircraft to fight over neutral waters.  The RAF
did  not  oblige  in large numbers.  Their response was limited to preserve
strength for the battle to come.

Phase 2: Eagle Eyes

Start: August 9th 1940

The  Luftwaffe  changed  tactics  and decided to attack the RAF in its home
territory.  Before attacking the airfieids, it was decided to dis- able the
RAF's  eye,  ie  destroy the radar.  This would make it possi- ble to mount
more permanently damage the radar stations and the phase was short lived

Phase 3: Eagle

Start: August 13th 1940

This  was  the  Luftwaffe's  attack  on the RAF airfields.  This attack was
devastaring.   When  the RAF was at the point of collapse, the phase ended.
If it had continued, the Luftwaffe would surely have been vic- torious

Phase 4: Blitz

Start: September 7th 1940

The  attack  moved to the city of London.  Goring hoped to crush the morale
of the RAF and also force the RAF into the air to protect the capital

Comparing The Killing Machines
In the few weeks of the "Battle of Britain", the courage of the pilots from
both  sides  were  tested  to  the  ultimate limit.  The aircraft were also
severely  tested.   The  aircraft  had similariries but many differ- ences.
Some  more  subtle  than  others.   Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of
friendly and unfriendly aircraft is an important part of the job of being a
fighter pilot.

This  section  contains  information  about  the  aircraft  used during the
battle.  Mixed in among this general background information, there are some
facts that you can put to use in the cockpit

Aircraft Comparisons

RAF

                    Spitfire             Hurricane
Wing Span           36ft 11in            40ft 0in
Length              29ft 11in            31ft 4in
Height              12ft  3in            13ft 1in
Wing Area           242sq ft             258sq ft
Engine              Merlin III           Merlin III
                    1030hp               1030hp
Armament            eight.303 machine    .303 machine guns
                    guns wing 300 rpg    wing 1000 rpg
Max.Speed           362 mph              328 mph
                    at 19000ft           at 20000ft
Max.Range           395 miles            505 miles
Ceiling             31900 ft             34200 ft


LUFTWAFFE
                    Bf110            Ju87         Bf109
Wing span           53ft 5in         45ft 3in     32ft 4in
Length              39ft 9in         36ft 1in     28ft 8in
Height              11ft 6in         13ft10in     11ft 2in
Wing area           413sq ft         343sq ft     174sq ft
Engine              2xDB601A         Ju211A-1     DB601A
                    2x1150hp         1100hp       1150hp
Armament            Four 7.9mm       Two 7.9mm    Two 7.9mm
                    machine guns     machine guns machine guns
                    1000 rpg         500 rpg      engine
                    Two 20mm                      two 20mm
                    machine guns                  cannon in wings
                    180rpg                        60 rpg
                    One rear firing One rear firing
                    7.9mm MG        7.9 MG
                    750 rpg         900 rpg
Max speed           349mph at       232mph at     357mph at
                    23000ft         23000ft       12000ft
Max range           530 miles       370 miles     412 miles
Ceiling             32000feet       26500feet     36000 feet

LUFTWAFFE BOMBERS
                    HE111           Ju88          DO17
Wing Span           74ft  1in       59ft 10in     59ft  1in
Length              53ft 10in       47ft  1in     50ft  0in
Height              13ft  2in       15ft  5in     14ft 11in
Wing Area           943sq ft        540sq ft      592sq ft
Powerplant          2 x DB601A      2 x Ju211B-1  2 x Bramo 323P
                    2 x 1100hp      2 x 1200hp    2 x 1000hp
Armament            three 7.9mm     three 7.9mm   four 7.9mm
                    machine guns    machine guns  machine guns
                    nose            nose          nose
                    dorsal          dorsal        dorsal
                    ventral         ventral       ventral
                    750rpg          750rpg        750rpg
Max.Speed           247 mph         286 mph       265 mph
                    at 16000ft      at 16000ft    at 16400ft
Max.Range           1224 miles      1553 miles    745 miles
Ceiling             26000 feet      26500 feet    26400 feet
Bomb Load           4410lbs         3968lbs       2200lbs

The  performance  figures here are only indicative.  In the simulation with
"Real  Flight"  selected  on  the  menus  it  will  be  possible  to obtain
performances  similar  to  those  in  the  table.   However  there  will be
differences as no two aircraft are exactly the same and the total weight of
the aircraft is affected by fuel carried.

Performance  is  also affected by the quality of the fuel.  Just before the
battle,  RAF  pilots  were to receive a very welcome boost from an American
petroleum  company.   Up  to  the battle, the standard fuel was a 87 octane
mixture.   However,  under  a veil of secrecy a deal was agreed to obtain a
100  octane  fuel  that  had been used by the US Army Air Corps since 1938.
The British Air Ministry managed to finalise the contract for the supply of
the fuel just before the out break of the "Battle of Britain"

The Do17 had extra machine guns fitted, these are not used in the simulator

                 Kills claimed      Actual losses
Luftwaffe          2698               1733
RAF                3058                915

Fighter  command overstated by just over fifty per cent while the Luftwaffe
overstated by more than 200 per cent

Many  people expect the enemy to exaggerate their successes and dismiss the
claims  with  something  like..."well  they  would say that though wouldn't
they"

Then  there is the feeling of being let down when you find that your side's
claims are shown to be exaggerated too

How  can  this  happen?   Well,  propaganda  is a powerful weapon and it is
likely  that  wishful  thinking  did colour peoples judgement.  However the
distortion  is not as great as that seen in some Arab newspapers during the
1967  war  where  for  the  first  five  days  the  Arabs  were  said to be
experiencing   spectacular   success  followed  on  the  sixth  day  by  an
announcement that the Israelis had won!

The  most  important weapon that Britain has ever produced.  had we not had
it we would have been in big trouble"

Reginald  Mitchell  was  Chief designer of the Supermarine Company Woolston
Southampton.   During the 20's, the Supermarine Company were concerned with
the  production of sea planes.  They were also heavily engaged in producing
aircraft to break the absolute speed record and win outright the "Schneider
Trophy".

The  experience gained by Mitchell in designing these metal mono planes was
used in the production of a series of fighter aircraft designs in the early
thirties.    Gradually  the  design  was  improved  and  finally  with  the
introduction  of  the  1000hp  Merlin  engine,  the design was sufficiently
impressive for the Air Ministry to place a small order

The prototypes were a success and a large order was placed

The  Spitfire  was a thoroughbred but as production got under way its roots
started  to  show.   In  the design there were no compromises to production
techniques.   In  fact  the  only compromises were to aerodynamics.  It was
like a rich man's hand built sports car

Production  proved  to  be difficult slow and expensive.  Delivery was late
and  behind  budget.   However  the  British did get there act together and
managed to produce aircraft in sufficient numbers throughout the Battle and
the  Spitfire  caught  the public imagination Now, after so many years, the
impression is that the "Battle of Britain" was won because of the Spitfire.
It is surprising, then, to find that the Hurricane accounted for 80% of the
enemy aircraft destroyed.

How  did  the Spitfire manage to win such admiration when the facts clearly
show that the accolades should have gone to the Hurricane

Why has history has been unkind to the Hurricane.

The  Spitfire  had a number of advantages.  Its very long service life kept
it  in  the  public  eye.   Its  elegant  lines  made  it a very photogenic
aeroplane;  some  say  it is the most beautiful fighter aircraft ever to be
built.   The aeroplane handled superbly.  For the young pilots, it was like
being  given a very fast and desirable Sports car and being paid to operate
it.  It was fast and manoeuvrable.

The  Hurricanes  advantages were more mundane.  Its was a very sta- ble gun
platform  and  could  take  more damage than a Spitfire.  It could also out
turn  any  of  its  temporaries.  Finally, the RAF had more Hurricanes than
Spitfires

In  fact,  the  Spitfire  and Hurricane complemented each other and the RAF
needed  both.   The  fact  that  the  Hurricane  achieved more kills mostly
attributed to tactics used by the RAF

The  Spitfire's speed and manoeuvrability meant that it was a match for the
Luftwaffe best fighter, the Bf109.  These fighters were sent over to escort
the  relatively  vulnerable bombers.  When inbound air- craft were detected
by  the RAF, they would send Hurricanes to attack the bombers and Spitfires
were used to keep the fighters busy

The  Hurricane  had the easier targets and took advantage of the situation.
It  is  obvious  though  that  they  could not have achieved so much if the
Spitfire had not been so successful

War  is  not so neat and tidy as the above summary would suggest Hurricanes
did  sometimes  engage  Bf109s  and  sometimes they got the better of their
enemy.   Spitfires sometimes failed to counter the enemy fighter force.  So
many  factors  are  involved not least of which are pilot skill, experience
and luck

Of  all  the  RAF  aircraft  available at the onset to the battle, only the
Spitfire  and  the  Hurricane  made a significant impact.  So in this simu-
lation we feature on the RAF side, the Spitfire and Hurricane

Armament
Spitfire  and  Hurricane  were fitted with eight 303 Browning machine guns.
Each gun was fitted with 300 rounds of ammunition belted and fed from boxes
for  quick  rearming.   In  fact  an  efficient ground crew could rearm and
refuel in eight minutes.

When  compared  with the cannons on the Luftwaffe, it is obvious that these
guns  were  painfully  inadequate.   During  the  pre-war days the RAF were
starved of funds and little was available for gun development.

Some aircraft were fitted with 20mm cannon in the early days of the Battle.
These  aircraft  could  be  distinguished  by  the  bulges  on the wings to
accommodate  the  cannon magazines.  Unfortunately, these cannon frequently
jammed and were not fitted generally.

Messerschmidt Bf109
The  Bf109  was  the  Spitfire's  main  rival.   In some areas the Spitfire
excelled  and  in  others the Bf109 was supreme.  Overall the aircraft were
well  matched  and  a lot depended on luck, pilot skill and tactics However
considering the end results were so similar, it is surprising how different
the aircraft designs were.

The  Bf109  was designed for mass production and ease of mainte- nance.  It
had  no difficult-to-manufacture elliptical wings, in fact no double curved
panels.   Consequently, it took only one third of the time to build a Bf109
compared  with  the time taken to build a Spitfire.  For field maintenance,
the  spark  plugs,  oil  pump  etc were easily accessible.  All this didn't
effect  the  pilot  much.   But  the  fuel injection system did.  Luftwaffe
pilots could bunt (stick forward) with no loss of engine power.  RAF pilots
whose  aircraft  were  fitted  with  gravity  fed  carbs could not.  In RAF
aircraft  it  was  necessary  to do a half roll before diving.  This was to
maintain positive g on the fuel sys- tem.

Just  before  the  war,  the Bf109 broke the land plane record by flying at
379mph

Visibility
Visibility was poor on all the fighters.  A lot of nastiness could be going
on  under  the  nose  and the wings and behind you.  The provi- sion of the
tiny  make up mirror was certainly an after thought on the Spitfire and the
situation  for the Bf109 was no better.  In fact because the cockpit was so
much  more  cramped  on  the  Bf109,  it was more difficult to turn to look
behind.

Landing
The Bf109 was very difficult to land and the canopy was such that inversion
during  landing  was  generally fatal.  As a consequence, over 1500 student
pilots were killed in the first two years of the war

IMPROVED FLIGHT AND COMBAT TACTICS

AIR COMBAT MANOEUVRES
Break - This is a traditional defensive move use when an enemy is attacking
from  the  rear.   By turning hard into the line of attack you can make the
enemy over shoot.

Scissors  -  This  is  a counter attacking manoeuvre which can be performed
after  a successful break.  After evading an attack you can attempt to move
in  behind  the enemy aircraft.  The aircraft criss cross each others paths
as  each  attempts  to  gain  and maintain an attacking position behind the
other

Split  S  - This is a move that results from an attacking enemy getting too
close.   You  should  roll upside down and pull into an accelerated dive to
evade the attacker before they can react.

Vertical  Loop  -  This  is an evasive move which may be transformed into a
counter  attack  manoeuvre.  You should pull into a steep climb, continuing
up  and  over  the top in the same direc- tion.  As you come down back onto
your  original  path you may find that the attacking aircraft has continued
on  its  attack  course  and  you  may  be  able to position yourself in an
attacking position on its tail.

Lag  Pursuit - When the enemy you are attacking performs a break you may be
able  to  prevent  over  shooting  and  maintain  an  attacking position by
performing  the  Lag Pursuit.  This entails holding a path below and behind
that  of the enemy aircraft and occasionally pulling into a slight climb to
reduce speed and remain behind the enemy.

Immelmann  Turn - This move was pioneered by the German World War I Ace Max
Immelmann,nick-  named  the  "Eagle  of  Lille"  It  can  be used to change
direction  in  the  least amount of horizontal space by pulling into a near
vertical  climb and rolling to face in the desired direction when you reach
the  top of the climb.  By applying hard rudder and performing a stall turn
at  the  top  of  his  climb, Immelmann used this manoeuvre to position his
Fokker for a dive on his enemy with devastating results.  The manoeuvre was
adopted  and  used  well  into  World War I and was only abandoned when the
intro-  duction  of  more  powerful Ailied fight- ers rendered the stalling
Fokkers vul- nerable to counter attack.

Head  on - As mentioned earlier, the head on encounter is not recom- mended
as  it  amounts  to a game of chicken with bullets.  If you fail to score a
hit  on  your  enemy  during  this  initial encounter the aircraft with the
tightest  turn  arc  is  likely to end up in the best position.  By looping
back  and  across your original flight path in a tight turn you may be able
to gain an advantageous position against a slow- er turning enemy.

IMPROVING YOUR SHOOTING
_
To succeed in this simulation, you have to be or become a pretty good shot.
It  is much more difficult to down an aircraft with gun or cannon fire than
with  a  missile.   For  one  thing  you  have  to  get  much  closer, also
bullets/shells  don't  guide  like  missiles.   Finally,  one  hit  from  a
bullet/shell is not necessarily fatal.

These  perceived advantages of the missiles led airforces in the fifties to
equip  fighter aircraft with missiles only.  The justification was that the
day  of  the  dogfight  was  over  and that fighter aircraft were to become
missile  platforms  for the interception of big bombers.  All this doctrine
was  thrown  out of the window during the Vietnam war Dog fighting was back
in and American fighter pilots at the beginning of the conflict "would have
killed  to  get a gun fitted to their aircraft' It is true to say that some
American  aircraft  started  the conflict with guns fitted but most didn't.
During  the  conflict  most  aircraft  were  fit-  ted with guns to various
degrees  of  success.   However,  American Fighter piiots have said that if
they had guns, the number of kills they could have achieved would have been
twice their actual score.

Guns  are  still  in  favour on modern fighters even though the gun kill is
still  the  most  difficult  to  achieve.   The modern pilot does have some
advantages over his second world war colleague:

the cailiper of the gun/cannon is greater and so fewer hits are needed

the gun/cannon will be mounted more centrally rather than on the wings.  On
second  world  war fighters, guns were harmonised to focus on an area a set
distance in front of the fighter

head  up  instrumentation  gives  the  range  of  the target as well as the
predicted  path  of the shells.  The guess work is largely taken out of the
process

But  there is one crucial advantage for the second world war pilot:  speed.
The  aircraft  were  much slower and this meant that there was more time to
set up and prose- cute an attack.

Also  there  was  more  chance  to  "catch your breath".  Many times in the
literature  you  will  read  of  pilots  saying that they were engaged in a
hellish  dogfight with scores of aircraft milling around and within seconds
the  sky  was  empty.   Modern  day radar ensures that it is not as easy to
escape notice to recover

Gun Sights for range finding
All  the  fighters are fitted with multiple guns and these guns are focused
to  a  point  which  is 250 yards in front of the fighter.  To be effective
then  you  need  to close to a range of 250 yards or closer.  The gun sight
can  be  used  to  help  you judge range.  For instance, if a small fighter
(wingspan,  say  35  feet)  fills  the ring of the gun sight then it is 100
yards away.

If  the fighter's wingspan is only half the diameter of the ring then it is
200 yards away.

It  is possible to estimate the range of other aircraft by reference to the
Aircraft   Comparison  Table  which  contains  wingspan  information.   For
instance  a He111 with a wingspan of about twice a small fighter will be at
a range of 200 yards when it fills the gun sight circle

In  reality, the pilot could make modifications to the gun sight to help in
range  finding.   For  instance  on  the  RAF  gunsight  the horizontal and
vertical lines could be adjusted so that the gap between the lines could be
varied.   When  the  target  filled  the  gap, it was at the optimum range.
During  the  development of this simula- tion, it was shown that this extra
sophistication was not useful.

Some  aircraft, in the simulation, are fitted with an alternative gun sight
design.   For this sight, the display consists of eight diamond shaped dots
arranged in a ring:

The diameter of the ring was controlled by the pilot until it encircled the
target.   The  sight then automatically calculated the range of the target.
However  for  the  purposes of this simulation, the sight should be used in
the same way as the previously discussed ring sight

Gun sight for deflection
The bullets and shells leave the aircraft at over twice the speed of sound.
An  enemy  fighter,  at  a  range  of 250 yards, flying at 300mph travels a
distance  of  70  yards in the time it takes for the bullets/shell to reach
it.   In  a  beam attack (from the side), the pilot must aim at 70 yards in
front of the target to get a hit

Normally  the  angle  between  the  two  aircraft  is much less than the 90
degrees of a beam attack.  As the angle is reduced then the "lead' required
is  reduced from the 70 yards mentioned above.  In a stern attack (directly
behind)  no  "lead"  is  required  at  all.  A stern attack is only usually
likely when the target is taken completely by surprise Normally you will be
faced  with a deflection shot, that is one where you have to fire where the
target will be, not where he is on firing.

Becoming  an  expert  on  deflection  shooting  is essential if you want to
become an ace.

The gun sight can be used when setting up a deflection shot.

First  of  all  it is necessary to estimate the angle between your aircraft
and  the  target.   For  instance  a  target is twenty degrees off if lines
extending  along  the  length of yours and his aircraft meet at an angle of
twenty degrees

For  a  target which is 20 degrees off the target should touch the ring and
point at the centre of the ring.

Targets  that  are  10 degrees off, should be half way between the ring and
its centre.  The target should still point at the centre of the ring:

Here is an example of a 5 degrees off setting

This setup will result in a miss.  Although the twenty degree off target is
touching the ring, it is not point- ing at the centre of the ring.

Range Tables

Target a/c    RAF  Bf109  Bf110  Ju87  Ju88  He111  Do17
Range(yards)  100  100    150     130   170   210   170

The figures in the table shows the range in yards when the target fills the
circle.   The  range will be double when the target's wingspan is only half
the diameter of the ring

Gun Harmonising
Neither  the Hurricane or the Spitfire had guns on their fuselage.  In fact
both  were  fitted with eight relatively smallbore (0.303 in) machine guns,
four on each wing.  The combination of the wing mounting and the small bore
meant that the issue of harmoni- sation was vital for the RAF.

Harmonisation  is the name given to the process of focusing all the guns so
that  their  fire will converge at a chosen point in front of the aircraft.
This harmonisation is done on the ground by a member of the ground crew and
should be regularly checked

As the guns fire they vibrate causing the bullets to spread out into a cone
shaped pattern.

The  harmonisation point is a compromise between safety (the fur- ther away
the better) and the desire to concentrate your fire (the closer the smaller
the cones of fire due to vibration).

RAF  pilots  found that the regulation harmonisation point of 400 yards was
too far.  During the battle the distance was reduced to 250 yards.  In fact
it was found beneficial to press home attacks even closer than 250 yards.

It  is  reported  that many pilots modified their gun settings unofficially
because  the  change  was not sanctioned by Fighter Command.  The squadrons
did  not see eye to eye with Fighter Command over a number of issues.  Many
myths  developed  after  the  battle  and  it is dif- ficult to extract the
truth.   It  does  appear that some stories "improved" with the telling and
some  myths seem to have been developed intentionally.  It is a fact though
that  Dowding  was  removed  from  office  within  weeks  of  his Command's
successful defence of Britain.  Goring didn't suffer that fate and he lost!

So  something  as  seemingly technically-based as gun harmonisation has its
political side.

FIGHTER COMBAT

About  80%  of  "kills"  are  the  result of surprise attacks.  That is the
target is hit and going down before he knows that he was even under attack.
You should try to maintain the element of surprise as long as possible.  By
referring  to the Map it is possible to fly a course which keeps you out of
visible  range  until  you are on the target's six.  If you can come out of
the sun then your position is even better.

In this simulation, if you are flying an RAF fighter, Luftwaffe pilots only
become  aware  of  you  when  you  come  into their visible range.  However
whenever  a  Luftwaffe  pilot  can see you, then a Luftwaffe Fighter Leader
will  be  informed of your presence.  If you are flying a Luftwaffe fighter
you  will  find  that generally RAF fighters are sent to engage bombers and
will only engage you if they see you.

Once the element of surprise is lost, you will be mixed up in a dog- fight.
You  can either try to turn harder or smarter.  This section gives you some
ideas on how to turn smarter.

Being  smart  involves  attempting manoeuvres that use the third dimension.
But also being smart means making fewer mistakes

Flying in pairs
lt  is  generally  accepted  that  in  air  warfare.  a single fighter is a
liability.   A  pair  is  an  asset.   When paired, aircraft can watch each
other's  blind spots and tasks such as naviga- tion can be shared.  As well
as  providing  mutual  support,  Pairing  is  also  in-line  with  the well
established doctrine of concentrating your fire power

The  Luftwaffe  understood these principals well.  Their aircraft, from the
start  of the battle, were organised in pairs.  Pairs of aircraft were then
grouped to form bigger formations

The  RAF  still  had  to  learn  about tactics the hard way.  Much of their
training  was  based  on  the  assumption  that  they  would  be faced with
unescorted  bombers.   Squadrons  would  fly  in  tight V formations Pilots
concentrated  on  not hitting each other and so the squadron as a whole did
not  keep  an  adequate  look  out.   The aircraft at the end of the V" was
called  "tail  end  Charlie",  he  was  the  most vulnerable His job was to
maintain  a  rear guard.  In fact he was worse off than a singleton because
he  had  to avoid colliding with aircraft in front Essentially the V system
did not provide mutual support

RAF  pilors  did change tactics and for the purposes of this simulation RAF
pilots will fly in pairs wherever possible.  They were outnum- bered and so
on occasions RAF aircraft will be sent up as singletons.

A  fighter  aircraft  spends most of its time in its most vulnerable state:
on the ground.  It is not surprising then that the bombing of airfields was
the  Luftwaffe's  most  successful tactic.  In fact on September 5th, Parks
reported   that  Luftwaffe  bombing  was  seriously  affecting  the  flying
efficiency of his command.

It  has been said that, "the bombers will always get through" However it is
the number that get through which will determine the fate of the battle

RAF tactics concentrated on attacking the bombers rather than the fighters.
Spitfires  were  used  to  keep Luftwaffe fighters at bay whilst Hurricanes
tore through the bombers

The  Luftwaffe  had to develop tactics to protect the Bombers.  There was a
good  deal  of  controversy about this and in fact the "layman's" tactic is
wrong.   Luftwaffe  fighters  recognised  that  to beat the RAF they needed
surprise, height and the room to manoeuvre.  Two methods were developed:

Free  -  Luftwaffe  pilots  were  allowed  to  fly ahead of the bombers and
intercept the RAF fighters

High  - Fighters fly much higher and behind the bombers.  As the RAF pilots
come  in  and  attack the rear of the Bombers.  Luftwaffe fighters can then
pounce  on  the unsuspecting RAF pilots.  If the attack can be from the sun
then all the better

German  bomber  losses mounted as RAF tactics improved and Goring had to do
something.   He decided that the fighter pilots were either avoiding battle
or  were  just  flying around enjoying themselves Bomber Command would feel
more  assured  if  they could actually see the escort.  So, against Fighter
Command advice, Goring ordered that fighters should provide a close escort.
At  a  stroke the Luftwaffe fighters were denied the advantage of surprise,
height and the ability to manoeuvre

Damage
If  you  take  a hit you won't go down immediately.  However you could have
sustained damage which will hamper you

There  are no damage lights like you find on the modern fighter jets and so
you will have to diagnose the problem

If you are flying a one or two seater then try this:

as  you  move  the  stick  from  right  to left (full deflection) watch the
control surface indicator.  If the indicator does not move as much as usual
you know that you have sustained aileron damage

repeat  the  test  for  the  elevators flying straight and level and select
maximum  rpm  by  pressing  the  / key.  When flying an RAF Fighter, if you
don't  get  the rpm dial to point straight up you know that you have engine
damage.  On the Luftwaffe aircraft, the max rpm at straight and level is at
4600  rpm.   Once  damage  has  been  sustained, further hits will make the
situation worse.  So disengage once damaged.

NOTES ON THE THEORY OF FLIGHT

"The  Phantom  F4  is  living proof of the aerodynamic principle that given
enough power you can even make a brick fly."

Obviously  all  aircraft  are governed by the same aero- dynamic principles
and  forces.   However it is true that most of the subtleties of flight can
be  largely disre- garded when your aircraft can deliver huge quantities of
thrust.

Second  world  war  aircraft have limited thrust outputs and so some of the
subtleties  of  aerodynamics  become  more  appar- ent.  Knowing about them
could save your skin

Flight is governed by four main forces:  lift, thrust, drag and weight

For  an  aircraft  to  fly straight and level, the four forces must be per-
fectly  balanced.   If  they  were  not an acceleration would develop which
would  result  in  a change in velocity or direction.  All the forces would
then  be different.  Changes occur until either nature or the pilot finds a
situation  where  all  the  forces are balanced.  IT IS IMPOR- TANT to note
that  the aircraft is moving when the forces are bal- anced but it won't be
accelerating.

The weight is due to the mass of the aircraft and it always acts downwards.
During  flight  in  this simulation, the weight will drop as fuel is burned
(if "Limited Fuel" is selected).  The lighter you can make an aircraft, the
longer  it can stay in the air.  In modern aircraft fuel and weapons can be
jettisoned  to reduce weight.  In the aircraft of this simulation, the only
thing  of  any  weight  that  you  can jettison is yourself.  The theory of
flight is the last thing on your mind when you are floating down at the end
of a parachute.

The  thrust  is  supplied  by  the engine(s).  Control in the simulation is
simplified  to  modifying  the  rpm.  This is not strictly accurate but the
effect  is  the same as reality:  the pilot can control the thrust supplied
by the engine.  Thrust is also effected by altitude and velocity

Thrust  gives  the aircraft a velocity.  The resultant movement of air over
the  wings  provides lift.  This is a force at right angles to the velocity
and  is  due  to  the design of the wings.  The air pressure below the wing
increases  and  the pressure above the wing decreas- es.  The end result is
that  the  wing gets pushed upwards.  As well as the design and size of the
wing, the size of the force depends on two variables:  velocity and drag.

velocity:  - lift is proportional to velocity squared angle of attack(AoA):
lift  is  directly  proportional  to  angle  of attack the AoA is the angle
between  the  airflow  and  a  line drawn from the front to the back of the
wing:

From  this,  you  should  be able to explain why it is possible for an air-
craft,  when it has built up sufficient speed, to takeoff without the pilot
touching  the stick.  Also you should be able to explain why it is possible
for a pilot to takeoff at lower speeds by pulling back on the stick

Drag  is  a  very  interesting  force.   It is made up of three significant
parts:   parasitic, shock and induced.  Parasitic drag is closely linked to
the  drag  experienced  in automobiles.  The faster you go, the greater the
drag.   To  oppose  this  drag,  greater  engine power is needed.  So to go
faster  you put your foot down.  Also to stay at the higher speed, you KEEP
your foot down.

Shock drag is encountered as the speed approaches the speed of sound.  This
is  not a concern here because the speeds of aircraft in straight and level
flight are too low

Induced drag is important though because induced drag is at its greatest at
low  speed.   This  is the exact opposite to parasitic drag and it leads to
some  very  odd effects.  Lift is proportional to AoA and velocity squared.
So  to  maintain an aircraft in the air, as the velocity decreases then the
AoA  must  increase.   As  the  AoA increases it is possible to see how the
aircraft  presents  a  less  streamlined  profile  to  the  airstream.   So
increasing the AoA increases the induced drag.

Merging  the  two  curves leads to a u shape.  At the bottom of this u, you
can  find  the speed for minimum drag.  From this it is possible to develop
the argument to obtain the speed for minimum fuel con- sumption and maximum
range

If  you  are  travelling  at  the  speed for minimum drag and then increase
thrust,  you  will speed up.  At some velocity the drag will have increased
until  it  matches  the new thrust and the aircraft will stop accelerating.
Reducing  the  thrust  to  a  level  between the two previ- ous levels will
result  in a velocity between the two previous veloci- ties.  Just like the
effect in a car.

Reducing  the  thrust when travelling at minimum drag has very unex- pected
results.   First  of  all  the  aircraft slows as expected.  However no new
balance  is achieved.  The drag has increased, not decreased as it would in
a  car.   The  increased  drag actually results in a braking effect and the
aircraft will move towards the stall.  In fact, to maintain the aircraft on
the "backside of the drag curve" you need to apply thrust, more thrust than
was needed to maintain the higher velocity achieved at minimum drag.

In  some  instances  there  may  not  be  enough power to overcome the high
induced  drag  and  so  acceleration  is  sluggish  or even non exis- tent.
Sometimes  it  is  better  to  dive  out  of  trouble rather than fight the
situation by pouring on the power

Turning  When  the  aircraft  is  banked,  the  lift  force no longer faces
straight up.

This has two effects:

the sideways force results in the aircraft turning

the  vertical  force  is  diminished,  the air- craft's weight is no longer
balanced and so the aircraft will nose down

To  counter the second effect pilots pull back on the stick to produce more
lift.  The measure has further knock on effects:

the turn is made tighter because the side- ways force is increased

the induced drag is increased

Now  the  increase in induced drag can vary from negligible at high speeds,
to  overpowering at low speeds.  Hence the saying "avoid tight turns at low
speeds".

In  this  simulation the correction needed to maintain level flight is done
automatically  at low bank angles.  At high bank angles a manual correction
is  required.   So  diving turns, as favoured by the pilots of the day, are
quite  possible.   Just  bank  the  aircraft  to  an  angle in excess of 45
degrees.   Of  course,  if you really want to get down, flip over onto your
back.

Stall
Earlier it has been stated that to maintain lift as velocity is reduced, it
is  necessary  to  increase  the  angle  of attack (AoA).  There is a limit
though:

The graph shows that the lift rises steadily as AoA is increased.  However,
at the stall angle and beyond, lift rapidly drops off.

You  can practice stalling your aircraft.  First get to an altitude of over
5000  feet.   Then  remove  all  power and attempt to maintain straight and
level  flight.   As  the  speed drops below 100 mph you may notice that the
even  though  the  nose of the aircraft may be pointing up, the aircraft is
descending.  This indicates that the AoA is getting quite large

If  you continue to stop descent by pulling back on the stick (increas- ing
AoA),  the  velocity will continue to drop.  As the velocity approaches the
low  80's  and  high  70's, the aircraft is near the stall Buffeting of the
aircraft will now be experienced

Finally  in the low 70's mph, the aircraft will stall.  As lift is lost the
nose drops and the aircraft's control will not respond

Provided  that  you  have the altitude, recovering from a stall is relative
easy  let  go of the stick apply power allow the aircraft to build up speed
as it dives at a speed of over 120 mph, gently pull back on the stick

Stalling at low altitude is dangerous!

THE MENU BAR (F10)

The  Menu  Bar  has  a  number of features that you will find useful whilst
running  this  simulation.   It  is  identical  for  both RAF and Luftwaffe
players except for the choices available in the 'Rank' category

Pressing  F10  will  display  a  menu bar at the top of the screen with the
following categories:

ABOUT, FILE, RANK, CONTROL, OPTIONS and DETAIL

Each  of  these  categories features a number of options (listed below) but
you  should  note  that some options are not available while you are in the
aircraft  cockpit.   (You  can  not change options to do with difficulty as
this would effect your scoring).

To  make menu selections, move the pointer to the menu you wish to activate
and  press  the  RETURN/ENTER.   The menu options will drop down and remain
displayed.  To select a menu option, move the pointer down to highlight the
option  of  your  choice and press RETURN/ENTER.  The menu will then close.
To make multiple selec- tions from the same menu, press the number 5 key on
the numeric keypad for each selection in turn

About
This  gives  you  information  about  the people who created 'Reach for the
Skies  as well as the version number of the software and any other relevant
information

File
This  category  has a number of choices available.  They are related to the
mission in hand or the taking of photographs or video film during flight

(i) Abort Mission
Selecting  this  will  abort  the mission.  It has also been referred to as
giving up!  You are taken back to the screen before you started the mission
so you can try again

(ii) End Mission
Selecting  End  Mission  will allow you to end without having to go back to
the airfield and land.  Normally this will only be selectable once you have
been  told  that  the  Luftwaffe  are  returning home.  You will then go to
Debriefing.

(iii) Return
This  will  turn off the menu bar and return you to whatever you were doing
before you pressed F10 or Escape

(iv) Exit
This  gives  you  the  chance  to exit out of the simulation altogether and
reset  your  machine.   You  will be asked to confirm this choice No Scores
from the mission in flight will be recorded

(v) Phorograph (*)
As soon as this is selected the photo will be taken and the simulatior will
resume.   You can take a photo without bringing up the menu bar by pressing
the  *  key  during  flight.   Photographs can only be viewed via an option
found   during   debriefing.   They  are  saved  to  floppy  or  hard  disk
automatically

(vi) Video On/Off (V)
This  choice will toggle the video film recorder on and off.  The video can
only  be  viewed  after the day's mission has been ended via the debriefing
screen.   You  can also toggle the video on and off by press- ing the V key
during  flight  without  needing  to  bring  up the menu bar first.  O will
rewind  the  video  back to the start so you can record over one already in
memory.   The  video is off by default at the start of each mission.  Video
film  can also be saved and restored to and from floppy or hard disk during
Debriefing.  Until then the latest footage is held in RAM only

The length of film footage that you are able to shoot depends on the amount
of  memory  you  have available on your machine.  Footage will be truncated
(shortened)  when  saved  to hard disk or floppy if there isn't enough room
for  the  entire footage to be saved.  IBM PC users should note that if EMS
is present, it will be utilised to store film footage in expanded memory as
well as conventional base memory.

Rank
The  five  ranks  ranging from Pilot Officer through to Wing Commander (for
the  RAF)  or  Leutnant  through  to Oberstleutnant (for the Luftwaffe) are
available.   Once  you  have entered the cockpit of the aircraft you cannot
change  the  rank  manually.   Note  that  when you do, the realism options
change automatically to match the selected rank.

You  will  start  at the rank of Pilot Officer.  After a set number of suc-
cessful events you will be promoted up through the ranks.  Each increase in
rank  will in turn affect the difficulty level of the simulation so that it
gets  progressively  harder  and  more  realistic  the  more experience you
accumulate.

RAF rank                 Luftwaffe
Pilot Officer            Leutnant          Easiest
Flying Officer           OberLeutnant
First Lieutenant         Hauptmann
Squadron Leader          Major
Wing Commander           Oberstleutnant   Hardest and realistic flight

Control
There  are a number of different choices during flight available, depending
on the computer that you are running the simulation on

(i) Keyboard
This is the default setting for IBM PC

(ii) Recalibrate - This allows the joystick to be calibrated again if there
was an error or the maximum range of the mouse to be reset

(iii) Joystick
IBM  PC  users  will  have  to  calibrate their joysticks before using them
Joysricks  ran  only  be  used  during  flight.   To manipulate the various
pre-flight screens and menus you must use a mouse or keyboard

(iv) Mouse
IBM PC users must have loaded a mouse driver into memory before loading the
simulation.  You must then set the maximum movement range by calibrating

(v)  Stick  and  Throttle - Some joysticks have throttle controls.  This is
equivalent to the pitch control on a second joystick

(vi)  Stick  and  Rudder  -  This option selects both analogue throttle and
analogue  foot pedals as rudder.  This is equivalent to the roll control on
a second joystick

It is possible to use the pitch trim knot on a second stick as the throttle

There  are also a few choices available on the control menu affecting sound
during flight

(vii) All Sound Off
This makes the simulation run without any sound effects at all

(viii) Engines Off
This  will  play  all of the sound effects apart from the noise of your own
engine

(ix) All Sound On
This will play all of the sound effects available.

Pressing the S key will cycle through the three sound options in turn

(x) Radio Speech
If  your  sound  card  supports  digitised  speech then selecting this will
enable radio messages from your controller

(xi) Music
This option switches on/off music when on option or map screens

Options
These  effect  the  way  the  flight  simulation  behaves in regards to the
realism  and  difficulty  of  the  opponents.   Note that they are directly
related  to  the  player's current rank and they cannot be altered once the
player is in the cockpit of their aircraft.

(i) Real Flight
This  option  allows  you  to experience the real flight dynamics of second
world war prop aircraft.  It will result in you having a much less powerful
aircraft  at  your  disposal  than  if you were flying without real flight.
This is due to the aerodynamics of a 1940's aircraft and the limitations it
imposed  on  its pilot.  These limitations include stalling and the effects
of drag, amongst others

(See 'Real flight' for details)

(ii) Limited arms
This limits ammunition to the amount that the relevant aircraft could carry
in reality.  An unlimited supply is assumed if this option is not selected

(iii) Limited fuel
This  limits  fuel  to the amount that the relevant aircraft could carry in
reality.  An unlimited supply is assumed if this option is not selected

(iv) Vulnerable
You  will  be  affected by enemy fire or collisions with other aircraft and
the  ground,  if  you  have  this  option  selected.   Just like in reality
Invulnerability  (ie being indestructible) is assumed if this option is not
selected

(v) Low, Medium or High Enemy Activity
This affects the number of Luftwaffe aircraft that you can encounter during
each days mission.

(vi) Soft, Medium or Hard Targets
This  affects  both  your's and the enemy's capacity for taking hits before
being  damaged  or shot down.  On Soft, one shot is enough to take aircraft
out of the battle

Detail
You are given the choice to change the complexity of the detail included in
the  3D  flying  sections.   The  lower  the  detail  level, the faster the
simulation  will run because it will have less to do.  The more options you
enable, the slower it will be.  The speed differences are not as noticeable
on a fast IBM PC but they are on a slower machine

(i) Distant 3D
When  other  aircraft and other objects are in the distance they will still
be shown.  The default for this choice is on

(ii) Mirror 3D
The rear view mirror as seen in the 'look up front view' of most air- craft
will show all aircraft behind you.  The default for this choice is on

(iii) Do Roads
As it suggests, this will display all roads on the ground.  The default for
this choice is on

(iv) Do Railways
This  will  display  all railway lines featured on the ground.  The default
for this choice is on

(v) Do Rivers
Rivers  featured  on  the ground will be displayed if this choice is on The
default is on

(vi) Most Detail
This  affects  the  level  of  detail shown on the aircraft themselves when
viewed  from  the  available  external  views.  The aircraft obviously look
better with most detail on, but the simulation might run slower as a result

(vii) Light shade (256 VGA PC only)
This will add realistic light source shading to the aircraft, which depends
on the position of the aircraft relative to the sun

(viii) Sky Gradient (256 VGA PC only)
For  a  more authentic skyline, this option will provide a realistic colour
gradient to the horizon

(ix) Canopy Clear (256 VGA PC only)
The Canopy of all aircraft can be displayed as solid or clear.  The default
is clear

(x) Polysmooth (256 VGA PC only)
The  surface of the aircraft is smoothed over to hide the polygons aircraft
used  to create the aircraft in 3D.  It results in a more realistic looking
aircraft.

QUICK START

You  can  get into the thick of things quickly by following the quick start
instructions  given  below.   They describe the first day for an RAF pilot.
For  a  more  detailed  explanation  you  will need to go back and read the
detailed instructions beginning with the section 'STARTlNG UP'

After  loading of the simulation you will see an introduction sequence (256
colour ONLY) followed by the title/credit screen.  Pressing ESC at any time
will terminate the intro or credits and take you to the first game screen

SIDE SELECT
This screen allows you to choose between playing the RAF or Luftwaffe.  Two
aircraft  are displayed (Spitfire and BF109 and beside each one is a plaque
giving  the  name  of  the  side.  The default setting is the RAF, which is
shown by a small flashing dot on the plaque Press RETURN/ENTER to select

READY ROOM
This  screen  shows  the  RAF  Pilot's ready room where a player can decide
between starting a new game or selecting a previously saved position

A  stack  of unused log books lie on the table, each with the name SPROG on
the  side.   The  top  book  is  highlighted with a dark bar over the name.
Select this book by pressing RETURN/ENTER

LOG BOOK
You  are now shown the cover of the log book you have selected.  As you are
starting  a  new  game the name field is blank.  Type in your name (max ten
characters) then press RETURN/ENTER

ROLE SELECT
This  screen is where you select either PRACTICE, CONTROLLER or PILOT.  You
will  recognise  the  flashing square next to PILOT indi- cating that it is
the currently selected role.  Confirm the choice by pressing RETURN/ENTER

PHASE SELECT
The  Battle  of  Britain  is divided into four phases, details of which are
given  later.  The flashing square tells you that the first phase "Convoys:
Jul 10 - Aug 8" is selected.  Confirm this choice

CONFIRMATION SCREEN
You  are  now  shown  the  Orders  Board,  which  has  your orders for that
particular  day  of  the  phase  pinned  up  for all to see.  The number of
aircraft  available  that  day is also shown here.  At the bottom are three
options, with CONTINUE highlighted.  Select this option as normal

SUMMARY SCREEN
As  a  PILOT  you are given orders by a computerised CONTROLLER The summary
screen  gives  you  details of the aircraft going out with you on the first
day.   The  first 'flight' (group of aircraft) will be high- lighted in red
and details of the enemy raid it is to intercept will be given further down
the page.  By pressing the CURSOR DOWN key you can highlight each flight in
turn  and see details of each one's target.  Move the highlight back to the
first flight using CURSOR UP and then press RETURN/ENTER to accept.

At this point you will be asked to refer to the manual and type in whatever
information  is  requested  from  a  particular page and para graph number.
Once  you have completed this password protection procedure, you will enter
the cockpit of your aircraft.

You  are  now  sitting  in  the  cockpit  of either a Hurricane or Spitfire
aircraft  preparing  for  take  off,  with the cockpit laid out before you.
Press  P  to  pause  the  simulation  for a moment in order to refer to the
cockpit  picture  below  and  familiarise  yourself  with  a few of the key
features

For  this  mission we will use the simulations autopilot to handle take off
so  you should now press P again to un-pause and then press A to engage the
simulation's  autopilot.  Your aircraft will accelerate down the runway and
take  off then begin turning to the heading chosen by the computerised CON-
TROLLER.   You  might  like to press F5 for outside view, in order to watch
the  take  off.   Remember  to press F5 again to return to the cockpit when
ready.

The  controls you will be using during this first mission are the MINI- MUM
ones  necessary to fly and fight.  While the autopilot continues to control
the  aircraft  you  should  familiarise  yourself  with  the  layout of the
following keys on your keyboard.

LEFT/RIGHT CURSOR KEYS roll the aircraft onto its left or right side,

UP  CURSOR  is  equivalent  to  pushing an aircraft joystick forward and so
pushes the nose of the aircraft DOWN, causing the aircraft to dive,

DOWN CURSOR pulls the aircraft nose up causing the aircraft to climb

To  turn the aircraft to the left you will need to use the LEFT CUR- SOR to
roll  and  the  DOWN  CURSOR  to pull the nose 'up' (remem- bering that the
aircraft's 'up' is actually to the left once it has rolled) Check that your
aircraft  is  above  1000  feet by looking at the altime- ter then try some
simple  flying  by pressing A to de-select the autopi- lot and performing a
gentle  left  turn.   If you are successful you can try a right turn before
re-engaging  the  autopilot.  If you start to loose control of the aircraft
press A quickly and the autopilot will recover and correct your course.

Now  that  you have had a go at moving the aircraft around in the sky, it's
time to intercept those enemy aircraft (often referred to as Bandits during
the  simulation).   Engage the autopilot if it is not already active and it
will  turn  back  to  the  correct  direction  (heading)  The  computerised
controller  will  have decided on a point for you to circle around in order
to  be  ready  to  intercept incoming enemy air- craft.  The autopilot will
head  towards  this  point  and  will only change course if it comes within
range  of an enemy or the CONTROLLER gives more detailed course information
to intercept a particular bandit

Press  the  TAB  key to activate ACCELERATED MODE and the pas- sage of time
will  be  increased.   Your aircraft will stay in accelerated mode until it
comes  within  range of an enemy aircraft.  The simula- tion will then drop
back into normal mode and it's time for your first taste of combat

You  should  have  noticed  various messages appearing along the top of the
screen.   These  are  mostly charter messages between various pilots.  Only
the  white  messages relate directly to you, and they try to keep you up to
date  regarding the position of the enemy bandits.  As we are going to take
on  the enemy in visual range, we don't need to worry about the messages at
the moment.

In  a  real  fighter  you would look for the enemy by turning your head and
looking around to scan the skies.  You can do this in 'Reach for the Skies'
by  pressing  the number keys 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 (6 is for- ward view).
Unfortunarely while these views are useful for checking one particular area
of  sky they can not match the ease with which you would look around during
combat  in  real life.  For this reason an alternative has been provided in
the form of the COMBAT VIEW

Press  RETURN  and  provided  that there is an enemy in range the view will
change  from  cockpit  to outside view.  The positioning of the 'camera' is
such  that  your  aircraft  will  always  remain between the camera and the
nearest  enemy.   No  matter how you or the enemy manoeuvre the camera will
adjust  automatically  to track the enemy (This view becomes vital when you
wish perform complex aerial combat manoeuvres, rather than just 'turning in
a  circle' to find your enemy).  Your autopilot should still be engaged and
will  be  heading  for the nearest enemy aircraft.  Press L and your combat
view  will  be locked to the aircraft your autopilot is currently engaging.
Next  make sure you know where the enemy is, relative to your aircraft, and
press  6 to return to the cockpit.  Press A to switch off the autopilot and
begin  to  control  the  aircraft yourself using the cursor keys.  The only
other  keys  you  should use during this engagement are + and - (ACCELERATE
and  DECELERATE)  and  SPACE BAR (fire your aircraft's wing mounted canon).
Set  the RPM to about 75% by using the + and keys and manoeuvre to keep the
enemy  in  view  through  the front cockpit windshield.  If the enemy turns
sharply and escapes from view then press RETURN to find out where they are.
manoeuvre to face them and then RETURN again to jump back into the cockpit

Your  wing-mounted  canon  have  an  effective range of only 250 yards This
means  that  a  fighter would have to fill half your gun sight, or a bomber
the  whole  gun  sight  to  be  in  range.   As your aircraft currently has
unlimited  ammunition  you can afford to fire at will by pressing the SPACE
BAR.   It  is  suggested  at  this  point  that  you stop reading and start
shooting until, either you or the enemy have been shot down

If  you  survive  your first encounter with the enemy you can continue with
the  mission  until  your  controller  informs  you  that the Luftwaffe are
disengaging  and  that  you  should return home in order to end this 'quick
start'  mission  you should then press F10 for the menu bar and select 'End
Mission' from the file menu.  You will be presented with a debriefing which
is described in the section 'Debriefing'

If  you lose in combat you will either be shot down and killed or forced to
bail  out  (Ctrl & E).  What happens then is covered in the section Winning
the Day and Losing the Day

SUMMARY OF CONTROLS

Joystick
The  joystick  is not used for making selections, only for flight control,.
You  can  use  a  Joystick, Joystick with throttle slider and Joystick with
throttle  slider  and  rudder  attachment.   The  option  for Joystick with
throttle  slider is referred to in the menu as stick and throttle while the
option  for  Joystick, throttle slider and rudder attachment is referred to
as Joystick with rudder.

Mouse
To  use  a  mouse to make selections point at the option you want to select
and click the left mouse button to highlight it and again to select it.

To  use  either  the  mouse  or  joystick  during  flight  you will need to
calibrate   them.   The  program  will  take  you  through  this  procedure
automatically  when  you  select  the control method from the menu.  If the
calibration fails you can try again by selecting recalibrate from the menu.

KEYBOARD SUMMARY

Cockpit Controls

+             Increase RPM (Shift and + increase faster)
-             Decrease RPM (Shift and - decreases faster)
/             Maximum RPM
Cursor Up     Stick Forwards (pushes the nose down)
Cursor Down   Stick Back (pulls the nose up)
Cursor Left   Stick Left (rolls a/c left)
Cursor Right  Stick Right (rolls a/c right)
F3            Increase Control Sensitivity (keyboard only)
F4            Decrease Control Sensitivity (keyboard only)
Z             Rudder Left
X             Rudder Right
C             Rudder Centre
Space Bar     Fire (guns or bombs)
G             Landing Gear raise/lower
F             Flaps raise/lower
W             Wheel Bralke on/off
M             View Pilots Map
B             Air Brakes (Ju87 only)
*             Take Photograph
V             Video Camera on/off
O             Rewind and Restart Video (overwrite)
A             Autopilot on/off
T             Autogun on/off
I             Toggle Info Panel
Backspace     Toggle between gun/bombs (Ju87 only)
Ctrl &E       Eject from a/c

Internal Views (Not JU88, DO17, HE110 or HE111 bombers)

Number key    View                             Keypad
3             Left Back 45 Degrees             Shift & 1
4             Left                             Shift & 4
5             Left Front 45 Degrees            Shift & 7
6             Cockpit View                     Shift & 8
7             Right Front 45 Degrees           Shift & 9
8             Right                            Shift & 6
9             Right Back 45 Degrees            Shift & 3
0             Tail Gunner (Bf110 & Ju87)       Shift & 2
[             Look Up view
]             Retiurn from Look Up view

Internal Views (Ju88, DO17, He110 or HE111 bombers)

Number key    View                             Keypad
6             Forward Gunner                   Shift & 8
Y             Upper Rear Gunner                Shift & 5
H             Lower Rear Gunner                Shift & 2

Outside Views

F5            Outside View
F6            Tracking View
F7            Home Base View
F8            Satellite View
F9            Ammo/ bomb view
Return        Combat View (when enemy in range)
L             Lock / Unlock combat view
`             Waypoint Increment
;             Waypoint Decrement
1 or 2        Rotate Camera in outside view
Alt & 1 or 2  Rotate Camera in opposite direction
F1 & F2       Zoom in & out when in outside view

Additional Controls

Shift & 9     Move to Wingman/ return from Wingman
Shift & 1-8   Move to Wingleader of another flight
Shift & 0     Show Enemy a/c if assigned
F10 or ESC    Menu Bar
P             Pause
S             Sound Mode Select
TAB           Time Accelerate

Changing Your Configuration

Once   Reach   for  the  Skies  has  been  installed  you  can  change  the
configuration by selecting the Reach directory and typing Reach ?

GLOSSARY AND ABBREVIATIONS

AAA                Anti-Aircraft Artillery
ACM                Air Combat Manoeuvring. The art of
                   dog fighting
active airfield    one of the ten airfields from which RAF
                   fighter can be scrambled in this simulation
Angels             Altitude in 1000's of feet "Blue 1 at
                   angels 9" means that Blue 1 is at 9000 feet
AoA                Angle of attack. The angle between the
                   airflow over a wing and a line drawn from the
                   front to the back of a wing.
Autopilot          Almost self explanatory; a device to fly an aircraft
                   automatically, that is without pilot input
                   In reality, auto pilots exist that will fly an aircraft
                   from point A to point B. In the simulation,
                   the autopilot is also capable of engaging the enemy
Bandit             This is an enemy aircraft
Bf109              Messerschmidt 109
Bf110              Messerschmidt 110
Big bombers        Collective name for He111, Ju88 and Do17
bogey              An unidentified aircraft, it may be friend or foe
bunt               push the joystick forwards
callsign           A name used over the radio instead of
                   the pilots real name. Pilots were grouped into
                   flights, so for insrance in Blue flight the leader
                   would be called Blue 1 and the second in
                   command would be Blue 2
Combat Circle      When a dogfight develops into a turning fight
                   the two aircraft will fly in circles These circles
                   are called combat circles
Do17               Dornier 17; the flying pencil
dogfight           Combat between two aircraft. The name was
                   coined by early writers who recognised
                   that the constant circling which is typical of aerial
                   combat resembled the circling typical of dogs
                   when they are fighting.
He111              The Heinkel 111 two engine Luftwaffe bomber
IAS                Indicated airspeed. This is the speed
                   measured by the flight instruments. It is
                   only equal to the true air speed at sea
                   level. As an aircraft climbs, the error
                   increases. At an altitude of about
                   50000ft the indicated air speed is only
                   half of the true airspeed. The error is
                   due to the fact that the instrument
                   works by measuring pressure changes
                   The air density is an important element
                   of the calibration As the air density
                   falls with increasing altitude, the error
                   gradually increases At first sight then,
                   the instrument doesn't seem to be all
                   that useful. It is certainly not useful for
                   navigation work. However it is useful
                   to the pilot. This is because air density
                   also effects the lift on the wings. So if
                   an aircraft stalls at 90mph. IAS at sea
                   level, it will also stall at 90 mph IAS at
                   20000ft.
IFF                Identification Friend or Foe
Jink               Fly in an irregular flight path to prevent
                   enemy gunners from tracking you. The
                   flight path should be changed every 15
                   seconds or so
Ju87               Junker 87; the famous Stuka diver
Ju88               Junker 88
knot               A measure of speed, 1 knot equals
                   1.15 mph
Luftwaffe          The German Airforce
nautical mile      6076.12 feet or 1.15 statute miles This
                   distance represents one minute of
                   latitude.
one seater         collective name for Spitfires,
                   Hurricanes and Bf109s
operational
airfield           All the airfields visible are operational
                   This includes the ten active airfields
pancake            The act of landing in a controlled
                   fashion.
piloted aircraft   This is the aircraft in which the player
                   is "sitting". During a mission the player
                   can move into and control any of the
                   aircraft on his side that are taking part
                   in the mission. In single and two seater
                   aircraft, the player can control flight
                   and the guns. In two-seaters the player
                   can control the rear gunner.
                   bombers, the player can control the
                   three moveable gun stations.
six o'clock        Pilots use a clock code to indicate the
                   position of things 12 o'clock is directly in
                   front 3 o'clock is abeam on the right
                   So six o'clock is directly behind
sprog              RAF term for a beginner, youngster or
                   offspring. It is equivalent to the American
                   term "Rookie".
two seater         collective name for Bf110 and Ju87
TAS                True air speed This is the actual speed
                   at sea level The true air speed is essential for
                   navigation work
wireless           radio



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