Magnet

WB is the first online game I have played. I am a former member of the 101st ETFS (Electronic Tactical Fighter Squadron). We got together once a month to fly Falcon 3.0 on a peer-to-peer network. Our CO was Paul Potera, who went to work for ThrustMaster and now works for Interactive Magic. It was alot of fun, even though I got shot down by Paul pretty regularly. He had the corner velocity on the F-16 down pat and at the merge would be on you six in a second. He was so good that in melees, he would shoot off all his missiles and fight guns only. Those were the only times I could kill him.

Anyway, when Paul left, the 101st slowly died out. When I heard about WB, I tried it and liked it. I am not very good at it, but I do have some strong points:

• I am pretty good bombing from fighters.
• I always give 6 calls, except to a short list of 3 purps who have never given me six calls when I have been jumped.
• I always go the aid of my fellow purps when I am in a position to realisticly help, except to a real short list - well, one, who has never come to my aid when needed but has stolen or tried to steal several kills.
• Let's see, something else - oh yeah, I don't hold grudges <g>.

My weaknesses are: I am not a really good shot. Part of that is frame rate. My 133 just doesn't cut it in 2.01. I hope to correct that situation soon. Sometimes I fall victim to "target lock" and I leave my 6 open. Feel free to correct me on that. The worse offense is that I allow myself to get low and slow in a pony. I am working on that.

I really enjoyed the squad training and I really did learn from it. Today, I was in my pony when a gold f4u appeared. I had about 5k alt on him and at d20, nose to nose, I executed a split s manuever that put me at d4, about 200 feet above. I fired a short burst to range him and to my complete suprise, wound up hitting him all over the engine and wings. Down he went. I split-s'd again to get going in the right direction and dropped my bombs on target.

I have learned to keep my energy up and to use the e to extend out of trouble.

A little about myself. I was born overseas and traveled alot as a kid, which probably accounts for my love of flying. Moved to Arizona when I was 9. At 20, I joined the Navy and became a cryptologic technician - communications intel. It was a fun job. My last tour was in the Persian Gulf during the hostage crisis - worked alot and saw some action. When I left the Navy I went to college in Arizona, then moved to Virginia and began working in the defense consulting industry. Did pretty well at that. Two years ago, I decided that I had to compromise my values too much to rise into executive management and decided to "reinvent" myself. I began taking a masters program in project management at George Washington U. part time. Early this year, at the urging of my wife, I quit my full time job and went to school full time. I graduate in December. In the meantime, I am doing some consulting and some part-time work. I am going to be a father for the first time in October. Oh yeah, as YT will tell you, I brew beer. Most of it is even better than what I sent him. I am planning on brewing a batch of 487th beer or at least labeling my last case with 487th labels.

So - if you are in trouble and see me near by, call out and I will drop what I am doing to try to help. I will enjoy fly on the wing of and learning from my squadron mates.

See ya -

-Magnet (If it's metal, it will hit me)

P-51D-10-NA 44-13944"Kaitlin's Daddy" flown by 2st Lt. Mark"Magnet" Everett
486th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group, April 2004

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