Red Baron Pt. 99

                                  __
      _______________           ('__`>
    ,'               `.____     /==(o)     ______   /,  ~~   ~  ~
   /     Here's the    ,-'      `\__/    |()|::::)= -- RATTATTATT...
  |    world famous    |   _____ / /\  /)____||_____\`  ~ ~,~  ~~~ ~
   \      Red--       /         `-------'            \   ,'\ |
    `.______________,'     &  ,   .  &  ,   .  &  ,   |,' \ |
                           _\'     `/_\'     `/_\'    |) )|, |
                           _|`.   ,'|_|`.   ,'|_|`.   |,' ,/ /
                                                      |  '  ,
                           __________________________/    '







                                                     \" |
      _______________              __                  |
    ,'               `.        ( ('_,,>  )         \\ | |//
   /            _      \____  (  /=(><) )   _--_-_   / ||//
  | \ \/ / |_| / \  /\  ,-'      `\_O/    |()|::::)= --`~~ ~~~
  |  \/\/  | | \_/ /--\ |   _--__ / /\  /)____||__--_\-``.
  |             _       |        `-------'            \-`   ,
  | \ \/ / |_| / \  /\  |   &  ,   .  &  ,   .  &  ,   | '
  |  \/\/  | | \_/ /--\ |   _\'     `/_\'     `/_\'    |
   \                   /    _|`.   ,'|_|`.   ,'|_|`.   |
    `._______________,'                                |\
                            __________________________/__\
                                  -----   --  ---   .`.-_-\
                                                    / || \\
                                                    //, |\

                                                     / | \





                                                      (     )
                                     __    ))          )   (
      ________________        ( (  ('__`>             (     ))
    ,'                `.____       /==(.)      ______  )   ((
   /    I think I've    ,-'        `\__/     |()|::::)=    ,
  |  just discovered a  |     _____ / /\  /)_____||_____  /~/
   \    design flaw!   /           `-------'            \/ /
    `._______________,'       &  ,   .  &  ,   .  &  ,   |/
                              _\'     `/_\'     `/_\'    |
                              _|`.   ,'|_|`.   ,'|_|`.   |
                                                         |
                              __________________________/
                                                   / /
                                                  (_/






                                                       )     )
                                     __               (    ((
      _________________            <'__`)  ))          )    ))
    ,'                 `.____      (..)=\      ______
   /   ASIDE from the    ,-'        \-_/'    |()|::::)=    ,
  |   apparent lack of   |    _____ / /\  /)_____||_____  /~/
   \   wings, that is!  /          `-------'            \/ /
    `.________________,'      &  ,   .  &  ,   .  &  ,   |/
                              _\'     `/_\'     `/_\'    |
                              _|`.   ,'|_|`.   ,'|_|`.   |
                                                         |
                              __________________________/
                                                   / /
                                                  (_/


Unfortunately the above cartoon strip has a design flaw in itself!
That's why I guess this is as good a time as any to go off on a tan-
gent explaining how the whole Red Baron cartoon idea came about.




"Snoopy" and "The Peanuts!"

Thank you for your attention!














More specifically the initial spark for the idea of maybe four or five
cartoons in news:alt.ascii-art is derived from the funny mental image
I've had years ago--the one that has been a running gag in the series
ever since:


        "What if the notches in the Red Barons's airplane
        for every enemy he's shot down were of the crossed-
        out shape of "Flying Ace" Snoopy on his doghouse?"

        .  &  ,   .  &  ,   .  &  ,   .  &  ,   .  &  ,
         `/_\'     `/_\'     `/_\'     `/_\'     `/_\'
        ,'|_|`.   ,'|_|`.   ,'|_|`.   ,'|_|`.   ,'|_|`.

        .  &  ,   .  &  ,
         `/_\'     `/_\'
        ,'|_|`.   ,'|_|`.


This would look funny even on the sides of an airplane or a suburban
assault vehicle of today.

Unexpectedly, however, I received just enough flattery and encourage-
ment about the first few cartoons to keep my ego well-fed and to keep
it up until today.  Thanks, Mike!  Thanks, Fulgore!  Thanks, everyone!


What did NOT spark the idea for the cartoons was any interest in WWI
or early aerial dogfights.  I think wars are like car crashes--best
when watched from a safe distance, and preferable if fictional.


The lack of research I had done also lead to the completely inaccurate
early renderings of the Red Baron's airplane.  I derived those solely
from my recollection of a few war movies I had seen years before, and
otherwise just my imagination and some educated guesses.


One of those educated guesses was the idea that in order to keep one's
own propeller out of the line of fire the pair of machine guns must be
mounted far apart, as depicted in cartoons #18, #27, and #34.  On the
other hand in those many drawings displaying the airplane from the
side it looked PERSPECTIVELY as if the guns were shooting RIGHT
THROUGH the propeller.  And that's what brought about the above car-
toon.  (Wings are never shown because I couldn't think of a way to in-
sert them without obscuring everything.)


But then even the first minimal research I did revealed that the guns
were indeed mounted within the diameter of the propeller, while a SYN-
CHRONIZATION DEVICE, designed by Anthony Fokker himself, keeps the
bullets from being shot while the rotor blades are in the way.


Unfortunately I need the above cartoon in order to start off the next
plotline.  So instead of dumping it altogether I've decided to modify
it just enough to comply with the newly found facts...

      _________________                                )     )
    ,'                 `.            __    ))         (    ((
   /  Oh dear!  It looks \         ('_,`>              )    ))
  |   as if the synchro-  |____    /=(99)      ______
  |    nization device     ,-'     `\_o/     |()|::::)=    ,
  |  keeping the bullets  |   _____ / /\  /)_____||_____  /~/
  |    from being shot    |        `-------'            \/ /
  |  while the rotor is   |   &  ,   .  &  ,   .  &  ,   |/
  |    in the way has     |   _\'     `/_\'     `/_\'    |
  |        failed!        |   _|`.   ,'|_|`.   ,'|_|`.   |
   \   I'm going down!   /                               |
    `._________________,'     __________________________/
                                                   / /
                                                  (_/


Of course, now it's no longer funny, but then, you can't have every-
thing!




--
  __   "Space Opera--it's not over until the Fat Lady explodes."  __
('__`>                                                          <'__`)
//6(6; �OOL mm                                                  :^)^\\
`\_-/  http://home.t-online.de/home/ulrich.schreglmann/redbaron  \-_/'

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