About No 56 (V) Sqn

Founded in 2016, we are a virtual squadron of hobbyists, currently flying in the simulator, IL-2 Sturmovik: Flying Circus. We simulate the operations of the historical No 56 Sqn of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force during the First World War. Our virtual squadron flies for fun and has no affiliation to any current military, political, or historical organization.

Style of Play

We are a casual bunch that enjoys historical immersion. There are no ranks, scoreboards, or awards in the squadron, only leadership roles (CO, XO, and Flight Leaders). When operating as a squadron in IL-2 Sturmovik: Flying Circus, we fly exclusively the historical mount of No 56 Sqn, the S.E.5a (or another Entente fighter aircraft, if the S.E.5a is not available). We all lead busy lives, and No 56 (V) Sqn is a small way for us to have fun and blow off some steam. We keep our group small and close-knit, capped off at 12 active pilots (organized in 3 flights of 4 pilots each).

Our tactical philosophy is to guard one another's back. Rather than operating as a pack of lone wolves, our pilots even in the heat of battle scan the sky looking for ways to support fellow squadron members. We call this combat mentality the LASER loop, a riff on the acclaimed OODA loop. LASER stands for: Look, Assess, Support, Engage, Repeat.

The most important part of the loop is "Support": don’t fly miles away to chase an enemy plane when you can turn back to where the rest of the squadron is fighting and retain cohesion as a unit. We communicate using voice comms when we fly.

Squadron Night

Our virtual squadron meets only once a week:

Squadron Night: Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. (U.S. Central Time)

The first squadron night of each month is devoted to group training, while the other squadron nights of the month are for group patrols (on the Jasta 5 Flugpark Server). We also participate in the major community campaigns: Flanders in Flames, Bloody April, and Black September. On weeks when we're flying in a campaign event, the typical squadron night on Thursdays does not take place.

Communications

Our virtual squadron uses Discord for voice comms during flight and for coordination of weekly squadron activities via chat. Visit the No 56 (V) Sqn Discord Server and introduce yourself: https://discord.gg/QvpexcX.

Aircrew

The current members of No 56 (V) Sqn include:

No56_Badger85, Alex, A Flight, Flight Leader, CO

Reserve Pilots: No56_P-M_Charron

Join Us!

Current Status: Recruiting

Do you enjoy WWI flight sims and want to fly the S.E.5a with a great group of friends? Then consider joining No 56 (V) Sqn. We are a welcoming bunch and expect every squadron member to respect others and act with integrity.

To join, you must: be at least 18 years old, have the requisite computer hardware to fly effectively in IL-2 Sturmovik: Flying Circus, be able to speak conversational English (intermediate level is OK), and be available to participate in squadron night on most weeks. As a squadron member of No 56 (V) Sqn, you must also forego membership in other virtual squadrons within the WWI flight sim community.

If you want to talk with us to find out more about the squadron, visit our Discord server (see above). If you are ready to join, please submit an application here.