Dear Friends,

This week's update to version 5.108 was a modest one by our standards, but the next one, 5.201, promises to be a real milestone. Scheduled for release in the second half of December, it will include the official release of Flying Circus Vol. III: the final aircraft in the set - the R.E.8 two-seater reconnaissance/bomber - and the updated Western Front map. The map will be richer than the one once created for Rise of Flight: it will feature five (!) seasons, including late fall, and the Pilot Career mode will include all Flying Circus aircraft. This moment will be the fulfillment of our long-standing idea to have a second edition of our team's first project - Rise of Flight - on a new engine, using modern technologies. The release of the third part of Flying Circus will not be the end, however - the work on recreating a bit more of the WWI land-based aircraft in the world of "Great Battles" will continue in the near future, the work on it has already begun.

In addition, two more WWII Collector Aircraft will be released in Update 5.201 - the Romanian I.A.R.80 fighter and the American WACO CG-4 military glider. Today we will tell you more about the latter.

Military gliders, as a mass phenomenon, belong almost entirely to the World War II era. The development of this class of airborne equipment began in the pre-war years, and they were used in the war by almost all the major participants. The most significant combat episode involving the use of gliders was, of course, the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France in June 1944. The use of gliders was massive: more than 800 were used to transport infantry units and their equipment during Operation Overlord, and the main hero of this action was the American WACO CG-4 glider. In total, more than 2000 gliders of this model were delivered to England, but only a little more than 1000 were combat-ready at the beginning of the operation. Still a huge number. A few months later, during the ill-fated airborne Operation Market Garden, more than 1500 gliders were used.

It is interesting to note that the "large military glider" as a class, as suddenly as it appeared before the Second World War, disappeared almost immediately after it. There is no clear explanation for this phenomenon because the disappearance occurred before the aviation epoch had changed forever, when new anti-aircraft weapons or new interceptors would have devalued all the advantages of this type of vehicle, and the development of helicopter technology had not yet reached the level to become an important factor in the capabilities of airborne forces. However, the use of gliders was almost immediately abandoned. Nevertheless, you have the opportunity to experience this period of history in the world of our simulator.

In our simulator, the visual model of the glider was restored with great care by our partner Yugra-Media, and our engineers recreated in its new virtual life all the main features of its control and use. It should be noted that this is a new class of objects for our simulator and we have developed a number of technologies to make its realization possible - for example, a flexible towing cable. It is also interesting that in the multiplayer mode, full interaction will be possible: one pilot will be able to fly a C-47A "Skytrain" and the other a towed glider. There will be a lift cabin as the main cargo hatch, a braking parachute, and different types of cargo: general cargo, jeep, and paratroopers with weapons. You won't have to wait long to take control of this interesting aircraft - it will be available for purchase with the release of a new update.