Games PC CRIMSON SKIES User Manual

North Americas #1 Publication Covering Topics Important to Aviators and Aviation.

No.1

Vol. 1

MAGAZINE

Reg. Empire State Patent Office — Printed in Canada

UNIVERSE

ES, DC, PC 45 cents ~ NW, TX, DX 35 cents

December 10, 1937

Exclusive!

Air Pirate NATHAN ZACHARY

Interview with Daredevil

SEE PAGE 4

THE FLAGSHIP ALOFT! Zachary’s “PANDORA” and her Escorts Photo by T. Lubsen / Location Pilot V. Bonilla

Secret Photos!

Inside the Cabin of a

PIRATE Zeppelin! SEE PAGE 8

A Pilot’s Dream Come True!

The Latest Cockpit Instruments

SEE PAGE 18

TIRED OF BEING

SHOT DOWN BY PIRATES?

Sharpen your dogfighting with ...

DR. FASSENBIENDER’S

CRIMSON SKIES

INS TALLING

Insert the Crimson Skies CD into the CD-ROM drive, and follow the directions on the screen. If Setup does not begin automatically, refer to the Readme file on the Crimson Skies CD.

STARTING

Click

Start

, point to

and then click

On the Crimson Skies main menu, choose one of the following.

Campaign

Start or continue a campaign or replay a previous mission. Games are saved automatically at the end of each mission. To replay a previous mission, see “A Pirate’s Memoirs,” this issue, page 11.

Inst ant Ac tion

Jump straight into a dogfight! Select from an assortment of missions or design your own. For details, see “Instant Action,” this issue, page 27.

Multiplayer

Configure multiplayer games between you and your friends over a LAN, a modem, or the Internet. For more details, see Dr. Fassenbiender’s interview in this issue of

Preferences

Programs, Microsoft Games

Crimson Skies

AAW

, page 28.

, and

Crimson Sk ies

Wasting money on

spent ammunition

and repairs?

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Adjust the game, audio, video, and control settings of Crimson Skies.

99!

ATLAS MISSION MAP

Got the latest navigation equipment in your cockpit but you’re Can’t tell a river from a railroad at five thousand feet?

The solution to your problem is —

Atlas’s Deluxe Fast-Folding Water Resistant Mission Map!

Press ESC to examine the

map during any mission.

Resume Mission

Click here to close the map and

return to the mission.

Restart Mission

Click here to restart your current

Preferences

Click here to change the game,

audio, video, and control settings of

Crimson Skies.

still

mission.

lost?

Self-orienting compass: No need to turn the map sideways or upside down!

Quit Mission

Click here to exit the mission and

return to the cabin.

Handy paperclips are included to attach Mission Objectives and Reconnaissance Photos to the map. Also included—

free

—is a smudge-proof red wax pencil

to circle your objectives on the map.

North America’s #1 Publication Covering Topics Important to Aviators and Aviation

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Registered with the Empire State Patent Office – Printed in Canada

Air Action Weekly—the

authority on the pilots, planes, and events in the skies of North America since 1928—has reason to be especially excited about this issue. Our featured pilot is that daredevil ace, debonair man of the world (some say bloodthirsty pirate), Nathan Zachary.

Mr. Zachary’s name has been splashed across headlines from the Nation of Hollywood to the Empire State—but until now, no official biography of this man of mystery has ever been published.

Our ace reporters have surreptitiously snapped photographs of Zachary’s base of air operations, the Pandora. Ever wonder what’s inside a pirate zep? You’ll get a look in this issue.

We also have articles on the latest aviation controls and flight tips from our experts.

This issue is bursting at the seams, Reader!

— Nero MacLeon

Senior Editor Air Action Weekly Press

Dr. Fassenbiender’s Crimson Skies

Learn more about this wondrous product. Install,

start, and load combat missions. .................................... inside front cover

Atlas Mission Map

Lost? Need a familiar landmark? Atlas’s special water-resistant

folding map will guide you through any mission. ..................................... 1

The Tall Tales & Many Lives of Nathan Zachary

Our featured pilot tells of his early career and how he turned to pirating. Is he a ruthless cutthroat or a pirate with a heart

of gold? You decide! ....................................................................................... 4

The Rise of Air Piracy and the Fall of the United States

An historical retrospective of how the blue skies over North

America turned crimson with bloodthirsty acts. ........................................ 6

A Pirate’s Home

Investigative reporter Patricia Clark snaps exclusive photos

of the Pandora, aerial base of operations for Nathan Zachary. ................ 8

A Pirate’s Memoirs

Exclusive bonus photos of Nathan Zachary’s secret private

scrapbook. View the exploits of his past adventures! ............................... 10

Blueprint Blues: Plane Construction Basics

From start to finish, now you can build the aircraft of your dreams! ...... 12

Prelude to Mayhem: A Pirate Briefing

Our fly-on-the-wall reporter sits in on one of Nathan Zachary’s

briefings and finds out how he chooses and arms his planes! ................ 14

Flight Basics

A reprint of one of our most popular articles. Learn the basics

of how to get your plane into the air—and keep it there! ......................... 16

Only the Best! Flight Instrumentation

Our engineers lay out the state-of-the-art cockpit instrumentation

and instruct you on how to use it. ............................................................... 18

Fireman’s Combat Tips

Our weekly pointers for beginners and aces alike. ................................... 21

Crosshairs: The Experts Set Their Sights on Targeting!

Learn how to sight faster, shoot straighter, and smoke every pirate

that crosses your path. And we introduce the spyglass! .......................... 22

Eyes Wide Open: Views

Make sure you’re aware of everything in the air! Find out how to look

above, below, and even behind you without losing your bearings. ....... 24

Stunts—How to Gain Fame & Glory!

Fly your plane through the eye of a needle, and get people

to notice you! .................................................................................................. 26

Instant Action

Fill out our story questionnaire—choose when and where and what

you’ll fly—and launch into a quick showdown in the clouds. .................. 27

Multiplayer Games: An Exclusive Interview with Dr. Fassenbiender

Dr. Fassenbiender explains how to fly and fight with your

friends—or enemies—in a multiplayer game. .............................................. 28

Fly Now!

Go to pg. 27

to start flying

right away.

Delay!

Bona Fide Advertising!

Information in this document, including URL and other Internet Web site references, is subject to change without notice. Unless otherwise noted, the example companies, organizations, products, people and events depicted herein are fictitious and no association with any real company, organization, product, person or event is intended or should be inferred. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission of Microsoft Corporation.

Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property.

Microsoft, MS-DOS, Windows, Windows NT, Crimson Skies, DirectDraw, DirectPlay, DirectSound, DirectX and MSN are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries/regions.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

.................................................................................. 31

The TALL TALES & MANY LIVES of

NATHAN ZACHARY

IMAGINE OUR SURPRISE when Air Action Weekly received a telegram from Nathan Zachary asking if we’d like to interview him. Would we! Ace reporter Patricia Clark met with Mr. Zachary December 21, 1936, on Hilton Beach, Hawaii. Here, in his own words, is the story of one of today’s most controversial pilots ...

’VE ALWAYS BEEN SURROUNDED BY wide-open

spaces. My folks told me I was born on a mesa under

a full moon. They said I tried to reach up and touch it. I don’t know if that’s true, but that image has always fascinated me. I’ve always tried to grab the biggest, brightest prize in the sky.

We were Gypsies, wandering what had been the American Southwest, doing odd jobs and somehow scraping by. My folks were often accused of stealing. They weren’t thieves, but they were poor and lacked the stature and eloquent words to defend their honor.

When I was sixteen, I lied about my age and joined the Army Air Corps. Six weeks later I was steaming toward Europe to fight in the Great War. Eddie Rickenbacker took me on as his wingman and taught me how to fly and fight. I collected a half dozen medals that first year.

But my career as a war hero ended when I met the German ace Wilhelm Kisler. He showed me I wasn’t invincible, downing my plane in the Alps where I was captured and stuck in a POW camp.

I rotted in that camp for a year before a couple of officers and I escaped—running smack into the Russian Front. We did the only thing we could: joined the Russkies and flew their junk biplanes. We called our squadron the Gypsies, and despite the long odds we held our own against the Germans.

When the Great War ended, the fighting in Russia unfortunately continued. The Bolsheviks overthrew the Czar. I was caught in the middle and had to choose

sides. It wasn’t easy because I had fought alongside Russian farmers, and officers, and was even decorated by Nicolas I— but in the end, I supported the People’s Army.

The Russians that I knew, however, changed. I watched the Red Army as they committed the same atrocities that had been inflicted upon them. I figured I had to somehow even the score, so I started flying the old noble families across the border to safety. While that eased my conscience, it also made me enemy number one of the Russian State.

I fled to England and attended Oxford University, returning in 1923 to the United

States (it was still the United States then) with a law degree and a fat bankroll.

Having seen how the rich and privileged had abused their power, I had a notion to beat them at their own game. I entered the stock market. By 1929 I was rubbing elbows with the likes of Rockefeller, Ford, and other young upstarts like Howard Hughes. I lived in a mansion on Long Island with expensive cars and servants ... and I was never more miserable in my life.

You see, I hadn’t become any better than these tycoons. I had become one of them, stepping on little guys and not giving a damn about anyone but myself.

It was a relief when the stock market crashed and took it all away.

When the United States split, I started hearing of pirates in the air. That inspired me to return to a life

that promised no future but delivered a present worth living in.

Today, the world is out of balance. Maybe I can tip the scales. I attack the rich and powerful of any nation and take what they treasure most—their money. In doing so I may bring them down a notch and show them they are not untouchable.

Let me end with a quote from a sixteenth-century English pirate that sums up my philosophy: “We will live life to the fullest, spit in the eye of those that would hold us down, and will surely hang because of it.”

INVENTORS

NOT all PATENTS

ARE GOOD PATENTS

Free

Come

The

There are many degrees of Patent Protection. You want to make money from your invention; therefore, you want the best patent you can possibly get. Write today for our free booklet: “HOW WE PROTECT YOU.” — C. A. LASSEN & CO., Empire State. Registered Patent Attorneys Since 1875

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For an interview with the creator of the multiplayer game himself, see “MULTIPLAYER GAMES: AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH DR. FASSENBIENDER,” this issue, page 28.

The RISE of AIR PIRACY

and the FALL of the UNITED STATES

THE SKIES OF NORTH AMERICA are a dangerous place, but they weren’t always that way. Once upon a time America was united and stable. And not too long ago, automobiles, railroads, and steamers were the best way to travel, while airplanes were only a curiosity.

1 Pacifica 2 Disputed Western

Territories 3 Lakota Territory 4 People’s Collective 5 Industrial States of

America

6 Protectorate of

7 République de Québec 8 Maritime Provinces 9 Atlantic Coalition 10 Empire State 11 Columbia

Ontario

12 Protectorate of the

Outer Banks 13 Appalachia 14 Confederation of Dixie 15 French Louisiana 16 Protectorate of

Oklahoma

17 Republic of Texas 18 Arixo 19 Navajo Nation 20 Free Colorado State 21 Utah 22 Nation of Hollywood 23 Kingdom of Hawaii

O WHAT HAPPENED? As the Federal government crumbled, the vast ma-

The first signs of change started with the post– World War I influenza epidemic. Isolationism grew in popularity as many fell to a disease brought back from Europe by returning servicemen.

President Woodrow Wilson’s push to form a League of Nations outraged U.S. citizens and allowed Warren G. Harding’s “New Independence from Europe” campaign to flourish. Harding called for greater separation from the world, and his Regionalist party adopted this as its platform’s theme. When the Regionalists won office in 1920, they used their new power to promote Prohibition.

In 1923, however, President Harding died. His successor, Calvin Coolidge, refused to support Prohibition and the Federal bill languished in congressional committees.

Meanwhile, Prohibition became a battle between ideologically distinct regions in America. Checkpoints appeared on state borders as authorities tried to restrict the flow of alcohol. Many states used these checkpoints to levy unofficial—and highly illegal—tariffs.

In 1927, a new and deadly strain of influenza ravaged the country. States closed their borders and converted their liquor checkpoints into quarantine-enforcement sites. Smugglers and raiders adopted the airplane to avoid the limitations of ground-based transportation.

The election of 1928 suffered from low voter turnout, as most people avoided large groups for fear of contracting influenza. The Regionalists launched their “Strong State” platforms and effectively curtailed the Federal government’s power.

In October of 1929, the stock market crash was the final blow to the United States. Regionalism had decimated the national economy and Washington D.C.’s call for financial assistance from state governments was universally rejected.

On January 1, 1930, Texas seceded from the United States, with California, the Carolinas, Utah, and New York quickly following their lead. Unable to mount the political and military campaign necessary to hold the United States together, Washington was now powerless.

jority of the nation’s military deserted or swore allegiance to their native states. Many sold their skills as mercenaries or bandits.

North America’s fascination with airplanes now became a necessity, as commerce between the new independent nations ground to a halt. Brushfire wars demolished the intercontinental railway system, and the highways quickly fell into disrepair or were sabotaged. The automobile, once destined to become the national shipping vehicle, gave way to gyrotaxis, aerobuses, and the large cargo zeppelins that commanded the skylines.

“Air pirates” captured the public eye during this period of turmoil. Small, disorganized bands of thrillseekers and publicity hounds, these pirates began crime sprees that would inspire others.

The first serious pirate threat came in 1931. Jonathan “Genghis” Kahn—a former businessman from Chicago—created the infamous Red Skull Legion. The Skulls moved into Utah (posing as People’s Collective militia) where they stole a military zeppelin.

Low-intensity border skirmishes between the new nation-states continued through 1935. Amidst the chaos, bootleggers and pirates thrived. Scores of new militias, most determined to defend their states, battled increasingly colorful and flamboyant raiders. The Redmann Gang, the Red Skull Legion, the Black Swans, and other pirate groups pillaged across national boundaries. The nation-states continued to subsidize their air wings but also began offering Letters of Marque to pirates, allowing them to legally attack the nation’s rivals.

Today, North America is a continent politely at war with itself. Rival militias fall on each other in defense of their own national interests. Pirates and privateers challenge these militias for control of the skies, and they are often victorious.

The air lanes are the new frontier, where a single individual with skill and nerve can make all the difference. Today’s flyers are men and women to be applauded, feared, but above all respected, for as long as they can push the envelope and maintain their hold on the skies. We have given them this power. The sky is the limit—but five thousand feet up makes for a long fall from glory.

A PIRATE’S HOME

AFTER INTERVIEWING MR. ZACHARY, I was invited to tour his fabulous zeppelin, the Pandora. With the help of AAW’s technical crew, we rigged a tiny concealed camera to get our readers exclusive photos of the interior of this airborne pirate fortress. Don’t ask where that camera was concealed, please! —Patricia Clark

HE CAPTURE OF THE PANDORA marks a mile-

stone in Nathan Zachary’s pirate career. According

to reliable sources, Nathan took a job as third officer on the Empire Air cargo zeppelin, Fulcrum, and then hired his gang as crewmembers. Once aloft, Nathan and his men took control of the airship. They set down the captain and crew in a Pennsylvania wheat field ... and sailed off into infamy.

The airship was originally designed to carry two escort fighter planes, but serious modifications to the zeppelin’s superstructure allow it to carry a squadron

The Pandora

Gas Capacity: 26,002,340 ft. Length: 1,378 ft. Diameter: 182 ft. Useful Lift: 384,470 lbs. (192.7 tons) Engines: 12 Dynometric V16,

440 h.p. each Propellers: 4 Jaray L.Z. Maximum Speed: 84 m.p.h. Flight Ceiling: 13,000 ft. Full Speed Endurance: 10,000 mi.

Broadside cannon

of at least six planes. It has six broadside cannons and .60-caliber machine gun nests that protect each engine nacelle.

Mr. Zachary tells us that he renamed the zeppelin Pandora in honor of Pandora’s box, which, according to Greek legend, contained the innumerable plagues of humanity, yet also contained the Hope that has comforted humanity from misfortune.

Which part he and his gang represent, he never told us.

Engine nacelle

Typical Load—

Cargo: 75,000 lbs. Fuel: 86,400 lbs. Oil: 6,050 lbs. Ballast: 10,000 lbs. Crew: 7,200 lbs. Food Supplies: 54,000 lbs. (30 days) Aircraft: 60,000 lbs. Spares: 60,000 lbs. Free Lift: 25,820 lbs.

Inside the fortress

While certain sensitive sections of the zeppelin were declared offlimits, I obtained this photo of Nathan Zachary’s cabin aboard the Pandora. Mr. Zachary’s personal touches are everywhere in this room: the inch-thick Persian rug, the mahogany Louis XXVI desk, the Picasso sketch alongside the pinup calendars, and his framed collection of medals from the Great War and the Russian Revolution. Velvet curtains adorn the windows along one side of the gondola, providing a commanding perspective of the

horizon and blue skies. Another window (seen in photo above) opens to the interior of the zeppelin so Mr. Zachary can observe the internal workings of his flying fortress. One can see in the background the zeppelin’s steel frame and the launch bay with planes ready for action.

CHANGE MEMENTO

A picture frame with many photographs layered inside. (Mr. Zachary

apparently lives up to his reputation as the consummate ladies’ man.) Click here to change the picture.

NEXT MISSION

Nathan Zachary’s map and notes for his upcoming daredevil escapades. Click here to proceed to the next mission briefing. (See “Prelude to Mayhem: A Pirate Briefing,” this issue, page 14.) Games are automatically saved after every mission.

PREVIOUS MISSIONS

Nathan Zachary’s personal letters, news clippings from his past adventures, and more! Click here to view the memorabilia or replay a mission. (See “A Pirate’s Memoirs,” this issue, page 10.)

PLANE CONSTRUCTION

The blueprints and detailed specifications for Mr. Zachary’s next customized plane. Click here to design and purchase aircraft. (See “Blueprint Blues: Plane Construction Basics,” this issue, page 12.)

RETURN TO MAIN MENU

Click here to exit the cabin.

Don’t miss the latest thrilling developments in the Crimson Skies universe—

Point your browser to http://www.crimsonskies.com/

Every week we bring you current events from around the world in technology in and new pulp serials in

Air Action Weekly,

Spicy Air Tales

the inside scoop on daring militia flyers and deadly pirate aces in

! Enter a world of aerial piracy and daredevil intrigue—updated weekly!

Atlas World News,

profiles of the latest in aviation

Warriors of the Air,

+ 24 hidden pages