Blog Posts

Society Desperate to Copy Instant Start's Success ~ Stephen Dale Dominates Gaming After 3 Year Absence ~ Fly In a WW1 Airplane ~ 2025 Indy Calendar Released

1/2/2025

Volume 37, Number 1

Society Desperate to Copy Instant Start
Sarcasm Rating, 7/10

Rather than simply adopting the Indy Squadron's existing Instant Start system that is faster, starts flights closer together and provides better limited intelligence, the Fight in the Skies Society has wisely chosen to alter the system that was already producing inferior results. George Henion shared the news that the Society will now begin halving Quick Start's ridiculously large altitude differences to make it more like Instant Start, because everyone knows that propping up a deficient system is better than changing What We've Always Done.

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Rick Edges Ethan To Claim 3rd Indy Crown ~ Rule Changes Considered for Armistice Day

11/13/2024

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Volume 36, Number 10

Rick Edges Ethan to Claim 4th Indy Crown

Rick scored a pilot hit and inflicted a fatal wound. Ethan scored a pilot hit but the result was a no effect wound. That was the difference between a landslide victory for Ethan and a narrow win for Rick in the Indy Squadron's 36th annual Armistice Day Fits Tournament held on November 9 in Lewisville, Indiana. The sides rolled up as follows:

Dory Oda, Sopwith Snipe
Stephen Skinner, Sopwith Camel 150 hp
Ethan Skinner, SPAD XVII

Bob Meister, Fokker DVII 185 hp
Rick Lacy, Seimens Schuckert DIV

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Special Preview, Nov 9 Armistice Day Tournament ~ Last of Historic Victory Medals to be Awarded

11/2/2024

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Volume 36, Number 9

Special Preview!
Nov 9th Armistice Day Tournament

The 36th annual Indy Squadron Armistice Day Fits Tournament is slated for 12 noon, November 9, 2024 at the home of Nelson Skinner in Lewisville, Indiana. Please bring $12/person if possible to cover food. Meals and snacks will be served all day.

Everyone is welcome to vie for the tourney title, and those who have participated in an official Indy Squadron game in calendar year 2024 are eligible to win the local squadron championship. See complete eligibility details here.

Zach and Joshua are among the new players eligible this year after participating in New Year's Day gaming early in the season. While both of them must be considered long shots for the title, they wouldn't be the first rookies to win it and both seem adept at gaming.

Jon and Ben are sharp and well practiced. They both played at last month's game day and Benjamin survived every mission. 2019 Victory Medal winner Bob Meister is seeking his second title but he's been missing from the table since spring and may need a game to get back in the groove. The same goes for Kevin Richeson, holder of three Victory Medals who joined us before the summer break.

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Ethan Dominates Season Opener, Ben Survives Every Mission ~ Armistice Day Set for Nov 9 ~ Restored and Colorized: SPADs, Sopwith's and More in France, 1918 ~ Superb New Book on Dreadnoughts

10/13/2024

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Volume 36, Number 8

Ethan Dominates Season Opener, Ben Survives Every Mission
October 12, 2024 Gaming Report

Fall gaming kicked off on October 12th at Stephen's 1917 Room in Union City. There was plenty of action on the table with five kills being scored in three games.

Game 1

The first scenario matched the Pfalz DIIIa's of Ernst Reichensberger (Jonathon, 3/0) and LTN Nathanael Spadinger (Stephen, 11/2) against the French Nieuport 17's of Achilles de LaCroix (Ethan, 5/1), Martin Boulee (Rick, 19M) and Benjamin's yet-to-be-named 2nd mission Frenchman.

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RBF Champ Crowned in Lowest Scoring Game ~ May 18 Gaming Report ~ Fokker DrI Triplane in Pennsylvania

5/25/2024

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Volume 36, Number 7

RBF Champ Crowned in Lowest Scoring Game Ever

(Click here for updated RBF records) A game laden with aces and outstanding pilots gave us one of the closest finishes in the history of Red Baron Fight, yet produced no kills and the lowest score in 35 years. The Germans appeared to have the upper hand at the start of the 5-player scenario:

Rick Lacy (UNT Laurence Reiter, 30/6), red Fokker DrI
Bob Meister (HPT Ralph Seid, 5/1), Albatros DVa
Ethan Skinner (Dolf Meinhart, 18/7), Albatros DVa

Dory Oda (Maxwell Sorgis, 5/3), Camel 130
Stephen Skinner (CPT Purvis Leiter, 52/32), Camel 130

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Red Baron Fight XXXV Preview ~ Photos from Sun-n-Fun Air Show

5/12/2024

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Volume 36, Number 6

Red Baron Fight XXXV Preview

The 35th anniversary edition of the Indy Squadron's Red Baron Fight is to be held Saturday, May 18 at the Skinner home in Lewisville, IN beginning at 12 noon. Seven players have said they are likely to attend with several other possible attendees yet to confirm.

The field includes former champions Rick, Dory, Stephen and Ethan (one of only three players to ever win RBF in an Albatros). Bob, Benjamin and Jonathon are seeking their first RBF titles, and George and Kevin also remain possible competitors.

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Indy Player 2nd in Milwaukee Cup ~ Spring Mini Con Review ~ How to Deal With Loud Players ~ Actual Footage, Nieuport 28 Crash ~ Red Baron Fight, May 18 ~ Book Review: The Red Baron & The High Price of Glory

5/6/2024

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DOUBLE ISSUE
Volume 36, Number 4-5

Indy Player 2nd in Milwaukee Cup

The 5th annual Milwaukee Cup Dawn Patrol Game was held at the AmericInn in Delafield, Wisconsin on Saturday evening, May 4th with 18 of the world's finest players competing for the championship.

The top honors went to Michael Wollan, who flew brilliantly. Ten-time Indy Squadron champ and 2002 Spring Mini Con winner Stephen Skinner finished a close second after shooting down Joe Kapustanczek's pilot with a critical wound. Still, Stephen lost by a six-point margin because he received six hit factors in his Macchi MV flying boat while fighting in the thickest part of the dogfight. Since taking enemy fire draws a penalty in Society scoring, those hits were the difference in the game.

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Whosyercon Open Nets 6-Time Winner ~ Whosyercon Photo Gallery ~ March 30 Gaming Report ~ Original WWI Silent Film ~ Book Review: Battle of Little Bighorn, A New Appraisal

4/19/2024

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Volume 36, Number 3

Whosyercon Open Nets 6-Time Winner

Rick drew up a great scenario for this year's Whosyercon Open, held at the Indianapolis Marriott East on March 30, 2024 with four players in attendance. Defending champion Ethan teamed up with Stephen in French Hanriot HD2's while Rick and Bob flew German Hansa-Brandenburg KDW's in a dogfight over the North Sea.

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Feb 17 Gaming Report ~ Listen to an Original Sopwith Camel Rotary ~ Engine Rick Receives RBF Cup

2/18/2024

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Volume 36, Number 2

February 17 Gaming Report

Five Indy Squadron members played five games on Saturday, February 17, 2024 in Lewisville, IN, the most games the squadron has played in a single day in quite a long time. Everyone was delighted to see three-time squadron champion Kevin Richeson return after a long absence and we were all grateful to Nelson Skinner who provided brats, hot dogs, chips and dip, soft drinks and snacks throughout the day.

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Summer Games Return to Indy ~ New Year's Day Gaming Report ~ Gen Con Got It Wrong Again ~ Fighting for the French Foreign Legion ~ New WW1 Documentary

11/20/2023

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Volume 36, Number 1
February 4, 2024

Summer games return to Indy

Welcome to the 36th year of uninterrupted publication of the Indy Squadron Dispatch!

For the first time in more than a decade, the Indy Squadron will host gaming throughout much of the summer with games in May, June and September. These games sometimes attracted fewer players and were dropped from the calendar. But with Stephen's lighter travel schedule this year, we will expand into summer just a bit more than usual.

See the entire 2024 Indy Squadron Calendar on the right sidebar of our home page, including all special events and specific game slots for the upcoming Whosyercon event.

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NEXT GAMING DAY:
May 23, 2026
Lewisville IN

Reigning Champions

Armistice Day Fits Tournament
Dory Oda

Red Baron Fight
Rick Lacy

Whosyercon Open
Stephen Skinner

2026 Calendar

February 28
Official gaming
Lynn IN

March 21
Official gaming
TBA

April 16-19
Society Mini Con
Milwaukee WI

May 23
Red Baron Fight XXXVII
Lewisville IN

June 20
Official gaming

September 5
Official gaming
WhosyerCon

October 3
Official gaming

November 14
Armistice Day Fits Tournament
Lewisville IN

December 5
Official gaming

January 1, 2027
New Year's Day gaming

ISD Staff

Treasurer:
Ethan Skinner

Editors Emeritus:
Brian Halberstadt
Terry Phillips

Editor-in-Chief:
Stephen Skinner

All content is copyright IndySquadron.com and Indy Squadron Dispatch, 1989-2026, and may only be used or reprinted by permission.

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