Stealey leads me over a map of France, past friendly airfields from which a variety of fighters and bombers take off on a regular basis. Anti-aircraft emplacements send a steady stream of flak at any opposing planes that get too close. We soon come upon an enemy base where furious dogfights fill the air, the combatants swooping and diving in a deadly ballet. A bomber on our side reduces the base’s hangar to rubble with a handful of precisely-placed bombs.

“We’ve begun to add significant strategy elements, including rebuild times, re-supply convoys, and strategic targets,” explains Stealey. “We’ve also enabled players to reduce enemy radar ranges with strategic bombing campaigns.”

FlyBoys. A World War I era cockpit may be less complicated, but the flying isn’t.

If you’d rather contribute from the ground, you have a variety of vehicles to choose from, including tanks, halftracks, troop-carrying trucks, and anti-aircraft guns. The tanks and halftracks can fight each other as well as help capture enemy bases. Stealey reveals that the list of changes for WarBirds 2008 includes the ability to play an infantryman from a first-person perspective, helping your side attack or defend bases.

Snoopy Would be Jealous

I hear Stealey snap his fingers again, and suddenly I’m in the cockpit of a Sopwith Camel. We’re now in the realm of FlyBoys Squadron, and four German Fokkers are headed our way. “This flying is even more personal,” Stealey notes as his plane peels away to confront the invaders. I do likewise.

A pair of enemy planes split up, leaving me unsure which one to pursue. My indecision proves costly as both of them loop around to fire at my plane from behind. I try to shake them, but I can’t. The bullets rattle off the body of my plane like hail on a tin roof. Stealey is tied up in his own fight with the other two Fokkers, so he can’t help me. A message on the screen tells me that my engine is damaged and leaking oil. Yes, I am taking this personally.

One of Stealey’s opponents twirls into the ground and explodes. The other one decides to pick on me too, and my wingman finally gets the chance to assist my dire situation. As my plane begins to dip toward the ground, Stealey eliminates one of our foes. All I can do is throttle back the engine and hope I can bring it in for a landing. It’s a rough finish to my flight, but I manage to pull off the feat. Stealey comes in for a smooth landing next to me, and the remaining two Fokkers decide to go bother someone else.

“We’ve done World War I simulations since 1989,” Stealey tells me as he hops out of his cockpit. “Having a movie tie-in with FlyBoys hasn’t hurt sales either. David Ellison, who’s a world acrobatic pilot champion, was an actor and pilot in the film. He’s flown with us a few times, and he had numerous improvements and suggestions for the game.”

“When a player knows they’ve done 12 missions without a death, then he or she becomes much more careful about what fights they join or run from. Just like real life.”

- iEntertainment CEO Bill Stealey

Keeping the Memories Alive

Visually, FlyBoys is similar to WarBirds, and it offers online access to a World War I multi-player arena, where the action becomes just as heated as it does in WarBirds. The heart of the game is a series of 12 single-player missions that take you through a variety of scenarios, such as taking out enemy supply convoys, destroying a German zeppelin, and defeating the enemy’s top ace. You even get the chance to man a machine gun and attack incoming infantry trucks, sink ships trying to sneak up the river, and shoot planes out of the sky.

“The fight was much different in World War I compared to World War II,” Stealey observes. “It was primarily air-to-air, while World War II had more air-to-ground, including strategic bombing.”

FlyBoys. Man a machine gun nest and defend your position.

Even as those wars grow more distant in our history, WarBirds and FlyBoys promise to keep them alive, vividly reminding us of those adrenaline-soaked aerial duels where the technology was basic and pilots had to get close to their opponents if they wanted to shoot them out of the sky. No computer-guided targeting and long-range missiles in use here.

Stealey climbs back into his plane and takes off, waggling his wings in salute as the aircraft climbs toward the clouds. Soon he’s gone, and I wait for an Opel truck to roll by and take me to the nearest base. I’m ready to try this again.