General Information on the OFS

1. General

Why does the OFS cost nothing?

The entire content of the website and all practical OFS training courses can be used free of charge.  We do not charge any processing fees, course fees or fees and the same. 

The OFS is independent of game manufacturers, publishers and virtual squadrons.  It is a purely private leisure project without any economic interests.  The running costs are currently covered by voluntary donations from tutors.  

What content is offered and what games are covered?  

The OFS compiles training material and tutorials for various flight simulations.  The basic courses, as well as most theory blocks, are mainly designed for self-study.  In addition, the tutors will be happy to help you if required.  After the often necessary theory there is a practical part to most courses or course sections.  It can be completed offline in single-player mode or online in multiplayer mode for practice and consolidation.  For certain advanced courses, participation in guided practical lessons and / or examination flights is obligatory.  The course participants and the respective tutor determine the dates in mutual agreement.  

DCS (Digital Combat Simulator), IL-2 Stumovik Great Battles (Battle of Stalingrad, Moscow & Kuban) and X-Plane. Rise of Flight is also planned for later.  

How do I find the dates of the courses?  

The courses actually take place all the time.  There is usually no start or end dates.  You decide when your course starts and ends.  It is your course, only for you.  You decide when you want to go through the course material, and if you need help, we are there for you.  Check the calendar of the course to see if a date already exists, and if not, ask the trainer for one.  

We are automatically informed about every course enrolment and as trainers we logically receive information about all requested exercise dates, practical seminars, etc.  This enables us to schedule the next practical dates promptly and to arrange a common date with the current course participants as far ahead as possible.  

How is the OFS organized?

The OFS is roughly divided into information seekers and information providers.  One is the student and the other is the tutor / trainer, similar to a real school.  
Each course has several tutors who maintain the course.  They are available for questions as primary contacts and coordinate practice and examination dates. 

There are area managers who are particularly familiar with a game and organize the course creation in this area.  

Kaltokri is the owner of this website. He has the legal responsibility and therefore also the liability.  Freddo and Kaltokri organize and coordinate the course creation and further development of this website.  

Further information can be found under Contact.  

How can I get involved?

Anyone who wants to can take part and abide by the rules.  We want to spread the work for the community over as many shoulders as possible.  

We are able to adapt or add new courses, curricula, competences, etc. at any time. Are you ready to create course material (text, images or videos) or can you provide finished material?  Then please contact the appropriate person.  

You already have experience in handling different flight simulations or special patterns, would you like to pass on your knowledge and become a tutor?  If you want to start as a tutor, you have to show that you are suitable for the corresponding course in the areas of theory, practice and didactic mediation.  Please get in touch with us (see contact person).

We will later create the possibility to contribute to the costs of the OFS (e.g. for Web-, Teamspeak- and Gameserver) through donations, but at present this is not available not yet.

2. Cooperation

Over time, the OFS team has grown with it the connections to other groups in the community. Here we would like to introduce groups with which we have an active cooperation:

	Stick and Ruder Friends (SRF) Stick and Rudder Friends (SRF), is a meeting place for all those who enjoy flying historic aircraft. It is about an active exchange of all those interested in the history of aircraft, as well as real and simulator flying. SRF stands for a high standard of rudder coordination. Even in sim flying, a high degree of precision is required in many areas. Whether aerial laps, formation flying, dogfighting or aerobatics, there are always great challenges to be mastered. We tackle this and much more with great motivation. Here, each individual is challenged within the community. Mutual support is a matter of course at SRF. The fun of flying and the togetherness are our top priorities. SRF is not a squadron, but rather a community of interest. Whether you are a newcomer or an experienced pilot in simulator flying, everyone who would like to fly and contribute to this community is welcome.
	German DCS Community We are an association of different German DCS squadrons, which have primarily made it their task to bring the German-speaking DCS community under one roof in order to experience DCS together. Our further goals are to organise joint events, missions and the like. Furthermore we want to offer single pilots the possibility to find the right squadron for themselves. We also offer individual pilots the opportunity to take part in our events and projects. Together with several relay teams, we have agreed on common overarching qualification levels. The goal is a uniform definition that helps in planning events. Here you can read the standards as a PDF file: Combat Ready 1 Combat Ready 2 Our courses follow their own logical strategy in building up the topics. But on reaching a certain course level, our students gain the qualification for CR1 and then CR2. We then distribute a corresponding award and a certificate. This allows the student to prove their qualification to the participating squadrons.
	DCS Deutschland is a platform for new and experienced pilots, squadron members and non-squadron pilots, of the German-speaking DCS community. The platform aims to simplify the search for active pilots, offer help, training, discussions, joint flights and more reach for content creators and developers.