This column is the second in a two-part series about the Link Trainer, the world’s first flight simulator. You can read part one here.

It took Edwin Link five years to convince the U.S. Army to buy his flight simulator. But in the wake of the Air Mail scandal — with thirteen pilots dead from lack of instrument training — the U.S. Army Air Corps decided the Link Trainer was a good investment. The initial 1934 order of six trainers, at $3,500 a piece, was a coup for Link — but it was only the beginning.

The Army contract catapulted Link Aviation, Inc. onto the defense industry’s radar. The little company, still headquartered out of Binghamton, New York, started receiving orders from the U.S. Navy as well as Tokyo, Moscow, London and Berlin. The Trainer, built in a basement for Link’s amusement, was about to arm the world for the greatest air war in history.

Small batch of Hotfixes today.

Corrected the drop rate percentage of the Lobbin’ Noggin and Thoroughly Lobbed Nog associated with the Night of Murder event.
The Caledor Woods scenario now properly grants credit for the task "Participate in any Elf Scenario".

Check after the jump for the full list!

Today we get a sneak peak at the forthcoming 1.2 patch.

While we could easily call this patch Combat & Careers Part Deux, I think a better name is the Bugs, Careers, Bugs, Items and Bugs Patch.  Over this patch cycle we will have addressed and resolved about 500 bugs and issues (some internal, most external) and some of the changes have already been pushed to LIVE.

See the whole preview after the jump!

There's something in the air, this time of year.  Some magical quality that just makes upcoming days feel special, and full of tenderness.  What is that special something?  Well, if you guess the anguished screams of the assassinated, you're absolutely right!

As darkness falls on the Night of Murder, the worshippers of death bathe the land in blood, each intent on proving his or her devotion to the Elf god Kaela Mensha Khaine. It is a time that the forces of Destruction are all too willing to exploit. Assassins infiltrate the cities, while on the battlefield the differences between Good and Evil fade beneath the crimson haze of bloodlust. None are immune to the will of Khaine during this dark holiday.

The Night of Murder Live Event runs from Feb. 6th until Feb 15th.  Check out the full details after the jump, or join the discussion on the forums !

In the latest letter from  Mark Jacobs, he confirms that while Mythic has been reducing the size of their Warhammer staff, it is nothing to fear.

Though we are resizing the team to move from a pre-launch to a post-launch size, we remain fully committed to creating and delivering the best WAR experience.

See the full letter after the jump.

It's hard to believe January is over. As we begin the second month of 2009, let's take a look back at some of the most noteworthy news stories and Allakhazam features of the past week. There's more links after the jump.

Allakhazam Features

Wizard101: Our First Look : Allakhazam editor Christopher "Pwyff" Tom supplies a first-hand look at Wizard101, a children’s MMORPG with "collectible card magic, wizard duels, and far off worlds."

Champions Online Interview with Bill Roper : We sat down to talk to Roper about Champions Online, the vision that he brings to the team, and what he learned from Hellgate: London.

Talking Vanguard with Jason "Ikik" Weinmann : We talked with Weimann, a programmer on Vanguard, about some of the changes that he's made to the game's tools as well as some of his secret projects on the side.

Mark Jacobs saw fit to give out some more information about the exciting events of the next few months!

We’ve already seen a flurry of interviews and videos about what we are going to be working on over the next few months, so I won't go into excruciating detail now.  I will though focus on some of the main things that we are working on, including the "Call to Arms" expansion, over the next five months especially if those things do not fall into the CtA expansion itself.

A little self-contradictory, but information is always good!  See the full letter below the jump.

When they hint about big news, they don't kid around!

First: Two new careers! As several of our own community theorized on the forums, looks like it's going to be Orc Choppa and Dwarf Slayer.

Next: A Live Expansion called Call To Arms indluding multiple live events, new territory, new Scenarios, a new dungeon, and more!  Best part?  It's FREE!

Last, but not least: A Live Event set to kick off before Call to Arms begins, scheduled from February 6th to February 15th called Night of Murder.

Join the discussion in our forums for much more information!

NY Comic Con is going to be seeing a lot of WAR soon! The WAR team will be visiting the event to share updates about the state of the game. This is an open event, so go pay them a visit if you're in the area!

WAR will be storming New York Comic Con again this year with a team of devs and community managers, led by our very own Jeff Hickman and Paul Barnett. Stop by booth #1449 for the chance to chat with the team, meet other WAR players in the area, score exclusive in-game items and get your hands on new WAR gear. Saturday you can catch a very entertaining presentation by Jeff and Paul (lots of new info about Call to Arms, Bitter Rivals, and the new careers), and Sunday you can show off your mad RvR skills in our player competition!

While I wish mysterious love letters came across my door, those popping up recently in the community are meant for WAR. Figures, doesn't it? That some game would get more love and attention than me... though you better take a look at these a little closer, as you may not want these kind:

Strange reports are trickling in from a few of our stalwart WAR bloggers; they've received a mysterious love letter hinting at something sinister drawing nigh.  Cryptic, filled with malice, and sealed with a black kiss, we can only begin to guess at what ominous plot is unfolding. Those who received one of these "love letters" may want to keep an extra candle burning at night....