strikeout

Stealing Military Technology It was recently admitted by US Government Officials that all the current design plans for US nuclear weapons had been stolen by the Chinese, and they still don't know how it was done. Also, if a government is going to steal technology it should make sure it steals a design that works properly. The Soviets badly copied the Concord and had to redesign it at great expense. Likewise, they also copied much of the Space Shuttle with the Buran design - which flew only once. I am sure the Chinese, Russians or others will not be in a hurry to copy the F-35. Thanks.

Australia and the JSF debacle Hi, ABC Australia TV documentary about the JSF aired tonight. Follow link for details and program information. http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2013/02/18/3690317.htm Thanks.

Head Mounted iPad Virtual Reality Monitor Hi, This head mounted monitor idea could be a real go-er. Instead of a 24 inch monitor bolted to your head, how about an iPad 2 or even an iPad 3 - which is due out next year with a super high resolution 'near Retina Display'. The weight is lower than a desktop monitor and it can be placed closer to the head for less overall counterbalancing weight and strain. The key improvement required is powerful reading glasses which can bring the display into close focus (to infinity) and potentially add some field curvature. Surely someone can code an iPad app to offer a head mounted iPad display - with image distortion correction if need be. I would be into that - until someone makes a paper thin OLED display that I can fold around my head and watch in 3D. Thanks.

Minimise Bezel Width Hi, I am impressed with your three-wide screen with the reduced bezel width. However, it seems the bezel width will always be a problem with this kind of setup. For someone who wants to go to extreme measures to minimise this 'problem' there may be a workaround. If the mutiple screens are angled inwards then using two thick glass or plastic windows which are bevelled and mitered at the bezel joint may help. The idea would be to refract the separate screen images around the bezel joint so it effectively 'disappears'. The inside of the mitred face could even be blackened or roughened to reduce crosstalk or double images. Anyway, its something I have been pondering for a while. Thanks.

Moving map display with touchscreen features Hi, May I ask a stupid question, and one which is possibly off topic. Can such a detailed map with all its topographical and infrastructure details be considered for adaptation to a touch screen phone or tablet. Note this .... I did not necessarily say 'iphone' or 'ipad' It could be used as a type of electronic flight bag. Anyway, you can probably imagine where this idea could go .....:pilotfly: Thanks.

New F18 HUD Fantastic work and looking forward to seeing the results. A question about the HUD. I have noticed when playing in 3D with shutterglasses there is a significant shortcoming in the cockpit model. The HUD images are located on the vertical HUD glass and are not projected into the distance (outside the cockpit). When looking at ground targets in the distance there is a double image in the HUD because focus is not correct. I wonder if this can be "fixed". Just thought I would mention this for information. Thanks so much.

Seamless Multipanel Display I have a long term project in mind that will remove the annoying gap in multipanel displays such as with the TrippleHeadToGo system. Has anyone ever considered a planar type display with more than two monitors. Let me explain this seamless multipanel display approach. Place the Left and Right monitors in their conventional positions. The middle monitor is placed in a virtual manner by using a semi-reflective beamsplitter arrangement (as seen with planar 3d over-under displays), with the middle display being located horizontally or so above the viewing box. The middle display image can be easily mirrored in software using Ultramon, to make the reflected image appear normally in the centre monitor position. Furthermore, the finer alignment of images can be assisted with the Nvidia software. In the nvidia control panel, use the projector feature for horizontally and vertically aligning multiple projector images. There is an adjustable overlap feature with rolloff calibration to smooth the transition between screens. I expect a video card capable of displaying four monitors is required. This capability is becoming common in video cards. The attractive aspects of this concept are: [1] Can use cheap LCD or CRT hardware [2] Flexibility of LCD size, aspect ratio and panelling layout. [3] Beamsplitter glass is readily available. It is essentially the same as architectural glass (with twin glass sheets and reflective layer in the middle) [4] The concept can be extended to more than three monitors in an over/under planar arrangement. This potentially means wide panoramic displays can be built. [5] There is the potential for application with 3D shutterglasses. Thanks for your interest.

I came across a very interesting article in the May edition of Popular Science. Starting on page 60 there is a five page article on an A10 scale model remote control jet plane. A10 enthusiasts on this forum will love this. For more details visit: http://www.popsci.com/rcjet :book:

Quote "The video shows the Grandmaster being attacked by a flying PenisCopter whilst speaking at a Russian event. We're betting that the security guard who smacks the floating cock out of the air is a crack volleyball player; check out the whack he gives it." visit: http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/05/grandmaster-fla.html:megalol:

TV Program tomorrow night on ABC Australian TV Flying Blind Reporter: Andrew Fowler Broadcast: 29/10/2007 "If you think about all the planes that are available as being puppies in a litter, the Super Hornet is the runt." US aviation analyst James Stevenson For more than 30 years Australia has rested its security on the seemingly ageless wings of its F-111 fighter fleet. But in aviation circles these days there are doubts and rumblings. Some experts fear Australia is set to give away its crucial air superiority in the region. The reason, they claim, is that decision-makers have made the wrong choices about the planes that will replace the F-111s. etc etc http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/ This program will be repeated about 11.35 pm Tuesday 30 October; also on ABC2 at 9.30 pm Wednesday and 8 am Thursday.

User configurable portrait mode Thanks for your advice ggg78. I was concerned about asking such a noob question, and the fact that the technical section doesnt seem to get many views. I also came across http://simmod.pbwiki.com/ which describes how to mod the graphics configuration file, but it requires some educated guesses about converting to portrait mode - as you kindly suggested. Will try it out sometime. Thanks.

Flashback from A-10 Cannon Fire Great modding work. I have seen the artistic licence used to show the flashback of the A10 gattling gun. Does the firing flash actually intrude on the cockpit, and therefore potentially blind the pilot (particularly at night). Could this external lighting effect be modelled .... as it would be really cool to see. Thanks.

Hi all. I once experimented with changing my monitor setup to portrait mode in LockOn and could not make it work. I particularly like the idea of getting a top to bottom view of the cockpit, and wanted to see the effect. I think it would work out good on my pivoting 20 inch LCD monitor (bought at auction). Hopefully the software allows for this change in viewing aspect. Thanks.

What causes propulsion engines to generate thrust Any kind of reaction engine generates thrust because of the forces acting on the engine components. These pressure forces within the engine act on the compressor, turbine and casing. Thrust is not directly caused by the flow of gas, but by the direct 'static pressure' of the gas on engine surfaces. The lower the net force acting on the surfaces in the engine, the less thrust is developed. When the reaction fluid is moving supersonically, pressure waves in the flow cannot push directly backwards, so the fluid must be expanded laterally against a nozzle surface of some kind to gain more thrust. Thanks.

The new Core Duo processor from Intel seems to perform well in FS2004. This may have good implications for performance in Black Shark and Flaming Cliffs. Please see test reviews at: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1989025,00.asp Thanks.