aaron886 Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 nSkSz3egxMQ We've had many requests over the years for live, uncut, cockpit footage. Now, in full 1080p, you can "ride along" with the team during a live show. Watch as our Lead Solo, Beaker, flies the Delta portion of the flight demonstration at the Virtual-Aerobatics.com 1st Anniversary Airshow on February 16, 2014. This footage is a live screen-capture of Beaker's cockpit view, and includes the imperfections that challenge us on every flight. Want to learn more, or join the action? Visit http://www.virtualblueangels.com for more information. (Video edited by Grab) http://www.virtualblueangels.com/ http://www.facebook.com/virtualblueangels/ FAQ: Q: What simulator is this? A: DCS: World with a custom aircraft module. Q: What is that aircraft? Can I have it? A: The F/A-18C Hornet we fly is a custom-made aircraft module that is only available to team-members due to external restrictions and privacy concerns. Q: Why did you edit the audio? A: To increase immersion and cover some miscellaneous noises in the original recording. Q: What are the pilots saying? A: Our live communication, or "comm," is a nearly-identical representation of the real Blue Angels radio procedures that enables us to fly precisely and consistently. Q: Why are there only 5 aircraft? I thought there were 6 aircraft in Delta? A: While the Delta formation usually consists of 6 pilots, for this show we were faced with the realistic contingency of a five-ship formation due to personnel reasons. 1
NRG-Vampire Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 :thumbup: good show, good show :pilotfly: :joystick:
slowhand Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 That is pretty cool:thumbup: [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] SMOKE'M:smoke: IF YA GOT'M!:gun_rifle: H2o Cooler I7 9700k GA 390x MB Win 10 pro Evga RTX 2070 8Gig DD5 32 Gig Corsair Vengence, 2T SSD. TM.Warthog:joystick: :punk:, CV-1:matrix:,3x23" monitors, Tm MFD's, Saitek pro rudders wrapped up in 2 sheets of plywood:megalol:
aaron886 Posted June 23, 2014 Author Posted June 23, 2014 Thanks, guys. As it happens, you can see some more action like this from Ells and the VRA, here: (A music video without the comm from various viewpoints, but same basic premise!)
phant Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 Tracking head over the mirror is very nice feature. Bye Phant
streakeagle Posted June 24, 2014 Posted June 24, 2014 Great stuff. Impressive to see how well both people and computers can replicate what real life air demonstration teams can do. I am guessing that it is actually harder to do on a sim because of the sensory inputs lost to virtualization and lag induced by networking. Likewise, I would guess the virtual world would have a couple of advantages: less fatigue due to not actually feeling the g-loads and more direct hands-on practice being possible since there is no time lost to maintenance and no expenses such as fuel. [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]
Buckeye Posted June 24, 2014 Posted June 24, 2014 Very cool! I'll be watching the Blue Angels this weekend at an airshow. Rig: SimLab P1X Chassis | Tianhang Base PRO + Tianhang F-16 Grip w/ OTTO Buttons | Custom Throttletek F/A-18C Throttle w/ Hall Sensors + OTTO switches and buttons | Slaw Device RX Viper Pedals w/ Damper Tactile: G-Belt | 2x BK LFE + 1x BK Concert | 2x TST-429 | 1x BST-300EX | 2x BST-1 | 6x 40W Exciters | 2x NX3000D | 2x EPQ304 PC/VR: Somnium VR1 Visionary | 4090 | 12700K
aaron886 Posted June 24, 2014 Author Posted June 24, 2014 (edited) Great stuff. Impressive to see how well both people and computers can replicate what real life air demonstration teams can do. I am guessing that it is actually harder to do on a sim because of the sensory inputs lost to virtualization and lag induced by networking. Likewise, I would guess the virtual world would have a couple of advantages: less fatigue due to not actually feeling the g-loads and more direct hands-on practice being possible since there is no time lost to maintenance and no expenses such as fuel. Precisely! Another underrated challenge are the flight controls, though... a desktop HOTAS with a couple hardware store springs doesn't give the physical precision of real flight controls. The lack of hydraulic or dynamic pressure feedback and dampening is a big part of that, too. That merge was flawless. Thanks. 4:45 is one of my favorite feelings in a good flight. You can see the outside view at 46:40 in the Livestream reply here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSS0jScg8rE. Full disclosure: 8:20 in the Cockpit Camera video is a textbook botched rendezvous. Is it the AFM from Eagle? No sir, it's a custom EFM I wrote with NASA aerodynamics and Flight Control System (FCS) data. (And the help of our gracious engineer friend from VPJT, SilentEagle!) All things considered, it's quite accurate in the regime we fly it in, and feels great to fly. If I ever come upon the time needed to make a public 3rd party module, it will have been a priceless learning experience. Edited June 24, 2014 by aaron886
phant Posted June 24, 2014 Posted June 24, 2014 No sir, it's a custom EFM I wrote with NASA aerodynamics and Flight Control System (FCS) data. (And the help of our gracious engineer friend from VPJT, SilentEagle!) All things considered, it's quite accurate in the regime we fly it in, and feels great to fly. If I ever come upon the time needed to make a public 3rd party module, it will have been a priceless learning experience. Thanks! Bye Phant
starsky396 Posted June 24, 2014 Posted June 24, 2014 Does the F18's cockpit simulate anything other than what is needed for the airshow?
aaron886 Posted June 25, 2014 Author Posted June 25, 2014 Does the F18's cockpit simulate anything other than what is needed for the airshow? Not really. I wrote extremely basic stores management, including the stores description DDI page, and stores selection/release. The HI can show full color maps, and we don't really use that in the demo. By and large, though... it's purpose-built. I'm only one guy with limited time. :)
leafer Posted June 25, 2014 Posted June 25, 2014 That is insane flying! Love what's seen in the mirror, and I didn't imagine the colossal vapor streaking over the intakes and down the airframe, right? ED have been taking my money since 1995. :P
aaron886 Posted June 25, 2014 Author Posted June 25, 2014 You did not. :) http://i.imgur.com/1vAaUnl.png
starsky396 Posted June 25, 2014 Posted June 25, 2014 When cortex's f-18 comes out would you create an addon that adds that chromosome on the front cockpit?
aaron886 Posted June 25, 2014 Author Posted June 25, 2014 Do you mean the stopwatch? (Chronometer?) I have nothing to do with Coretex designs, so the answer is probably no, sorry!
leafer Posted June 25, 2014 Posted June 25, 2014 You did not. :) http://i.imgur.com/1vAaUnl.png I didn't think so either. lol ED have been taking my money since 1995. :P
Milli Posted June 25, 2014 Posted June 25, 2014 Very good flying. I could not do anything like like. Enjoyed watching it. Regards, Milli
starsky396 Posted June 25, 2014 Posted June 25, 2014 Do you mean the stopwatch? (Chronometer?) I have nothing to do with Coretex designs, so the answer is probably no, sorry! Yes I did mean chronometer. Autocorrect combined with sleeplessness can do that to ya.
phant Posted June 25, 2014 Posted June 25, 2014 When cortex's f-18 comes out would you create an addon that adds that chromosome on the front cockpit? CTD is making Superbug. Charlie's version will be from ED. Bye Phant
aaron886 Posted June 26, 2014 Author Posted June 26, 2014 Yes I did mean chronometer. Autocorrect combined with sleeplessness can do that to ya. Gotcha. Yeah there's really no need for it. It would block the Super Hornet's UFCD, and both jets have built in timing functionality that is more than sufficient for their normal combat purpose!
upupandaway Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 (edited) Very impressive flying, especially around 5:00 and after the merge at 8:30! I find it incredibly hard to rejoin a formation so smoothly and you do it like parking a car... :) What I also find remarkable is the quality of the cockpit. The HUD, pilot, general geometry and textures leave a nice impression and it even has reflections on the canopy. I know you said it wont be available, but I´m curious as to who made it. Guess you can´t say - privacy concerns or external restrictions? Edited June 26, 2014 by upupandaway [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Deedle, deedle!
aaron886 Posted June 26, 2014 Author Posted June 26, 2014 Not at all, I can tell you anything you'd like to know about it. I made it with the help of Helmet from VBA. He did the vast majority of the cockpit mesh, I did the textures, external model, flight model, and systems. It still has a lot of places we'd like to improve, but it's done purely in limited free time. Just yesterday, actually, Helmet made some progress on the right bulkhead geometry: I've got some overdue work on a new SJU-5/6A seat. Hopefully, if we both find the time, we can turn what we've learned into a public module. Most likely something of lower complexity than a Hornet, though.
upupandaway Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 (edited) Wow, if this is a free time project you did just for your virtual aerobatics squadron, then I am very impressed. What about animations? How far do you plan to go with this? EDIT: Hm, I posted it in the DCS F/A-18C thread, but it was deleted... Edited June 26, 2014 by upupandaway [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Deedle, deedle!
Recommended Posts