Precision Flight Team Maneuvers by Voltano

[Voltano]

I have seen your movies and they are excellent.
I have seen the real USAF Thunderbirds airshows for years.

Your cyber flight team does a great job emulating the real thing.

Do you perform any additional flight team maneuvers other than the ones done in the real Thunderbirds airshow ?

For example, have you any original or unique maneuvers that you have created yourselves ?

I think that with your combined piloting skills you might be interested and from what I have seen 'qualified' to perform some aerial maneuvers I have designed.

I would like to share them with you.
I have years of experience as a formation and aerial flight maneuvers instructor.
I am the creator and leader of VXF ( Velocity Xtreme Flyers ), a cyber formation flight team I started in July 2003.
I have trained many cyber pilots the techniques of formation flying and have instructed many pilots to fly some of the airshow flight sequences I have designed.
If you are interested in performing a more complex, unique and high precision flight demonstration airshow, please PM or e-mail me and I would be happy to help you further advance your airshows.
I also have the latest versions of Ventrilo and Team Speak.

[Lawndart]

Voltano,

We don't have any unique maneuvers that we perform under the Virtual Thunderbird name. We've flown several vintage Tbird maneuvers and all together the number of maneuvers we've done and still fly are more than 50 different ones! All actual maneuvers flown by the Thunderbirds today or at some point in the past.

The profile is so demanding to begin with and to get right that it doesn't leave too much time to learn anything additional (besides we're in it to replicate the Tbirds, not "re-invent" them); however, having said that I'm sure there are several of us that would be interested in trying our hand at something different once in a while not actually flying the Tbird colors!

Tell me more about yourself, being a formation and aerial flight maneuvers instructor!!! You have my undivided attention now...

LD

[eKim.]

sup Volt. Glad to see ya here.

[Lawndart]

You two know each other?

[eKim.]

Yup, I used to play Desert Combat with him.

[Voltano]

I have years of experience as a flight leader, combat & formation flying techniques instructor and aerial flight team maneuvers designer.

The USAF Thunderbirds, US Navy Blue Angels and the Virtual Thunderbirds are flight teams that push the envelope to the max when it comes to team work, flying skills and precision.

Some of the aerial flight maneuvers that I have designed are considered too dangerous for actual real life aerial demonstration teams.

However, just think of how cool it would be if some of the aerial flight maneuvers you designed were actually performed by a real life flight team such as the Thunderbirds or Blue Angels.

I have seen all your movies and I think you have the skills to perform some of the aerial maneuvers I have designed.

Imagine the Virtual Thunderbirds producing a movie performing these high precision flight team maneuvers and the real USAF Thunderbirds watch it and be inspired by you ( as you have been inspired by them ) and then they perform them in their airshow.

Think of how it would feel when the airshow announcer says "ladies and gentlemen, this next maneuver that is about to be performed was inspired by the Virtual Thunderbirds".


Here is a flight manuever you guys can try.

[Tomcatboy48237]

For what it's worth, I gotta say that I like the actual Thunderbird maneuvers better than I would others. After all, aren't you guys called the Virtual Thunderbirds for a reason?

[Voltano]

For what it's worth, I gotta say that I like the actual Thunderbird maneuvers better than I would others. After all, aren't you guys called the Virtual Thunderbirds for a reason?

I agree with you.

I have been attending Thunderbird and Blue Angel airshows for many years at many locations and I have seen some new maneuvers done during the most recent years compaired to airshows done years ago.

Either I haven't seen the new ones before or perhaps they didn't perform them in earlier shows or have you given any thought that maybe some of the new maneuvers they do were recently designed pertaining to the evolution of the show.

Besides, have you ever thought of a really cool flight maneuver you would like to see done ?
I have designed many flight maneuvers that may be too complex, difficult or dangerous to be done, but if you seen them done, it would be awesome.

I don't limit myself to things that have already been done, I think of things that have not ever been done and design new things that have never been seen before.
Think about it, all the flight maneuvers and aircraft you see in the airshows had to be designed by someone.
Well, I am someone that designs new aircraft and flight maneuvers that has never been seen before.
Use your imagination.
The sky is NO limit.

_______________________________

[Burner]

How would the pilots fly in this formation:



Only one pilots has a view of lead no matter where you put lead.

If they were all looking in on the circle then it would be technically possible as you could have two different formation setters on top and bottom- the boss would be on top and inverted the man directly below him would set off him then everyone else would set off one of the two of them. Also close formation in the inverted and angled positions would require godly skills to maintain- you'd be fighting gravity with a delicate balance of pitch and rudder axis. I mean we're a good team but IDK if this one is possible.





This next one has some promise but with the LOMAC loops the way they are, ie looking more oval than circular, you'd have to meet each other over show center midway thru the pull into the vertical- very difficult to time.


I'm playing devils advocate, we once thought line abreast loops were impossible. However line abreast is one thing this is totally different.

But hey Yoda thinks you can do it. http://www.yodajeff.com/multimedia/soun ... ferent.wav

[Sinister]

First I had the same opinion as Burner... about the circle... everyone would have to be canopy to canopy in order to keep position...


What game are you flying these maneuvers in? How accurate is the flight model and Flight characteristics. How is the net code? How exaggerated is the performance of this particular game?

Keep in mind we are flying an F-15 Flight Model and have to deal with F-15 flight characteristics... these arent nimble little F-16s or F-18s.

[Voltano]

First I had the same opinion as Burner... about the circle... everyone would have to be canopy to canopy in order to keep position...

Keep in mind we are flying an F-15 Flight Model and have to deal with F-15 flight characteristics... these arent nimble little F-16s or F-18s.

The secondary illustration is a 'top view' showing the flight paths of each jet just after the flyby. The 'circles' appear to be 'oval' because of the view looking down from the sky.

The 'V-7" flight maneuver is one of my more complex, timing flight sequences. The 4 aircraft that are looping do not necessarily need to be flying at oppossite sides of the radius (12:00-6:00 or 3:00-9:00).
They are just forming 4 smoke loops for the 2 lead jets to fly thru.


You mentioned that you are flying an F-15 flight model.
Is it that the F-16's we see are just a replacement render?

[Cobra]

That's correct. It is a re-skinned F-15.

[Voltano]

So it's actually the F-15 flight handling with an F-16 model mesh and skin.
Would it be possible to edit the physics code to give it the F-16 flight charactoristics?
For example, lowering its mass (weight).

[Lawndart]

Short answer - no. If we could have done more modding, we probably would have, but then again it's sometimes better to have a "proven" flight model than one that's totally "fictional". Besides, the F-15 has a T/W ratio of more than 1 when lightly loaded and I don't see how it would simplify flying some of these maneuvers using a F-16 flight model comared to a F-15 model. Either way, like someone mentioned previously, we're not about inventing new maneuvers but rather flying the heritage and traditional maneuvers performed by the Thunderbirds, past and present.

LD

[Voltano]

I agree with you about using proven flight models.
I like all the traditional Thunderbird maneuvers too and your team does an excellent job emulating them.

I understand that you are not about re-inventing or creating new flight maneuvers.
I submit this flight maneuver I designed because as a high performance pilot it is something not done before and would be great to see at an airshow.











I have designed many other never before seen flight team maneuvers.
Have you ever done any research into who designs the Thunderbirds maneuvers?
What is your favorite flight team maneuver?