Nothing More but a Reflection in the Windscreen (Post 5: Reflection)

     Wow! This project went by really fast! Shoutout to all those who've presented. I can honestly say that they were all fantastic presentations, and I enjoyed every one of them. There were a few that especially stood out to me, like my friend Josh's on improv on the piano. I tried some myself this afternoon, and it didn't sound anything like his! It's certainly tough!

     Looking at the project as a whole, I had a blast doing it. I learned a ton, and what I learned can be applied to other fields, such as engineering. (Why certain designs worked and which ones didn't, why some work better than others, etc.) I feel that I did a find job of conveying my passion through the blog. My knowledge about the subject, maybe not so much. Oh well, it seems everybody enjoyed seeing my failures as well as successes! I was also glad that more people seemed to know exactly what I was doing after I brought in my PC.

     While I enjoyed the blog portion, I feel like the TED Talk was a flop. I reviews the script, rehearsed the lines, but made many mistakes, even forgetting parts of the script entirely. I think that nervousness is partially to blame, being second on the first day can be nerve-wracking! (Serious props to Jason, from the afternoon block, who went first. You did a fantastic job, Jason!) On top of nervousness, I had several technical issues. Some nobody's fault, such as when the sound wouldn't work with the videos, and some my fault, such as when I had no 'backup' script for if the sound didn't work. In addition to the technical issues, I though it would be fine not to have a power point....

I'm pretty sure I was the only one who didn't have one. Same goes for notecards, I was pretty confident walking into the Audion, but going up on stage and seeing all the spotlights get turned on really threw me for a loop.

As for the blog itself... I'm going to keep flying! Why not? It's fun, immsersive, and certainly better than sitting around watching TV. Besides, like I said in the beginning, what's cooler than a chunk of metal, that can fly? And on top of that, we strapped guns, bombs, and in the more modern scene, rocket-powered-radar/lazer/heat-guided-bombs. Technology is awesome, flying chunks of metal are awesome. Everything is awesome!

YouTube Link (All videos are posted there)

A Proud moment (Post 4)

     After flying a few hours of flying, I'm confident enough to say that I can can earn kills at a consistent rate... About 1 kill for every 4 or 5 sorties. However, that's up from 0, so it's certainly improvement. And they're pretty kills, too. Check out this one:

Aww yis. Pretty kills are pretty.
...Alright so it's not very pretty, but it got the job done.

      What we have here is the Japanese A6M2 'Zero,' pitted against the American F4F 'Wildcat.' Some important information for what I'm about to go through:

F4F-4 Wildcat:
Top Speed: 533 km/h (331mph)
Armament: 6x .50 Cal. (Browning Mk. 2)
Weight (Empty): 2674 kg (5895 lbs)
Wing Loading: 149.77 kg/m² (30.7 lb/ft² )

A6M2:
Top Speed: 533 km/h (331mph)
Armament: 2x. 7.7mm (Type 97), 2x 20mm (Type 99-1)
Weight (Empty): 1680 kg (3704 lbs)
Wing Loading: 107.4 kg/m² (22.0 lb/ft²)

(Wing loading determines how maneuverable an aircraft is, and is found by dividing the loaded weight of an aircraft by the wind's surface area. Therefore, the lighter your aircraft is and the bigger your wings are, the more maneuverable the aircraft is. However, this comes at a cost of speed.)

The Wildcat seems worse on paper, but it isn't. While they have the same top speed, you have to keep in mind that it's much heavier, so it takes longer for it to slow down after gaining speed. It's also more armored. You can see this in the video when I hit it and it starts smoking. If it was a Zero, it would've been obliterated.

However, the Wildcat was still inferior to the Zero, and you can see me exploiting its weaknesses in the video. For example, the same weight that gives the Wildcat an extra bit of speed works against it in this dogfight. We started at the same speed, so after we make our head-on pass and I turn around, he'll take a while to get back up to speed, while I can accelerate to top speed much faster. On top of that, he most likely had his engine taken out after taking rounds to it.

On top of that, the Zero is much more maneuverable, so I can easily keep up with any and all evasive maneuvers he tries to pull. The final thing that seals his fate is the armament differences. The Wildcat has more guns, they're all fairly small, designed for ripping apart aircraft with longer bursts. Meanwhile, the Zero has two small guns, and two large guns. The larger guns have a small amount of explosives in them, meaning that any hit on an enemy aircraft does serious damage- so smaller bursts do more damage. (At the cost of a lower fire rate, and lower ammunition count)

It was certainly difficult, but it's not impossible to become good at flying!



Now, I've also worked on ground attacking. It's not nearly as difficult, but it's still incredibly fun. Here's a video of an attack that went slightly worse than it could've.



I've talked about the IL-2's durability in previous videos, so I won't go over it again. Either way, you can see the simplicity of going on a ground attack mission vs. air combat.

Well, that's all I have for you today. Thanks for reading! If you've any ideas for a custom battle of sorts, I'll give them a shot, IL-2 1946 has an in-game mission editor, and it's pretty powerful. I've had some fun messing with that already. :-D

C'ya in the skies!

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Comments:
Josh C.: Improv
Eric L.: Whittling
Abby B.: Hurdling

Vlog :D (Post 3)

If you can't tell, I'm camera-shy :<



Genius Vlog from Trevor Bert on Vimeo.

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Comments:
Kenny D.: Rocket Science
Helen A.: Sleep Meditation
Dani G: Animation
Ellie A.: Photography

Quick Update

After starting these flights in IL-2 Sturmovik, I've started playing simulator battles in War Thunder, meaning that I'm going against other, real people in a full simulator situation. I've managed to destroy a few player ground targets before, but never another player in an aircraft. Until today. Call it a minor victory, but it does show how far I've come. I really am quite proud of this. :-)
I've upload a gif for your enjoyment. :D
Link: http://gfycat.com/IllfatedIncompleteGoat#
Yea, the name is stupid, but that's just how gfy labels the locations, adjective-adjective-animal.

(I was flying a BF-110, and shot down an IL-2, if you're curious.)

Note: Even though it looks like my tracers are missing their mark in the gfy, my actual rounds are hitting. Tracer rounds are usually lighter, so they loose momentum and slow down faster than a normal round. This is also multiplied by the fact that War Thunder's replay system isn't the best, and often shows gunfire incorrectly.

First flights for all aircraft completed!

As the name says- all the first flights have been completed! I've included two videos here- neither of them first flights, but each with the other two aircraft I've been flying.

Remember to wait a while before watching in order to get the highest quality possible. The second one will be up in a bit, it's still uploading.

Applying What I've Learned (Post 3)

     I've think I've got it... Flying, that is.

     I've taken short flights, usually circling and airfield, and I've got some interesting flights, which I'll post later. I'll also be doing a vlog of my setup a bit later- so stay tuned for that! 

      Alright, onto the progress. I've taken out each aircraft for a varying number of flights, as well as taking out a few other aircraft I was curious in, just for fun. 

     First, the IL-2 Sturmovik. It's an incredibly easy aircraft to fly, just as I predicted! It's slow, so you have time to react to the aircraft's movements. However, while this aircraft is easy to learn, I feel that it's slowness to react will be a big hindrance later when flying combat missions. After all, when being attacked you want to move out of the way fast. If my escorts do their job, however, it should be fine. 

P-47 'Thunderbolt'

     Next, I took out the B-25, the one I though would be the easiest to fly undamaged.Nope, far from it, for a couple of different reasons. I assumed that the B-25 would have counter-rotating engines, meaning that all torque would be cancelled out, making a very smooth flight. However, both engines on the B-25 rotate in the same direction, meaning that there is a ton of torque acting upon the aircraft, making it very difficult to fly. In addition, if you use your ailerons, the control surfaces on the wings, at all during takeoff or landing, your risk spinning the aircraft out of control, sending it into the ground. In addition to this, the aircraft is heavier than the IL-2, meaning it reacts even slower. Although, once it's in the air it's much, much easier to control, and is a very stable aircraft once you get your trim set up. Despite many attempts, this is the one aircraft I can't land without breaking something, or someone... 

P-51   Size Comparison   BF-109

     Finally, the BF-109, the aircraft I expected to be the most difficult to fly, is easier than the B-25. It has a high wing loading and is a fairly small aircraft, meaning that at high speeds the aircraft is incredibly nimble. However, these same characteristics mean that the aircraft looses lift over the wings at a low speed, causing it to stall at lower speeds. The result is high takeoff and landing speeds, making it difficult to land and takeoff.

BF-109 with humans for scale

     If this was the only issue with the BF-109, it would be the easiest plane by far. However, unlike the IL-2, an attacker, or the B-25, a bomber, the BF-109 is a fighter. This means that I'll have to compete with other aircraft, a duel to the death. Shooting at a stationary or slow-moving target on the ground is one thing, but shooting at a high-speed target that's actively trying to kill you is something else entirely. However, I look forward to the challenge! 

Landing is Hard!

   

Side note: After reading this I realize that there is some vocab that may be useful. Here's a link to a glossary of aviation terms. If you can't answer a question through that, feel free to ask.
http://www.aviation-terms.com/
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Comments:
Eric L. - Whittling
Evan K.- Insanity!
Josh C.- Improv

First Flight!

I'll embed the video here once it's done uploading to YouTube
Edit: Here it is!
Double Edit: Not sure why, but only 360p is available, even though I recorded and uploaded in 1080. Give it a bit, it might still be processing the higher quality versions. HD versions are up and running.

Still Preparing for Takeoff! (Post 2)

    I've not been able to use my computer for the past week or so, so I've been doing research on my three aircraft! We'll go through them in order of which I'll learn them.

Il-2

    First off, the Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik, the aircraft that the simulator I'm using was named after. There was 36,183 of the built, making them the most produced military aircraft in history, and fall behind only the Cessna 172 in most produced aircraft, military and civilian. It was a Russian-built aircraft, and, according to Stalin, "Are essential to the Red Army as air and bread!"
     The aircraft filled the role of ground-attacker, they were capable of carrying over 1000lbs of bombs, as well as 100lbs+ of rockets. In addition to explosives, it also carried a 23mm auto-cannon and a 7.62mm machine gun, used for self-defense as well as ground-attack. One feature unique to the Il-2 was that it was armored. However, having traditional armor plating would make the aircraft too heavy, so the Soviets created a design where the armor not only protected the aircraft, but also acted as its frame! Normally, an aircraft is a series of spars with thin metal over it,  but the Il-2 used armor that also filled the role of the spars, making the aircraft lighter, but also armored. This extra armor earned the Il-2 the nickname "The Flying Tank."
     I'll be starting each flying goal with this aircraft, as it's the easiest to fly, it's very large wings are proof of this, as it means that there is plenty of air flowing over the wings, which in turn means that there is plenty of lift for the aircraft and pilot to utilize.

B-25

     Next, I'll be flying the popular American bomber, the B-25 Mitchell. It was a medium bomber, a happy medium between light bombers such as the SBD Dauntless, and heavy bombers such as the B-17. It was capable of carrying over 3000 pounds of bombs over 1,000, and returning home. Depending on the version, it also had 5 or more .50 calibre machine guns mounded in blisters on the nose, or in the nose itself, used occasionally for ground attack. In addition, it had a few defensive turrets to protect itself against enemy fighters.
    While it had a similar role to the Il-2 Sturmovik, the B-25 was also capable of high-altitude bombing as well as ground-attack. However, the B-25 was much bigger, therefore, it was much less maneuverable, meaning that the B-25 was not nearly as effective at ground attacking as the Il-2 was.
     While this aircraft was very easy to fly during flat, high-altitude bombing missions, it becomes a struggle while ground attacking or after taking damage. However, if the fighters escorting the bomber flight do their job correctly, it should be a very smooth flight.

    Last, but certainly not least, the famed BF-109. It is the third most-produced aircraft of all time, sitting at 33,984 fighter built. German pilots loved it, it was fast, light, climbed and dove well, and had lots of firepower. However, as WWII raged on, Germany started to loose pilots, planes, and fuel quality. Like the Japanese, the quality of the aircraft went down as the war went on, due to loss of resources. As aces were killed or captured in combat, the Luftwaffe had to replace them with with pilots fresh out of flight school. The fuel quality went down as well, causing a drop in power of German engines.

BF-109

   As for flying it, the BF-109 is very difficult. It has a high wing loading, meaning that the wings are small in comparison to the aircraft. This results in a high-speed aircraft, but one that stalls, or looses lift from the wings, very easily. However, when used correctly, it is an incredibly deadly aircraft, just as history shows.

     Well, there it is! The very basics for each aircraft I'll be using. After this past week of research, I feel prepared to take each aircraft into the air for the first time! Here's hoping that I don't end up in too many burning craters!


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Blogs commented on this week:
Josh C: Piano Improv
Dani G: Animation
Nicole T: Choreography
Abby B: Hurdling
Helen A: Mediation
Matt T: Critiquing

Preparing for Takeoff! (Post 1)

     Ever since I was a little kid, I've though planes were the coolest things ever. I mean, think about it. A chunk of metal can fly. This fascination has carried with me and grown over the years, until the point where I started flying in games, with varying levels of realism. Now, I wish to take it to the 'next level,' and start flying in a full simulator. 

     Over the next few weeks, I'll be learning how to fly various WWII aircraft, both in and out of combat situations. I'll be focusing on three aircraft, each one with a different role in the war. First, the Il-2 Sturmovik, a Soviet ground-attack aircraft. Then, the B-25 Mitchell, a all-purpose, American-made medium bomber. Finally, the BF-109, the Luftwaffe's workhorse as a fighter. Each one has its own flight characteristics, and it will be difficult to fly them. But, once I can, I'll be in a position to fly just about anything. 

     Each cycle (6 weekdays), I'll be advancing in my climb as a pilot, starting from taking off and landing, and ending with a full combat mission, takeoff to landing. Each cycle will build off the skills refined in the previous one, allowing for a gradual build up of changeling, rather then immediately jumping into the furball. 

     As for resources, there are plenty out there. There's gun cam footage that I can use in order to look at exactly how an aircraft flies, look at documents for further documentation, and even interviews with veterans. In addition, there Sun Tzu's Art of War, which is designed for ground combat, but still applies to air combat. There's also the Dicta Boelck, which is very short, but gives a list of definite rules for Arial engagements. 

    I'm excited for this! It's going to be a challenge for sure. For each cycle, I'll be starting with the Sturmovik, as it's the easiest to fly, and finishing with the BF-109, which would be the most difficult to fly because it means fighting against other aircraft. Will I soar, or end up a piece of burnt metal on the ground? Only one way to find out!