Angels over
flaming cliffs
The Virtual Blue Angels test the limits of online aerobatics by Andy Mahood
Most PC gamers associate combat jet sims like Lock On: Flaming Cliffs with laser-guided bombs, heat- seeking missiles, and
fuselage-shredding cannon fire. After all,
what’s the point of lighting the afterburners
on a $30 million dollar jet fighter if you
don’t get to blow something up?
A nine-member team of flight sim
enthusiasts from across the U. S. (along with
one Aussie) has an answer for that. Formed
in 2004, this group has honed a remarkable
online homage to the U. S. Navy’s Flight
Demonstration Squadron, better known as
the Blue Angels. Employing a modified
version of Eagle Dynamics’ Lock On:
Flaming Cliffs 2, the Virtual Blue Angels
( www.virtualblueangels.net) have
participated in multiple live events which
showcase their remarkable formation flying
and aerobatic skills.
A dedication to aviation
The team’s level of dedication borders on
obsessive. “We get together between three
and five times per week depending on
whether we have an online demo coming
up or not,” explains VBA Commanding
Officer Bob “Kato” Tyler. “After a quick
brief outlining what we want to achieve that
day, we either fly the whole demo from start
to finish, or go up in separate groups as the
Diamond (Blue Angels one through four)
and Solos (Blue Angels five and six) to work
on specific maneuvers.”
Each practice session runs about three
hours, and the demos he’s referring to are
full reenactments of Blue Angels air show
routines, from diamond formation take-
offs to knife-edge solo passes. If you’ve ever
taken in a real-life Blue Angels show, where
gravity and separation are mostly unheeded
suggestions, you can already appreciate the
dramatics that unfold here: formation
loops, barrel rolls, and coordinated low-
altitude maneuvers which might actually
blow a few socks off.
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