Conquering SL Skies

The 2008 Grumman F-14 Tomcat

The long wait is over after so much anticipation for the release of the latest F-14 Tomcat at Wilder West. It was rumoured to really blow your mind away, but you wont really know how kick~ass this bird of steel is until you see it for yourself. There was good reason for its slight delay which coincided with the expansion of Wilder West to include other sims in its fly zone. Flying the Tomcat in the expanded area would definitely give you superb airborne experience. The new F-14 is a magnificent collaboration between Niki Wilder and MeganAnn Mills, head honchos of Wilder Mills Aviation, Inc. which develops, conceptualise, design and manufacture jet fighters, utility aircraft and show planes in Second Life.

Flying over Miramare-Barcola skies en route to Bay City, the F-14 is one of the best two-seater fighter jets available in SL today! A supreme eye-catcher!

Comparing it from the first version (which was my second jet fighter procurement after chancing upon the F/A-18 Hornet a couple of months ago), much of it has changed thus it being more of a new plane than an update. Just at first glance you will see and feel that it has been a labour of love, and know the reason why it took longer be to released than earlier anticipated.

New amazing features were even added:

A tail hook which is standard in RL aircraft carrier jets was added; cockpit opens and closes upon command both on-board and outside the plane; machine guns as well as adding the new Aim-9 Sidewinder missile and the Aim-54 Phoenix (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Iqr3mvV01c) in its artillery; beacon lights at the cockpit and dual-tail fin; realistic sounds for its afterburner, artillery and engine; stable handling especially during landing on the carrier deck; gear and wing commands and the usual dynamic camera which is standard and only available from most aircraft manufactured at Wilder~Mills Aviation, Inc.

Badass artillery! Both missiles can be activated by typing F1 or F2 in local chat. It's such an amazing sight to see**.

The new Tomcat is probably one of the best planes by WMA Inc. since the F8F Bearcat release in May 2008, and adding a bit of visual artillery adds more to its charm.

The Boeing/Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche

The Army's answer to the stealth fighter jets being used by today's modern-day military, the Comanche is quite a formidable force to reckon with. Fitted with both air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles and the standard 200mm Gatling gun, it is the best reconnaissance and attack helicopter to date.

Attack from the shores: The Comanche when fully loaded** is an intimidating piece of machinery!

A re-modified version is available at Wilder Mills Aviation, Inc with an easy to use command system all controllable within mouselook mode. It features a built-in Heads-Up Display (HUD) and is manoeuvred using both the arrow keys and mouse for direction while PGUP/PGDN keys controls the altitude. The chopper can be started by typing START, and stopped by typing STOP in local chat as well as deploying bombs by typing ON and stop the bombardment by typing OFF. Guns are fired using the left mouse. It is by far the easiest attack chopper to fly with realistic sound and visual effects during take-off and landing.

Like the Tomcat, the Comanche is a two-seater aircraft and can reach heights as far as the SL stratosphere. Speed can be commanded by typing 1 to 9 (20% to 90% velocity) or ZERO (for 100% full thrust). It can be flown to and from any skybox or platform above 512 metres.

There are more interesting planes being offered at Wilder Mills. Go visit USS Wilderwest and see all of them for yourself.

** featured missiles are not included in the purchase. They were custom made by N71 Aeon and were taken from another source. They are not attached to the aircraft but worn as an attachment.

The REDS are coming!

... a short story...

The Cold War begins!

800 hrs SLT. Friday (180508)

Lt. Col. N71 Aeon, 927th Pi-Sigma Squadron Commander was at the bridge of USS Wilderwest with Rear Admiral Niki Wilder to discuss some important matters, when a distress call from fellow pilot Lt. Col. McKinney Allen came to their attention.

"I'm hit! Mayday! Mayday! Pilot going down! I'm going down!", a loud explosion in the background followed soon afterwards... then static and his radio went dead...

A fateful encounter, Lt. Col. McKinney Allen was shot down by a yet unknown hostile bogey. Status of the pilot was not immediately known.

A frantic Niki Wilder shouts at the intercom: "All squadrons, assemble! We are under attack!", as emergency sirens fill the air and airmen scramble to their planes in a bid to intercept a suspected bogey.

Earlier...

727 hrs. SLT Friday (180508)

A lone Lt. Col. McKinney Allen who was on a practice run in his F8F Bearcat was ordered to investigate an anomaly reading dispatched to him by the main control centre of a signal picked up earlier on the radar. There has never been a intrusion to any US Naval Facility since Pearl Harbour post World War II. The Americans thought, "Who would make the same mistake?" And indeed the Yanks have never been so vigilant and prepared like this ever before.

Present time...

805 hrs SLT. Friday (180508)

Discussions between R.A. Niki Wilder and Lt. Col. N71 Aeon about his return to regular tour of duty at the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the United Kingdom was cut short. Lt. Col. Aeon was on loan to the United States Navy (USN) under the Top Ace Pilots Exchange Programme (TAPE-Pro) which the United States and the United Kingdom had forged a few years back in an attempt to enhance the flying skills of their top junior pilots currently on active service.

WWII had taken a toll on their top aces with a lot of casualties on both sides during the war. The program aims to fill in the void by giving junior pilots the opportunity to train and put their skills to a test in a different setting and environment, making them adaptable to any fighting conditions. And in the event of another invasion by enemy forces, both countries may easily adjust to one another and prevent any catastrophe that may arise due to miscommunication.

Unconfirmed reports were saying that the programme was a top secret operation to counter the immediate threat of a strong communist USSR as a superpower (having been successful at its WWII campaign thwarting the German forces in Eastern Europe), and its attempt to infiltrate Western Europe.

806 hrs SLT. Friday (180508)

The loud roar of engines from a squadron of Grumman F8F Bearcats overwhelms the sound of wailing sirens in the air. One by one the planes leave USS Wilderwest as flight-deck crews scramble to assemble the rest of the fighter planes for take off. Lt. Col. Aeon thinks about his luck, he was just a day away from being returned back to UK service and now he finally gets to put his skills to a test. There has never been a single shot fired since the end of World War II, until now.

F8Fs are prepared for take off in a search and rescue operation for the missing pilot, and to intercept the bogey responsible as well. Deck crews ready the planes for battle.

Adrenaline pumps through his body when a loud bang from the side of his loaned American fighter plane brought him back from his dreamy state. It came from a flight deck crew giving him the all clear with a salute, signaling that the pilot is ready to go.

"Godspeed Sir!", the deck crew shouted.

"God save the Queen...", Lt. Col. Aeon whispered as he salutes back at the crew and throttled up his plane to maximum speed. The weightlessness and the feeling of being airbourne uplifts his spirit as his plane leaves the carrier's runway.

Attack formation! Bearcats are on the prowl...

It was like life was passing in front of Aeon's eyes in slow motion. Memories of his childhood quickly flashes in his mind:

Flying in formation just after take off. Pilots looking for signs of McKinney's downed plane and for the bogey responsible for it. Eagle's eyes are on the lookout for the missing McKinney.

... the moment his dad taught him how to ride his bicycle and fell hard leaving a scar on his knee...

... his first crush in grade school...

... the infatuation he had with his high school French teacher...

... his first kiss...

... and most especially the love of his life which he was expecting to meet on his way back to the United Kingdom, Capt. Lizzy of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) whom he met in Berlin almost a year ago...

"I have got to get through this... how hard can it be?", he muttered to himself.

And thoughts on how this still unknown infiltrator was able to get Lt. Col. Allen who is known by his colleagues as the sly fox as he is always able to disappear from sight during practice runs. If someone as good as Allen gets shot down, then this bogey must be really good! The worse thing of all is that the status of the downed pilot is still unclear.

810 hrs SLT. Friday (180508)

It's been 4 minutes and still all of the planes in the air are scrambling to locate the bogey, lest identify him. Col. Aeon who was flying NW 50 miles from USS Wilderwest saw the sun reflect its rays on something metallic in the air.

Lt. Col Aeon had a visual of the bogey and was keen to go after it. The Russian MiG 1-3 was heading towards the USS Wilderwest!

"That must be it!", he thought to himself as he radioed in his coordinates: "This is November Alpha, I have a visual of the bandit 50 clicks NW from base, awaiting instructions, over."

"This is R.A. Wilder, can you identify the bogey? Over...", the nervousness on the commander's voice can be felt through the wires. The whole crew had long prepared for such an intrusion, but never had they imagined that it would happen during the peace time.

Within seconds the bandit zoomed in passing Aeon's fighter plane in which it caught the pilot by surprise.

"It's A MiG! The bloody Russians are hostile!", Aeon radios back with a bit of excitement in his voice. The sight of a big red star on the plane's marking gives him the shivers... "Communist Bastards!", he continued.

"Are you positive it's a RED? How many are there? Over...", a worried Wilder radios back.

"Affirmative commander, I had a clear eyeball with the bogey. It's Russian and it's all alone. Over..."

"You are to engage the hostile! Fire at will! I repeat, FIRE AT WILL! Take her down and take her down hard!", Wilder furiously instructs the squadron.

811 hrs SLT. Friday (180508)

The loud buzz of roaring engines reverberates the early morning sky as F8Fs zoom in to their lone target like a swarm of wasps attacking a threat. It may seem overkill but the MiG appears to have been successful enough to breach the home base's perimeter zone. And it seems to be bent in accomplishing its mission.

Non-stop machine gun fire can be heard hundreds of feet above as the Russian MiG seems to dodge the hail of live rounds.

"The bloody mother f****r is good, this isn't going to be as easy as what I've hoped for.", Aeon thought to himself as he closes in on the MiG. Aeon sees the clear and present danger this lone assailant poised to the carrier. Something must be done fast.

The mission priority had been upgraded to code RED, having to protect USS Wilderwest from the enemy. If it were only a bomber and not a gunner, the result of the attack would have been catastrophic!

"Oh Bugger! The hostile seems to be heading towards mother!", referring to the carrier as Aeon radios status reports to all squadron units. Being the nearest plane to the MiG, he makes a daring maneuver and prepares to go for the kill.

"Get ready for a furball guys.." These were the last words the radio ever heard from Aeon at that moment. The sound of .50 caliber machine guns firing dominated the skies as home base anxiously await for updates and hoped that everything would be over quickly.

From the ground, it seemed like dragon flies bullying a fly as they try to aim helplessly at the MiG who cleverly flies in front of other Bearcats. The squadron were avoiding a bittersweet situation where in a friendly might get the bitter end of a good guy's bullet.

Madness in the clouds... Bearcat pilots try to carefully avoid a "bittersweet" situation, term pilots use for friendly fire. Mills and Lisle tried trapping the enemy, but the bogey was able to escape the dragnet. Aeon targets from the top.

Two Bearcats being flown by fellow British ACE, Lt. Col. Ellynor Lisle and USS Wilderwest's top ACE, Lt. Col. MeganAnn Mills, (dubbed the dynamic duo) tried to trap the enemy in a risky sandwich maneuver.

Bulls eye!...
815 hrs SLT. Friday (180508)

"Sh**! He got away!", yelled Mills as Lisle narrowly misses clipping the wings of the other plane in what was known as a dangerous flying maneuver. But these two pilots are known to be wild cards being so good with unorthodox flying styles. Commander Niki Wilder once dubbed them proudly as The Double Edge Sword of USS Wilderwest.

Aeon was above them and makes a risky dive as he makes a swift turn to the right and fires rounds and rounds of artillery. But the MiG fires back with just less than 20 feet away from him. Aeon quickly makes a 360 getting a clear view from it's rear... aims... and FIRES!

Aeon aims and hits! This must be the end of the MiG as he relentlessly fires his plane's machine guns.

Badadadadadadadadadadadadammmmm....

Badadadadadadadadadadadadammmmm.....

The enemy's plane is quickly put to flames as it screams a deafening whistle of death flipping and rolling below Aeon's Bearcat!

"GOTCHA!", he yells. "The bogey is hit... The bogey is hit! It's going down baby!", an excited Aeon announce as the MiG struggles to control itself. The only way it's going is down...

Worried that the MiG might do a Kamikaze dive in an attempt to still do some damage, Mills signals to Lisle for a deathblow.

"Let's finish him off!", The two pilots zooms in on the MiG and gives it the double-edge sword finale it deserves....

Badadadadadadadadadadadadammmmm.....
Badadadadadadadadadadadadammmmm.....

... as the enemy plunges into the ocean and disintegrates.



We can all breathe now...
817 hrs SLT. Friday (180508)

Commander Niki Wilder radios in last minute instructions for the squadron to make one last ocular within the perimeter. Just to make sure that no more surprises would await the carrier ship and its crew. Lt. Col. Aeon calls in the all clear as they all finally head back to home base.

A fly-by salute to USS Wilderwest to celebrate their victory! But what about Lt. Col. McKinney Allen?

A roar of applause greet the pilots as they land one by one like wasps returning to their combe. From a distance, a beaming McKinney who narrowly missed certain death by ejecting just in the nick of time before the crash, waves to his compatriots as he is swarmed with bear hugs and the occasional friendly whack on the head.

Safe eject! McKinney was able to chute down to safety after the attack on his plane which was gunned down by a MiG.

"You lucky sunnova...", Aeon's comment was quickly cut short upon the sight of the commander arriving at the deck to congratulate all the pilots and crew. Wilder thanked McKinney in particular that in spite of being hit, he still found the courage to radio home base first just in time before thinking of ejecting himself to safety. That crucial and selfless act prevented a major disaster from happening to the USS Wilderwest.

"There are no particular heroes tonight. You all did your country proud," Wilder addresses the pilots and the crew.

Lt. Col. N71 Aeon calls the attention of his Commander-in-Chief: "As I was saying, about my transfer?", he quips pertaining to the conversation that was cut short because of the emergency this morning...

He carries on joking: "I bloody miss my Liz ma'am.... and of course a huge platter of fish and chips!"

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Want to have your own adventure at Wilder West? Join the group, it's FREE! For the best experience, I recommend you get one of their planes on offer! All are combat ready and are fully loaded with fantastic features. They are probably the best designed aircrafts in SL to date. Come visit USS Wilderwest: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Wilder%20West/102/25/35 and please come script-free to keep the sim high performance. Wilder Skies have regular dog fights occuring almost everyday. You are sure to find an opponent! Don't just get my word for it, visit Wilder Skies now!

Aim High... Fly Niki Wilder's Skies!

(Revised April 2009)
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The year 1986...

It was secondary school, a time when teenage pheromones and hormones flew wildly in the air... A time when the movie Top Gun also came flying through the silver screens. Overnight, Tom Cruise became a Hollywood sensation... the heartthrob of every girl... the bloke-next-door whom young men wished they could be like! (ahem and I was one of them buggers hahaha)

I remember that the most awesome part of the movie were the dogfights F-14 Tomcat rookies had to survive during practice. Living to their reputation as the crème de la crème of pilots who vie their way to be the top ace of their class. When I was young, I always had that ambition of wanting to be a pilot myself. As kids we all were full of dreams, and that includes a date with that hottie Kelly McGillis as well (now that's definitely a blond ambition hahaha).

The Wilder Surprise!

Second Life is indeed full of surprises, and who would have thought that in one fine morning on sim Oak Grove I would end up being a "virtual" pilot.

Having chanced upon a showroom of various vehicles and crafts on sale at sim Balance (both the crappy and superb types), this marvelous detailed scaled-down model of an F/A-18 Hornet caught the corner of my eye. I am not into impulse buying but that fighter jet really had me going.

It wasn't easy flying the plane at first since it was my first time to ever try one. On top of that, I am not the type who is keen on reading manuals carefully, properly and patiently (with the belief that men don't have the need for such things hahahaha, reminds us of our dads doesn't it?).

Going for a test flight started as a bit unpleasant when a group of griefers got the better of me. Getting orbited several times was not funny at all. I barely had the chance to fly and enjoy the plane for over a minute, then boom... I end up being ejected off the sim again... and again... and... again. bluddy buggers

Angels In The Skies.

I just needed the right place to try my new plane, and an instant message to Niki Wilder (the jet's builder) for tech-support helped solved that. An invitation to Wilder Skies was just the moment I have been waiting for. It is massive place to try and fly planes, as well as being the right venue to acquaint with fellow aircraft enthusiasts.

Niki was particularly helpful in showing me around this huge aircraft carrier, call it the USS Wilderwest if you wish. It occupies most of the simulator and creates the perfect free-flying haven (Class-A sim devoid of lag). Other magnificent birds of steel are on display, showcasing the awesome collection and talent of the people behind Wilder Skies Aviation.

Airmen uniforms both vintage and modern also can be found here. MeganAnn Mills, also a plane builder at Wilder Skies is fantastic in giving out basic instructions on how to fly the planes.

Listening to tips and instructions from Niki and Meg at USS Wilderwest before take off. I just wish I could remember what they have said, hahaha. Fancy my pilot uniform?

The Basics: Flying Wilder Skies 101.

Type in the main chat window:

combat on/ off to activate or deactivate the plane in combat mode;

start to start the plane;
stop to put the plane to a halt, both on ground or in the air.. and even underwater hehehe;
page-up to increase velocity for flight;
page down to decrease velocity, especially when landing;
left-mouse-click to fire your guns;
C view in dynamic camera mode and
G for gears up or gears down aka the wheels...
and of course ARROW KEYS for controls.

Intercepting a "bogey"... well make that a "friendly" on a test flight trying out the F/A-18 and the F-14 Tomcat.

Please do take note that with some other plane models, commands may be different: pressing C may actually open or close the cockpit window, replacing the dynamic camera command to CAM



Some Action At Wilder Skies.

There are tournaments being held weekly at Wilder West from dogfighting (yep shooting each others planes down... survival of the fittest and of the skillful) to airplane racing (like those RedBull sponsored tournaments you see on telly). As of this date, I still have to shoot down a plane despite having been downed at least 8 times already... quite embarrassing I know (but don't tell dad that all who had shot me down were women).

I do like to try racing these planes someday. The F-18 Hornet, F-14 Tomcat and the vintage BearCat F8F may be ideal as fighter planes, but their bulky size may not really be recommended for racing. I guess that that would mean getting a smaller but quicker plane, if I were to join a tournament.

Try The Landing Challenge.

It isn't as easy as it looks, and the challenge of doing a perfect landing can be as fulfilling as having to shoot down an opponent's plane. It was beginners luck as Niki Wilder (whom I didn't notice was at the carrier's bridge at that time) witnessed a good landing the first time I attempted it on the Tomcat. Like I've said, it was "beginners luck" as I haven't been able to do a repeat until now. hahaha

The F/A-18 is by far the easiest plane to land, a far cry from the skills and the timing needed to land the F-14 Tomcat. The F8F Bearcat is fairly easy to land as well.

The F/A-18 Hornet (Niki Wilder)

A supersonic jet using its speed as an advantage in the event of a dogfight, its agility and handling ability is superb and straightforward. This one-seater baby is quite easy to land on the carrier. It has functional gears and an amazing afterburner effect.

The F-14 Tomcat (Niki Wilder)

A very challenging jet with flying rockets as part of its on-board arsenal. The package contains three jets, with each variant having auto, manual or fixed winged functions. Apart from having fully functional gears and afterburners as standard, the jet's capability to take one more passenger as a co-pilot adds up to its appeal.

Just like the real McCoy, you can now relive those Top Gun memoires again! loud laughter

Fancy those cheesy tag lines from the movie? (yep that's Tom Cruise shitting on Val Kilmer's head hahaha)
Lt. Tom "Iceman" Kazanski: "You can be my wing man any time."
Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell: "Bullsh**. You can be mine."

Taking my Liz for a test flight... With terrible landing skills on the Tomcat, I almost drowned my babes when I crashed underwater... sorry my bad!

The Grumman F8F Bearcat (MeganAnn Mills)

The newest kid on the block. A post WWII navy plane dubbed as the successor to the F6F Hellcat (which saw all the action during WWII). It is the first to be built by Wilder Skies to have realistic responses to controls. More amazing features were included: cockpit window opens and closes (C); gears can go up or down during flight (G); actual machine gun sounds that guarantees an adrenaline-fused dogfight experience (left mouse click); acrobatic manoeuvrability; and of course that cinematic crash sequence as you get shot down. It is the first plane built to actually blow up on impact!

If these babies don't tickle your fancies, I wouldn't know what else would! OR perhaps go see you local GP just in case. hehehehe

New planes and much more!

Planes offered at Wilder Skies have now adapted to Linden Lab's Havok 4 platform change (much like the Windows XP migration to Vista) which means pilots won't experience any problems when Second Life rolls out the new servers.

A new vintage Russian MiG plane is already in its RC (Release Candidate) stage from just being beta a couple of days ago. Proof that the builders at Wilder are working round the clock to release it ahead of time. With that in mind, I can't help but have a picture in my head of a teams composed of Bearcat pilots going againts MiGs. Now that is one spectacular scene I would definitely want to be in!

The USS Wilderwest showcases a variety of planes of different generations. From the first true aeroplane: the Kittyhawk Wright Flyer; World War I and II vintage fighter planes; to famous modern day fighter jets as well as a roster of magnificent racing planes. Combat Helicopters can also be found at the east wing of the vessel.

The planes featured are just a few of the actual lot being offered at Wilder Skies. Come see the carrier and I guarantee you that one of the planes would definitely choose you as its new pilot!

Flying can indeed be addictive (well just about anything else in Second Life) and nothing can be compared to flying unrestricted in the SL skies. More of the feeling of freedom in the air than there is on land I may say.

The race track can be accessible through a teleport hub at the carrier. Races are held weekly with cash prices up for grabs. Smaller planes are highly recommended.

Are you up for a new Second Life experience?
Try Wilder West and get yourself a great flying machine.

So where the bluddy 'ell are you? Come visit Australia ehrmm... I mean Wilder West NOW and add a bit of spice to your Second Life...

"Fly wilders skies anytime baby!"


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