I have been a W.W.II aircraft enthusiast for as long as I can remember. I guess it all started as a child when my father would take me to countless airshows. I enjoyed all the displays and performances, but what really got my adrenaline pumping was the aircraft of the Second World War. They were the most beautiful propeller driven aircraft ever to grace the sky. I also spent many evenings as a teenager assisting in the construction of an experimental aircraft known as a Quickie 2. A very reliable two seater, powered by a 110 horsepower VW engine, with 2 off-set double wings. Took 7 years to complete the project. The hard part was getting it out of the 3 car garage when it was finished. ;-) Well, guess I could try and explain what Warbirds is for those of you who don`t know. Warbirds is a flight simulator created by iEntertainment Network for your computer. But it`s not just any simulator. It is a Massive Multi-player Simulator where you fly W.W.II aircraft in a three dimensional environment with people from all over the world at the same time. This is possible due to the internet and everybody`s aircraft information being transmitted back and forth at the speed of light. Warbirds uses a very complex forced based physics flight model, and very expensive servers to host the data transfer. All the equipment, ballistics, and flight performance are accurately modeled as closely as possible to the real life data. There is no computer controlled aircraft, each virtual arena can hold up to 300 people and every aircraft has a real person behind the controls. You talk live with the people your flying with through an internet voice communication program we use called Roger Wilco. As you can see this is not your everyday video game. This is what keeps me addicted and why it`s so attractive to W.W.II aviation enthusiasts and real pilots of several generations. In order to be successful you have to apply the same tactics that are used in real life combat because the community that has migrated here over the years are some of the best virtual fighter pilots in the world. There is a huge learning curve but there is also tons of resources and help available. Most of all it`s lots of fun. Getting away from the technical stuff, the best thing about Warbirds and most important to me is the community. I have been blessed with having the opportunity to meet people from all over the world and made some great friendships. A big part of this simulation are the organization of pilots into representing historical squadrons and our relationships with the real life veterans and their associations. It is an honor and a privilege for me to be a member of the Official Virtual 352nd Fighter Group and the Real 352nd Fighter Group Association. These Blue Nosed Bastards are truly Second to None. If you have a passion for the P-51 Mustang, P-47 Thunderbolt, and W.W.II aviation as much as I do, then maybe someday I will see you in the virtual skies of Warbirds. salute Be sure to visit Skybax's wesite full of images from the virtual skies!
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