A Slew of Website, Social Media Updates to Prep for Future Content As we begin making moves towards the next wave of more complex content, we also must make sure to take care of the "less sexy" side of managing our various online points of presence and the website itself. Of course, there are always so many notes in our changelog for things like this they are only really interesting to a few of our staff members. However, we want to point out the big stuff that will improve our user's experiences. Website Content Numbers During the updates some great numbers were revealed within concerning the content on our website. Here are two big juicy factoids we would like to share. As of the time of this posting, Skyward Flight Media has posted: 483 website releases about 83 flight games and simulators . As we near the milestone of 500 releases, we begin to wonder what we should do to celebrate. Desktop and Mobile Website Improvements Key changes to the main menus of the website have happened in the past few weeks, but we have not pointed them out. Front page now has a scrolling banner which will have certain types of content or flight sim related ad rotated over time. On Mobile view, the main menu has been decluttered and organized for efficiency. On Desktop view, the main menu uses more image-based menus to visualize choices while incorporating buttons to reach specific parts of our catalog. Many dead webpages were removed with further pages trimmed. Dead hyperlinks in older parts of the websites removed. Tabs Added to Select Pages Certain webpages are now gaining tabbed interfaces to expand on content available while remaining on the same webpage. Examples can be seen at the following places: front page , indie flight , VRChat aviation . Over time we will be adding more of these tabbed menus to larger sections of the website. Indie Highlight Series Gets Formal Page The signature series for the website right now is undoubtedly the recent Indie Highlight Series. To further support the series and concentrate its content, it now has its own area on our website with quick access added to the existing Indie Fight Games section of our website and banners in certain high traffic areas. See it yourself: https://www.skywardfm.com/indie-highlight-series Link In Bio Section Title Our social media channels are gradually being updated with a link in bio style aggregator like Linktree or Cardd. However, this is a webpage on our website simply designed to match that style of rapid access to our many links and certain parts of our content. Check it out: https://www.skywardfm.com/bio Social Media Updates Cross posting for Skyward Flight Media has become slightly more complicated with the addition of our long-lost Facebook page. The mismatches between Bluesky , Facebook and X.com (Twitter!) are more prevalent than ever, even with the use of the very handy Fedica service. We continue to explore options to keep posting consistent across all platforms while avoiding media incompatibilities.

Gelb Su-37 Ace Combat 7 skin mod by SkylineGTRFreak; click image for mod link. Ace Combat Zero, mission 6, Diapason: you’ve just liberated the Ustian capital of Directus. Ready for your victory lap, your celebration is rapidly cut short by a pair of bogies. A pair of Belkan Air Force Su-37 Flankers of the aptly-named “Gelb” squadron. You rush to engage at close-range. Their maneuvers are familiar to you—in Ace Combat these super maneuverable fighters are always helmed by pilots too eager to exploit post-stall maneuvers, slowing into a “Cobra” to force an overshoot or slipping into a Bell to drop a missile on the pursuer. Besides, just two bandits? You feel confident having faced five-on-one odds in a previous life—this is a cakewalk. You draw no quarter in your pursuit and drag the first Su-37 into your HUD. But just before you fire, your radar warning receiver catches alight. You quickly scan the skies, but the only other bandit is being hogtied by your buddy. Ground forces have cleared surface-to-air missiles on the ground. The light becomes a solid tone. You look forward just in time to catch the smoke of a launch from the fighter you are pursuing. In a split-second comes the impact of the missile against your airframe, and you go down in a ball of flames. What kind of fake Ace Combat skullduggery is that? Aft launched missiles? Seriously? Were they so desperate to make the game a challenge that they had to resort to something so outlandish? Well… let’s back up a bit. If you’ve been following the Ace Combat series since the PlayStation 1, you might have come to the conclusion that this was a callback to an old fight. The final mission of Ace Combat 2 featured a ZOE fighter that did the same trick: the ADF-01. This was its signature move before it was given a laser weapon for its reintroduction as the Falken in Ace Combat 5. But you would be forgiven if you said that Ace Combat Zero and the Su-37 was a really strange game, and a peculiar aircraft to make such a callback with. Despite it all, it still belongs in the realm of fiction. Right? The 2006 release of Ace Combat Zero had been during an explosion of information and interest in advanced fighters breaking cover all over the world. The Americans were on the cusp of initial operating capability with the F-22A Raptor and had just revealed the EMD configuration of the F-35. The Eurosphere was ramping up production of its delta-canards, and the Russian Federation was well into a recovery of its post-Soviet economic slump. With this came a rapid re-organization and rush to redevelop aging Soviet equipment. In professional circles, the F-22 was rightfully seen as a fighter aircraft second-to-none. A king of many roles, it seemed like there was no other fighter that could best it on the horizon. But on the internet, with a young and budding community of aviation enthusiasts, there seemed to be room for debate. A dump of information became quickly accessible about Russian fighters, and a host of unusual and interesting details about their MFI programs came with it. Three fighters stood out at the time: The Su-47 Berkut, the MiG-1.42/1.44, and the Su-27M. For years known in the west as the “Super Flanker,” the Su-27M was developed into a number of different technology demonstrators, the most famous of which is the Su-37—also known as Su-27M Bort 911, the yellow and brown splinter-painted fighter dazzled press and enthusiasts at airshows, demonstrating the pinnacle of what was termed “super maneuverability” or the ability to continue in controlled flight post-stall. The most famous of these maneuvers remains the “kulbit” or “Super Cobra,” where the Su-37 would execute a flat-planed somersault in mid-air. With this maneuver, a new appreciation for older fighter designs developed, and a new debate started raging amongst those new aviation enthusiasts: “F-22 vs. Su-37: Who would win?” These debates have since died down, but it still occurs to the present from time-to-time. Today it might seem sort of silly with what we now know about the Su-37. Though perhaps more combat capable than western prototypes, it was at its heart a tech demonstrator. With its outdated proto-PESA radar, Soviet-era electronics, and redlined AL-37FU engines, it was never meant to be anything more. The loss of the prototype in 2002 terminated the program. But why make a more combat-capable fighter if not to expect it to enter production? That seemed to be Sukhoi’s question—it’s why they pushed for the Su-35 and Su-37 designations for their uprated Flankers to begin with. But Russia had other plans for these fighters. Rather than evaluating the airframes for their own merits, instead, they used them and their at-the-time advanced avionics to experiment with novel ideas to keep their air fleets relevant. The Su-37 acted as the ideal flying laboratory. An advanced, but relatively inexpensive and familiar airframe to equip any number of prototype weapon systems in its enormous internal volume. There were reports that the aircraft’s rear-stinger was reconfigured as a Kevlar-constructed radome, and a small fire-control radar was held within. But such a radar would have been too small to serve the purpose for detection. Russian radar technology was still several years behind the west, and AESAs were not yet available, so radar warning detection or IFF was unlikely. So why perform such a modification? Rearward firing AAM research document. There were reports of a new Russian missile: An R-73 that could be mounted on either rotating gimbles or fixed backward on wing pylons, which could be used to attack pursuing aircraft. This seemed outlandish, but there was photographic evidence to go along with it. The previous reports of a rear-facing radar would bring new credence to both claims. It would fit snugly in with Russian missile engagement doctrine, launching both a radar-guided and infrared-guided missile per salvo against an enemy deploying countermeasures to increase the chances of impact. Evidence that the system would ever be used with the R-27 does not appear easy to come by, but it is possible that the radar could have been used to hand off guidance to the semi-active radar receivers in these older designs to perform such a feat. But it was hard to deny that the rear-firing R-73 was a real system. Though appearing to hold a new designation of R-73R[1], it is difficult to determine whether it was truly a new model or merely a new designation. Being a short-range infrared platform capable of firing at ranges as close as 1 km and as far as 13 km, it shares the specifications of its host platform almost identically. It has a mass of 115 kg, measures 3.2 meters in length, 0.17 meters in diameter, with a 0.404 meter wingspan. The R-73R is equipped with the advanced seeker head of the R-73M, mounted on a gimbal enabling a 60° to -60° search cone. When it acquires the target, a loud buzz is generated as a notification for the pilot (typical of IR missiles), and the pilot is ready to fire. The pilot presses the release button, and the missile ignites its booster, at first, the missile airspeed is slower than the launcher aircraft. It accelerates and matches the speed of the aircraft, and finally, it turns in pursuit of the target at a higher speed than the launcher aircraft. The combat loadout of these missiles was only theoretical; we can’t be sure how many would be equipped per aircraft, or if it would be used as a standard air-to-air loadout. With the perfection of off-boresight maneuvering and automatic target handoff, the interest in a rear-firing missile faded away. Modern missiles from NATO and the CIS now have the ability to engage to the rear using advanced motors and missile approach and warning sensors. They can effectively fire at the merge and expect a kill without having to turn their aircraft. This leads into a logical realization: in 2006, the fight over Directus in Ace Combat Zero might have felt like you were hit with a slap to the face—a fictional weapon meant to make a fight harder with a stupid AI. But it reasons that even a generic representation of modern air combat would make such a game mechanic nearly universal. Sometimes reality is stranger than fiction. [1] Note the R-73R (Source: Air Power Australia Technical Report APA-TR-2007-0101) About the Writer T.J. "Millie" Archer A Life-long realist and aviation enthusiast. Once the co-founding Administrator of the Electrosphere.info English Ace Combat Database. In the present day he is freelance, roving the internet in search of the latest aviation news and entertainment.  Read Staff Profile .

Sometimes the ever enigmatic internet algorithm can provide introductions to great video content creators that may not always be "staple" channels for Digital Combat Simulator World. Back in 2022, I remember randomly flipping through YouTube Shorts and suddenly learning how to use AGM-65 Maverick anti-tank missiles in VIS mode in the DCS World F-16C 'Viper' in 60 seconds. Definitely not the type of content I was just semi-mindlessly swiping through. Since this random encounter, Bogey Dope has become one of my favorite YouTube channels producing content for DCS. Recently his playthrough of First In - Weasels Over Syria by Ground Pounder Sims became, in my opinion, one of the better recorded playthroughs of a single player DCS campaign. Skyward Flight Media reached out for an interview to learn more about this creator. A stylish picture of an illustrious F-16C 'Viper' (Bogey Dope). Thank you for accepting our interview request. I do have to say, I am a bit of a fan. I’ll keep it together. Well, thank you, I appreciate it. Thanks for having me. For those of your readers who don't know me, my name is Bogey Dope. I'm an ex F-16 Crew Chief, and I'm currently running a YouTube channel by the same name where I make DCS tutorials, reviews, and general information about the simulator. I try to make DCS a little more digestible for newer players. Starting at the beginning, how did your interest in aviation start? It's actually pretty corny. My Dad let me watch Top Gun with him when I was about 5 or 6 years old, and from there, I was obsessed with aviation. I wanted to go to airshows and I made model airplanes with him, and the house was suddenly littered with paper airplanes everywhere. I still can’t believe how influential the first Top Gun movie was. Seems like anyone with even a minor interest in aviation was touched by it in some way. Are there any flight games or simulators you especially enjoyed when you were growing up? My family didn't get a computer in the house until I was well into Jr. High. Once we did, that was one of the first things I did with it. I found a flight simulator. I can't remember the name, but I had to learn how to work MS DOS so I could fly it. It was just a Pitts sim, but I spent many hours a week flying the one sim I had. From there, I would save money and buy my first JANES flight sim, and that opened up my fantasies of flying fighter jets since I was 5 years old. It just progressed from there until I was flying Falcon 4.0 later on in High School. My favorites were definitely the JANES series and Falcon, when I was growing up. I stumbled onto your content via YouTube Shorts in 2022. That is definitely not a medium I was expecting to see some pretty solid Digital Combat Simulator tutorials. As I started to check out the rest of your channel, I saw the series “ Stories Of A Crew Chief ”. Can we talk about your time in the military a bit? Absolutely, what would you like to know? I joined the Air Force fairly soon out of High School. I was seduced by my recruiter with the idea of having my name on a jet. Once he told me that, I was reaching for a pen. I had a very small idea of what I was signing up for, but couldn't wait to get started. At the time, my favorite jet up until then was the Tomcat of course, but once my name was literally on a Falcon, that changed. There is definitely pride that comes with the job.  You know, this is something I've wanted to ask a former or current member of an air force. I’ll take this chance. When you signed up, did you explicitly go in wanting to be a pilot?  I knew before I signed up that the main prerequisite for being a pilot is that you have to be an officer, and to be an officer, you have to have a college degree. I signed up right out of high school, so I didn't sign up with any intention of being a pilot. Though it was my dream, it wasn't what I ended up going for. Crew Chief "Bogey Dope". Do you have some advice you could give to others that may be considering signing up for a specific position in the military, but are concerned about ending up with a different “job” they did not expect?  I can only speak to when I signed up. Back when I joined, you got to pick your job. I'm sure there was a way you could just sign a paper that put you in a random job, but I had the option to pick my job. The list of jobs you have available to pick from are completely reliant on your ASVAB score. If you want to have the largest spectrum of jobs to choose from, I recommend studying for your ASVAB. The higher the score, the more jobs you have to choose from. If you get a lower score, you'll only have a few jobs to choose from. Honestly, though, my biggest advice I can give is, choose a job that translates to the civilian world well. When I joined, the USAF didn't give Crew Chiefs A&P Licenses. Which I thought was stupid because that's what we did! However, the last I heard, the USAF now gives Crew Chief's A&P licenses. Now, if you are a Crew Chief, and you finish your enlistment, you can go right into the Civilian sector and continue to work in Aircraft Maintenance. Same with other jobs like Cyber Systems Operations Specialist. I'm fairly certain the Air Force gives you all the Microsoft certs that you would need to continue to be a server admin when you get out. Do your research and find a job that you would like to do when you finish your enlistment. That way you have options when you get out. Crew Chief "Bogey Dope" (right). Apologies for the sidebar, thank you for your responses. Getting back to it, where did your career as a crew chief take you? I hear you were even involved with setting up a divert base in Iraq at some point. Yes, typically as a Crew Chief, you follow your squadron wherever it goes. If the squadron deploys, you go with them to maintain the jets. My time in Iraq was actually not with my squadron, however. I was there on TCN duty, basically just escorting local nationals around base while they worked. While we were there, they had a couple F-16's divert to that base, and the base commander at the time had called us in because he knew we were Crew Chiefs. He asked if we could get the jets turned around and launch them home. From there, we set it up so that Balad could divert more jets to Kirkuk if needed. Prior to us doing that, it was a little bigger operation as Crew Chiefs would have to fly from Balad to Kirkuk to recover the jets and send them back to Balad. I made a " Stories Of A Crew Chief " video on it, as you previously mentioned. I plan to make many more. I've been stationed at a few bases around the US, including Alaska at Eielson AFB. I eventually switched over to the MQ-1 Predator. From there, my deployments became much more frequent, as the pentagon LOVES drones, and used them as often as possible in theater. As a result, I spent the next four deployments in Jalalabad (J-bad) Afghanistan. FOB Fenty. More stories to come in the Stories of a Crew Chief series. I'm hoping Eagle Dynamics models FOB Fenty in the upcoming Afghanistan map (The base that Operation Neptune Spear launched from). I'll definitely be making some "Stories Of A Crew Chief" videos centered on that base. Digital Combat Simulator has been your primary platform for roughly the past three years. There is a good mix of tutorials and general flight footage, but I absolutely want to talk about the Virtual F-16 Crew Chief mod. When people talk simulation, they are usually thinking about the aircraft while it is in flight. This mod brings realism to pre-flight operations as well? It does to me, in my opinion. I felt that DCS was missing a big aspect of Air Force ground operations. Eagle Dynamics has put a ton of effort in the ground ops on a carrier. Yellow Shirts, Green Shirts, Brown Shirts, etc. all moving around the deck, marshalling you in, connecting you to the catapult, and launching you out. It increases the immersion enormously. This immersion is simply missing for the land based jets in DCS. In real life, pilots don't just walk out on the flight line, and grab a jet and take off. The Crew Chief is always there to greet the pilot when he steps to the jet. The Crew Chief is responsible for making sure the jet is safe to fly and launches the pilot out. There's a back and forth that goes on between the Crew Chief and the pilot during launches, hotpit refuels, red balls, etc. I felt that providing a little bit of that experience, that back and forth "team effort" of pilot and Crew Chief to get the jet ready to fly, would even further the immersion in the F-16 in DCS. I wish we had animated Crew Chiefs/Weapons/Specs troops in the sim like the NAVY birds do on the carrier deck. Unfortunately, that may be a long way off on the development road map. I've heard it's something ED devs have talked about in the past, but I have not heard of any timetable of such a thing. So, the next best thing, in my mind, was to create an "audible" virtual Crew Chief that would talk to you, and walk through the startup and launch procedure with you like you would if you were to launch an F-16 in real life. It was fun for me to make. Brought back a lot of memories. A lot of nostalgia going through that procedure again.  The fact that Virtual Crew Chief invoked nostalgia for you is telling about how realistic it is. On the video content creation front, I believe that your entire series for ‘First In: Weasels Over Syria’ is one of the best examples of balancing input from a creator while not compromising the atmosphere of the campaign. Can I get your thoughts on that campaign and how you are presenting it to your audience?  I actually just finished Mission 12 (the last mission in the campaign) last night and am in the process of organizing and editing all the footage now! I absolutely loved the campaign. It was a lot of fun. Even for someone like me who has spent countless hours in DCS flying the F-16, I enjoyed it and found it to be very engaging and challenging. I'm hopeful that this series is helpful for those who are looking for a "guide" so to speak. When I looked online for help with other campaigns when flying them, I found very few videos out there with people explaining what they were doing and why. It seemed odd to me that the only real DCS campaign walkthroughs (that I found) were just videos of someone flying the missions, but not talking. So you have no idea what they're thinking or why they're doing what they're doing. I wanted to change this and create a series for the FIWOS campaign, where I explain everything I'm doing (or at least as much as I can) and talk the viewer through the mission, so they understand what, why, and how. I created my channel to help newer DCS players, and I figured I could continue this with the FIWOS walkthrough series because, even if they aren't interested in flying the campaign, they would be able to learn some things and be entertained at the same time... hopefully. Once your series on First: In Weasels over Syria is complete, do you have any other DCS World campaigns you are considering recording in the future?  Yes. I would like to do this again. I've struggled to find time, as is evident by my video post tempo as of late. However, there are a couple of campaigns coming out soon that I want to fly. The Gamblers campaign and the Arctic Thunder campaign. Baltic Dragon gave me a preview of the Gamblers campaign and it was a lot of fun. Very intense scenes in it. I made a quick video on it recently. I've been able to work with Reflected Simulations on his Arctic Thunder campaign recently, and it's sounding like it is going to be another very fun and intense campaign as well. I'm anxious for both of them to come out! What are some considerations and hurdles you experience creating content for flight simulators on YouTube? I know that flight sim is not exactly a top genre on YouTube.  The biggest consideration that I look at when creating content is what will be helpful to the community. Sometimes, I take liberties and just create what I want, instead of a tutorial, but I typically want to find ways to create things that help either grow the community, or help those who are new. I feel when someone tries something as complicated as DCS can be, they become overwhelmed and quit almost immediately. I try to create content that shows it is not as difficult as it seems, and is quite rewarding once you get the hang of it. Sometimes I have an idea on a video that would be entertaining, not necessarily helpful like a tutorial or anything. Just something that is fun to watch. Like a cinematic, or a mission, or a quick short I came up with in my mind. I try to find ways to make DCS look fast paced and fun to watch, in hopes that some viewers who have never heard of DCS or seen anything on it, would find it intriguing and maybe look into it. The flight sim world can only get better if we help grow the community. What better way, than to make fast paced, fun combat sim videos if you can. The biggest hurdle of mine lately has been time. I spend hours and hours just recording the things I want to create. Then hours upon hours organizing it all and editing it into something that I find useful. I've kind of created an expectation for myself, in the quality of my content, and I don't want to deliver anything less on my channel. So, it requires a lot of time. Finding that time, can sometimes, be very difficult because I have my real job on the weekdays, and family things on the weekends like baseball tournaments, and practices, etc. As you are clearly a ‘Viper’ focused simulator pilot, I have to ask your opinion on Falcon 4.0 / Falcon BMS. Have you revisited it since the major update in June 2024?  I have not. I intend to though. I recently bumped into " Aviation Plus " at the Flight Sim Expo , and got to talk a little about BMS. I need to get back into it. Falcon was a huge reason I got into more intense combat flight simulators. Before that, I played around with the JANES flight sims, but after Falcon came out, I was more interested in the details than just screwing around firing missiles off into the air.  Do you have any observations on the simulation of the F-16C in Falcon BMS versus Digital Combat Simulator?  The BMS F-16 is more complete. There are more pages in the DED that don't exist in DCS's F-16. There are some things that are modeled and simulated in BMS that DCS has not yet.  Obviously BMS has the dynamic campaign, and DTC (Data Cartridge), but when it comes to the F-16 itself, BMS also provides more "blocks" to fly. In DCS, we are only given the block 50. In BMS, you can fly a number of different blocks of the F-16. Which is fun because you have different systems and capabilities in the different blocks. Among many other things. I need to get back into BMS... it's been a long time. Your most recent trip was to Flight Sim Expo 2024. Have you ever been to a flight simulation focused event like it before? How was your experience?  I've never been to anything like that before. It was a ton of fun! I got to meet some fans. I got to meet some creators like Juice from the Air Warfare Group , Tuuvas , Aviation Plus , GD Viper Works , etc. An entire expo, full of like minded people. It was great. Being able to see things that haven't been released yet, and touch and feel new sims and equipment was thrilling. I enjoyed it a lot.  Thank you so much for your time with this interview. Good luck on your future endeavors. I know I will be watching for sure!   Thank you for reaching out and for all the kind words!  About the Interviewer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. Read Staff Profile .

Skyward Night Flight is the second non-combat, general aviation world created by Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos . This world was surprise released on March 29th, 2025 and is ready to fly now! This more relaxed flight experience focuses on a high quality flying experience with aircraft during a well lit night. It maintains the tropical island theme other Skyward worlds and airshows have had. For ease of night landing operations a Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) light system created by VRChat coder KitKat was added. Welcome Area The player spawn area of the world includes a small hut with a few amenities for those that do not fly or want to relax between flights. Just outside of the hut is an area with beach equipment for lounging while taking in the scenery or watching others fly high in the night skies. Welcome hut as seen from outside. Indoors a world control setting board includes background music volume control and settings to adjust graphics. A common area has furniture like a sectional couch, potted plants and bean bags. A ProTV  video player provides the main source of entertainment with users able to input video URLs for others to enjoy. A special birthday gift also adorns a wall of the welcome area. Caio "Hueman" Barreto , an actual aerospace engineer, provided a highly detailed hand drawn picture of a SW-210 Colibri, another original Skyward FM aircraft. Floating Dock Players can also enjoy a floating dock to hangout and chat after landing their amphibious aircraft and pulling into the dock. This dock in particular is a reference to the Wii Sports Resort video game from 2009 which also featured a seaplane in game. Dragonfly in a floating dock. ASK-21 Glider A German-designed, self-launched, two-seat glider that will allow you to experience the sky in a way unlike anything you have experienced before in VRChat. Use the power of wind and your piloting skills to stay in the air for as long as possible, and experience what it feels to fly in absolute silence. Dynamic Wind Zone System The Skyward Night Flight world features a dynamic wind zone system created by KitKat , a VRChat coder. It is thanks to this system that flying gliders is not only possible, but enjoyable. Dynamic wind zones are marked by visible wind currents that appear as small streamers of light showing the movement of air vertically. Keep an eye out for them while you are in a glider to gain altitude and travel even longer distances. This same feature was seen in Skyward Island Resort . Note the vertical light sources indicating wind zones. SW-201 Dragonfly An original design by Caio D. "Hueman" Barreto , the SW-201 Dragonfly is a fictional seven-seat civilian aircraft designed with speed and observability in mind. It was modeled by Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos, and it is only available in VRChat. It is an amphibious aircraft, which means that it can land both on water and in land, with the ability of transitioning between the two with no issue at all. Perfect for island hopping flights! This cockpit instruments are now backlit and the cabin features new lighting for passengers. Thanks to the Dragonfly having colliders throughout its airframe, players are able to stand on the aircraft. Something a bit unusual in VRChat aviation. Skyward staff and friends often float two of these aircraft on the ocean surface within touching distance of one another to enjoy "boat parties" where players can walk from one aircraft to the other. Learn more about the story of this aircraft here . PLAY NOW!

The first original aircraft from Skyward Flight Media There comes a time that, sometimes, your creative side needs to take priority. That time came for both Caio "Hueman" Barreto and I came the moment we realized that we shared a goal: to make a fictional aircraft of our own. It was that idea that led us into one of the deepest rabbit holes that I have ever gone down to, all in order to take this idea and materialize it. THE ORIGIN OF THE DRAGONFLY The Libélula, or Dragonfly in Portuguese and Spanish, is the original design of Hueman. It was not originally meant to be a VRChat aircraft, but I think that he should be the one telling you this story. Take it away, Hue: " The story of the Libélula begins in 2019, when one afternoon I was chatting with a professor at university. Looking around his room, decorated with a vast collection of scale models, I spot some unusual silhouettes atop a locker - a bunch of conceptual seaplane designs. One in particular caught my attention: a sleek-looking pusher aircraft with inverted gull wings, the floats sitting under the wings and extending all the way rearwards to form a twin tail boom - It looked awesome. It was a unique and interesting configuration. That started giving me ideas, and being hopelessly addicted to pencil and paper as I am, as soon as I got home that day I knew I had to sketch these ideas out. Now, I’m a bit of an oddball in that despite studying engineering, I’ve always had a bit of an artistic inclination, for want of a better way to put it. With this design, I wasn’t overly concerned with the engineering aspects of it - it was more of an artistic exercise, because I really liked the way that configuration looked. So, the result was this sketch, originally in a four-seat configuration: Those of you with an eye for aircraft design can probably already see the biggest flaw with this particular design - the propeller sits way too low, which means the blades will be dangerously close to the waterline. This is something which bothered me, but as this was intended solely for artistic purposes, I decided to keep it that way instead of installing the engine and propeller on a raised fairing as one would do if this were a real project, as I really liked the streamlined look of the fuselage. At that time, I was also playing around quite a bit with SimplePlanes, a game one could compare to Kerbal Space Program without the “space” bit. I decided to have a go at turning this idea into a flyable aircraft in that game. I wasn’t nearly on the skill level of the more advanced players though, and thus the result ended up falling short in several aspects, but I still quite enjoyed flying it around. During this time, it also gained a name - Libélula, or Dragonfly in Portuguese. The large round canopy glazing and wings sort of reminded me of the insect’s looks. It had a rudimentary animated cockpit - this was done long before the SimplePlanes update which added proper cockpits, instrument gauges and other such features to the game - and as I was making it with the intention of flying around in-game, during that time one of the aircraft’s defining characteristics was decided on: Visibility. I wanted this to be a sightseeing aircraft of sorts, so excellent visibility was required. It would have a “greenhouse” flight deck, like in a Heinkel 111 or an Edgley Optica. The instrument panel would be small - it would more resemble that of a helicopter than an airplane’s, “suspended” in front of the crew with a central console connecting it to the flight deck’s floor, allowing for plenty of windshield real estate. The massive floats would spoil visibility on the sides a bit, but the wing’s location way behind the pilot would make up for it. Still a bit unhappy with some aspects of the design but overall satisfied enough with how it had turned out for the game’s purposes, I published the design on the SimplePlanes website and didn’t pursue this idea any further. That is, until a fateful conversation with my dear friend Cubeboy. It was late 2021. He had just recently started covering VRChat aviation worlds in articles for Skyward FM, and had this idea about making a flight world in the game. I didn’t know what any of this meant, other than having passing knowledge about VRChat being overall quite the unique experience, in diplomatic terms. Still, it was amazing that players had managed to essentially turn it into a flight game. Screenshot of VRChat's most popular world: Test Pilots by Sacchan. What really caught my attention, though, was when he started describing the overall purpose and atmosphere he wanted for the world - a scenic island resort where players would fly around purely for the sake of enjoying flight itself - and the necessity of a seaplane to carry players around the place. He was getting into 3D modeling, and the initial idea was to make something like a Turbo Beaver float plane. As we brainstormed, though, it suddenly came to mind - A seaplane, for a game environment with scenic backgrounds, and seating around 4–6 people - this was it. This was what the Libélula was made for. “Hey man, I might have a design I cooked up a while back…” It was a perfect fit. A unique-looking seaplane, with great all-around visibility for the players. It was decided - I would refine the design and turn it into a blueprint which could be worked with, and Cubeboy would do the 3D modeling and integration with the Saccflight environment. For a while, I had considered changing the aircraft’s name to something more palatable to the English tongue - however, since Libélula coincidentally exists as a word both in Portuguese and Spanish (our respective native languages), and plus sounds kinda cool once you know what the accent does to the sound, we decided it was the right name for our bird." That is the moment where this journey truly started. MODELING THE DRAGONFLY I want to start this section by saying that, prior to this project, I had not even looked at Blender or knew anything about 3D modeling. This was my first ever model and project, so I had to learn everything from scratch and build up a set of skills that I would use to the fullest. Sacchan and Sagi, two of my friends, were the most involved with helping me so I want t thank them for their support and wisdom. That went for Hueman, who had never designed anything to be used in this sort of way: "For this purpose, it would have to be almost completely redesigned. Decisions and estimates would need to be made with respect to design details such as engine selection and cockpit layout, and at least some of the most glaring flaws would have to be addressed. Again, the intention was never to make a true engineering project - there are far more efficient ways to design a seaplane - but we did want it to feel as if it could be a real aircraft." Initial sketch. We put a massive emphasis on the feeling of realism rather than the numbers themselves. That meant that the "ergonomics" of the aircraft were the key element to focus on, which meant that some aspects of the aircraft had to be redesigned on the fly to better translate the feeling we wanted the aircraft to have. That also meant that we had to sacrifice a couple of design elements, either to simplify the model or because some measurements did not fit. Hueman explained the ergonomic aspect in an excellent way: " The “ergonomic” part might sound strange, as it’s made for a game where players will be comfortably sitting in their chairs and having their controllers in hand, so ergonomics look like they shouldn’t be an issue at first - however, despite not having a VR headset myself, I had heard from those who did that far too often you’d see in VRChat cockpits with dimensions that just made sitting in them feel wrong. They were too small, too cramped, and the controls were far out of reach, breaking the immersion of feeling like you’re in an actual airplane." When setting up the aircraft for modeling, the first pieces that must be placed are your references. That is where Hue's excellent design skills started to shine, as the schematics he provided were all "modeling-ready". I threw them in place and went full-speed ahead. These references were replaced several times as the design evolved. I decided to start by separating the aircraft in multiple, separate sections that would be modeled one by one and then assembled together. That is mostly due to my inexperience dealing with extremely complex meshes, but also because I needed a way to make it easier for both Hue and I to work piece by piece to ensure that both of us were happy with it. The part I tackled first was the fuselage, which in hindsight was not the wisest decision. It took me three different attempts to get it right, as I had to completely remodel it once I had accurate cross-sections for reference. Once it was done, then I prepared myself to work on the wings and their semi-complex geometry. It was kind of refreshing to work on something that wasn't the fuselage or any of its complexities. I used the airfoil that Hue provided, modeled it and used the top and front view to model the beautiful gull wing that this aircraft has, including its wingtips with anhedral. Once that one was complete, including the separation of the ailerons and flaps from the main wing mesh, I decided to tackle modeling the floats. This part was both a joy to model but also a challenging experience, primarily due to the complex shape of the hull. The part that curves between the float and wing was a point of debate between Hue and me, but we found a middle ground where both of us were happy. The process of modeling both the tail and the propeller blade was very similar. Hue made sure that I had all the material that I needed to model them appropriately. They took a bit of work, but I am sure that what I did to get them accurate was worth it. This is the moment where I started work on what was the most difficult part of the model: its interior. This is the part that would be noticed the most by the users and one that needed to be as polished as possible. Hueman thought about every aspect before I started this part, though, so here are his thoughts: "The very first thing was to estimate the size and location of the seats, so the size of the cabin could be estimated. This was then used as a basis for the dimensioning of the whole aircraft, and after running a bunch of quick and rough (seriously, very rough) calculations on a spreadsheet, we had basic dimensions and a weight estimate. After coming to the conclusion this would likely have weight and wing loading roughly similar to those of a P-47 Thunderbolt, we decided the obvious and delightfully overkill powerplant choice would be a Double Wasp-equivalent radial engine sitting on the round fuselage. With this at hand, the next step was to actually draw the aircraft, and again the initial focus was on the cabin. Now it was time to detail the seat dimensions and positions, exactly where the controls were, the pilot’s sight line, etc. - while doing this, we realized a seventh seat could fit between the two rearmost seats, so the Libélula became a seven-seater. Just like with the first “iteration” of this aircraft in SimplePlanes, the biggest goal here was to ensure maximum visibility for both flight crew and passengers. I’m sure those of you with an engineering mindset are probably screaming right now at things such as the lack of headrests in the seats, absolutely terrible for crashworthiness - don’t worry, it hurts me too, but it does make for a much cleaner, panoramic view for the passengers in-game. A final point I want to draw attention to was the instrument panel layout. Not only was this the part I personally had the most fun doing, but it was also the one where the challenges of integrating this into a game were most apparent. Here’s the basic layout as originally designed: If you look at the aircraft in-game, you will notice several differences between this layout and the final product. Throughout the whole project, compromises had to be made due to modeling challenges, time constraints, and limitations of the game itself. Cubeboy had to warn me that several things I wanted to do were either impossible or unfeasible in the game, and it was a truly humbling experience to realize these challenges and work together to figure out the best way to adapt and tackle them. " Thanks to the amount of effort that went into the design, I had a much easier time modeling everything necessary for the interior. It took me way too much time, but in the end I made progress at a very steady pace. This meant that I modeled the yoke one day and the base for the dash another, with breaks in between. The seats took the longest to model from scratch as I had to do it without any real references, same goes for the yoke and most of the instruments. The interior was a royal piece of work, but I sincerely had fun making it. I felt like I was giving life to a place that many people would use to fly, the place where they would spend most of their time while visiting my world. That was my main motivation while I was working on this aspect of the model. The instruments and the consoles were extremely difficult because we used real instruments with true-to-life dimensions which forced me to be extremely precise with my models. As soon as all the models were set, the empties placed and the normals fixed; it was time to tackle what most 3D modelers fear the most: UV unwrapping. I had to unwrap around 16 meshes with consistent texel density to make sure that the model looked right regardless of the area that you looked at. I started by unwrapping the instrument panels, the switches and the flight controls. Those were the easiest since the geometry was not as hard, it was mostly composed of flat surfaces and simple curves. Then came the extremely complicated job of unwrapping the exterior of the aircraft. This task was difficult not because it was complex, but because I had very high standards that I set for myself when it comes down to this. I decided to separate the exterior in 5 different textures: Main fuselage outside, main fuselage inside, left wing, right wing and floats. This way I could guarantee the highest texel density possible while keeping textures to the minimum. At last, the most annoying part was done. That meant that the fun part could begin: texturing. This is the part that I found to be the most satisfying as it felt like putting the cherry on top. Texture always tie everything together when it comes to models, at least that is how I see it. As an artist your task is to make textures that fit the model and where it will be used, so you have to follow an art style. I am not going to lie, the moment I saw the complete Libélula for the first time I got a fuzzy feeling that I hadn't had in years. That type of feeling that is indescribable. But the work wasn't over; in fact, it was just beginning. TO MAKE A DRAGONFLY FLY It was not difficult to make this aircraft fly, if I can be completely honest with you. It was much more challenging to make it fly the way I wanted it to fly in VRChat. Sacchan and RaptorItasha alongside Riko, VTail and NON were invaluable as they taught me everything I needed to work with Saccflight and the physics behind it. There is not much I can say from this part of development as it was all a blur. Everything from me setting up the float script to Zhakami Zhako helping me set up proper gauges and systems for the aircraft just became one big continuous event in my memory. After a lot of testing, I decided to give it a makeover with a proper livery. That is when I had the idea of showcasing this plane, alongside with my ASK-21Mi glider, in an airshow. I am also a member of the VRChat Black Aces, so I brought up the idea to the owner of that group, Riko. That ended up materializing in the January 2023 Showcase where both KOSMOS and Ribbon-Blue flew it in a spectacular airshow in front of a full instance. We flew three different types of aircraft there: T-38A, ASK-21Mi and the SW-201 Dragonfly itself! The display was a success and everyone involved did an amazing job. If you want to take a look at the work that went into the display, then you need to watch this video. FROM PAPER TO VIRTUAL REALITY I want to end this article by quoting Hueman: "...we both had to deal with our lives as we worked on this project. Real life and university takes priority, and coordinating efforts on the Libélula was sometimes difficult. I had a lot of fun doing it though, and now with everything said and done, I believe I can confidently say we worked pretty well as a team and managed to overcome all these challenges, and our reward for doing so is being able to see an airplane which started as a whimsical idea in a college room, nothing but a napkin drawing, turned into a blueprint and then into a three-dimensional flying machine, even if only in a game. I truly hope players will enjoy the experience of cutting through the skies in our Dragonfly." FLY THE DRAGONFLY TODAY! The SW-201 is now available for the public to fly. It first appeared in our Island Resort flight world released on April 13th, 2023. However, the best flying experience is currently the Night Flight world released on March 29th, 2025. The Dragonfly can also be seen, but not flown in the Hangar Hangout , which acts as a home world for the start of VRChat sessions, friend group gatherings, etc. About the Author Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos Longtime aviation fanatic with particular preference towards military aviation and its history. Said interests date back to the early 2000's leading into his livelong dive into civil and combat flight simulators. He has been involved in a few communities but only started being active around the mid 2010's. Joined as a Spanish to English translator in 2017, he has been active as the co-founder and content manager ever since. Twitter | Discord : Cubeboy#9034

Starting July 26th, 2025 Matthew "FlyAwayNow" Nguyen has joined with Skyward Flight Media to provide exclusive indie flight game developer content as a part of the Indie Highlight Series. The series is guaranteed to run through December 2025 on a monthly release schedule. Matthew's PFP done by https://x.com/atrousyolks Content from the Project Wingman producer / co-writer, now turned indie flight game producer, will start on Saturday, July 26th, 2025 with the release of Indie Highlight Series 002 here on Skyward Flight Media (Skyward FM). Indie Driven Evolution The organization that preceded Skyward FM was primarily focused on a single flight game series. I'm January 2019 one of our first highly popular interviews was with an indie game developer. The interview with MuddyPixel, developer of Worlds at War, showed us that a variety of content could lead us a new direction. When Skyward FM was founded in 2020, indie flight game coverage was going to be a key part of our identity from the start. We have proudly maintained that for over five years now with articles, impressions, reviews and interviews about indie flight games on our website. On May 17th, 2025, we released the first entry of a new series: the Indie Highlight Series. Indie Highlight 001 was a success and unexpectedly opened new doors with a new individual that is volunteering to contribute to the series. The Addition of FlyAwayNow The involvement of Matthew "FlyAwayNow" Nguyen was first proposed in a public text chat channel on May 17th, 2025 following the release of Indie Highlight 001. Matthew inquired about how he could join to contribute to this indie focused series and further push awareness of indie flight games. Working directly with individuals experienced and well known in a certain field is an uncommon opportunity in any industry. After weeks of communication, establishing a work flow and beginning to create content, a schedule for a long-term series has been set. We look forward to continuing collaboration with Matthew to bring this new coverage of indie flight games. Series Start As of July 26th, 2025, all releases for the Indie Highlight Series can be found both on our Indie Flight Games page and the newly created Indie Highlight Series page.

A perspective changing in person experience The world and I are a lot different since the last time I traveled to an aviation related event in person. The last time I flew to an event and provided media coverage was for PAX South 2019 , during the launch weekend for Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. In retrospect, that turned out to be something of a defining event in my ongoing journey with flight games and simulators. It changed the way I approached things, Skyward Flight Media was eventually formed and my interests in pursuing high fidelity flight simulation increased rapidly. That exposure to something that was a next level event also made me "level up" so to speak. From my early morning flight from Denver International Airport (KDEN) to Hobby Airport (KHOU) on to the quiet night of June 22nd, listening to aircraft depart in the distance, I wondered if Flight Sim Expo 2023 would have a similar effect on me. Many months ago, Skyward Flight Media officially became a media partner for Flight Sim Expo (FSE) for a second year. This year was our first time attending in person. In the aviation themed DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, the tone and energy of the convention was set on the first day of the convention: Friday, June 23rd. If you were to ask the internet at large what the main draw of Flight Sim Expo is, they would probably say it is the product announcements. The newest hardware, vital software updates, upcoming aircraft and eye watering add-ons - the types of things flight enthusiasts of all levels universally look forward to. On Friday, I chose to forgo some of the extra activities to took a closer look at the attendees as they arrived to the hotel. Spending most of Friday just chitchatting with who I could, it was interesting seeing the wide reach of the people attending. From retried or active duty aviators all the way to first time attendees that just barely began flight sim activities the week before. The type of person I thought attended something as serious as Flight Sim Expo was not what I was expecting. The ballroom that sat the audience attending the product announcements was rather large, but nearly every seat was full by the time the introduction to FSE 2023 segment began around 1:00 PM CST. Evan Reiter, co-founder of the Flight Sim Association and Flight Sim Expo, confirmed that in that room alone there were more attendees than the entirety of last year's expo. Crossing this milestone at the start of the event put things in perspective about how far they've come. Being there in the room, I can tell you that the amount of people in that single location was impressive. On Friday, Flight Sim Expo provided professional grade broadcasting and live updates were provided by other media outlets like our buddy over at Stormbirds blog . Flight Sim Expo itself has videos on demand of the presentation available on the official website, with these same videos eventually available on their YouTube channel . There were some major announcements from companies like Microsoft, Honeycomb Aeronautics, Thrustmaster, A2A Simulations and others. Some of these products elicited cheers, gasps, laughter and general buzzing commentary from all attendees. Things like Thrustmaster’s Viper TQS throttle, HoneyComb’s Delta Panels, details on Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and other great simulated products. I have thoughts on some of the announced products, but I’ll be writing about those in varying degrees for the rest of 2023 as separate articles. If I were to write them all here, this piece would easily be 30 something minutes long - haha! Following the end of the buzz of the product announcements, the people and energy spilled throughout the hotel that evening. The formal question and answer sessions of yesteryear, that usually follow each company's presentation, were replaced by an attendee social. Every badge holder at FSE 2023 had a complimentary drink and snack ticket. With food and drinks in hand, exhibitors had small tables dotted around two or three areas of the hotel. This enabled casual conversations directly between the attendees, developers, content creators - heck, even CEOs of companies. Something I witnessed multiple times were everyday simmers striking up conversations and asking all manner of questions with the very people behind the platforms, virtual aircraft and manufacturers of brands we all know and respect. Perhaps because Flight Sim Expo is community driven at its core, the entire event was easy to approach, easy to strike up conversations with just about anyone and easy to connect with like-minded flight simulation enthusiasts. Whether that was in the official expo locations or at restaurants, hotels or anywhere else, my attendance to this event truly made me feel as though I was a part of the larger flight simulation community at all times. Lone Star Flight Museum. Saturday and Sunday were the primary days for attendees to interact with more than 50 exhibitors at the very appropriate venue, the Lone Star Flight Museum . Among various vintage war birds in wonderful condition were some of the most elaborate displays of professional and recreational flight simulation hardware and software I've ever seen. FSE 2023 convention floor #1. This particular pastime of ours isn't one that commonly has conventions in every city or yokes and HOTAS on display in common, massive shopping centers or electronic stores. On their official website, Flight Sim Expo mentions that it is the ultimate "try before you buy" experience, and it absolutely lived up to it. FSE 2023 convention floor #2. Thrustmaster Viper QTS. Being able to physically pick up the latest hardware, sit in full cockpit simulators for commercial aircraft, GA aircraft and combat aircraft and get flight time before even considering buying products in the future is a rare experience in flight simulation. And everything was on the table for testing and scrutiny. For example, the aforementioned Thrustmaster Viper QTS that was announced that weekend was available in simulators and just for people to pick up, examine closely and try all buttons, axis controls to test the material quality of the unit itself. Entire airliner style cockpits which easily cost tens of thousands of US dollars were open for anyone. People of any skill level were invited to try a guided flight with an expert, or just sit and stare in awe while receiving a guided tour of the instruments. Even more pointed questions about build quality or concerns with performance and maintenance were fielded directly with representatives. That is a world away from receiving a reply from a company via a social media comment. Admittedly, as someone that has been focused on combat flight simulation for the majority of my time, I was concerned that I wouldn't necessarily "fit in" with what I thought the demographic of the expo would be. Going into it, it's no secret that the event is very focused on general aviation or commercial aviation. I thought my lack of intimate knowledge of every airway in North America or exact start up procedures for multi-engine wide body aircraft would be some type of embarrassing black mark against me. But this was not the case in any situation. I definitely found myself sitting in the flight deck of 1:1 airliner cockpit simulator, intrigued by entire rows of equipment that were familiar but still somewhat foreign to me. There wasn't a hint of judgement or refrain no matter what my question was. I observed the same for other attendees as well. This welcoming atmosphere was encouraging. That's not to say that everything went without a hitch. There were some technical issues on the show floor that took time to be resolved. Hurdles with exhibitors struggling to maintain a stable Wi-Fi connection for products, occasional display teardowns and errors with head tracking equipment did happen. At a time, there was even a mix-up with the all important shuttle buses that transported everyone to and from the host hotels to the event venues. But all problems were solved relatively quickly. A quick five-minute walk around the site would often give enough time to let staff figure it out. The Flight Sim Expo staff in particular were constantly helpful, with the Flight Sim Association's Discord server being a primary communication hub between attendees and staff to quickly flag issues and find solutions. My overall experience at FSE 2023 was not what I was expecting in the slightest. As I think about it, I feel as though watching the VODs of the past events that only show the seminars and announcements gives the expo a strangely clinical feel. Like it's more of a polo shirt industry insider event. But in reality, the sense of community is something that can't be captured in product presentations or from the show floor one-on-one interviews. As I thought, my time at Flight Sim Expo 2023 was very enjoyable and did in fact change the way I view flight simulation once again. Since the expo's end, I've found myself researching more topics I previously had no interest in, and have made some interesting purchases that I'll be talking about in the near future. Now more than ever I feel that my interest in flight simulation has reached new heights after putting faces to names and truly immersing myself into the community. I sincerely look forward to attending next year's expo. About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. [ Read Profile ]

New Sponsor, Museum Corporate Membership, Upcoming Events, and More As mentioned in our perspective piece about Flight Sim Expo 2023, we wondered if our exposure to a new level of flight simulation would impact our organization the same way we were impacted in 2019. We are proud to announce that August 2023 will be marked as a pivotal month for the operations of Skyward Flight Media going forward. Heads Up View LLC Sponsorship While at Flight Sim Expo 2023 as a media partner, one of the companies we made contact with immediately caught our eye with their product. After weeks of communications, today we announce that Heads Up View LLC is a sponsor of our organization. Heads Up View creates heads up displays for flight simulation that uses the same projection techniques found in the real world cockpits of well known military aircraft. Their units are not stands for a computer tablet superimposing data over a recorded image, but rather, actually projecting data using beam splitting glass. Going forward, Skyward will be using these displays for flights in various simulators. Reviews of their products and hardware focused articles that include their heads up displays are planned for posting this year. We would like to thank Heads Up View for their long time support of our efforts and thank their founder and CEO, Dan Hall, for the opportunity to evaluate their products. Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum Corporate Membership Formed in 1994 and recognized as the official air and space museum of Colorado in the United States of America, Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space museum has been a consistent facet in the love of aviation held by one of the Skyward co-founders. Skyward Flight Media is now a corporate member of this museum. Going forward, we plan on creating content based on exhibits at the museum, its educational programs, onsite flight simulators and live fly-in events. This is essentially the beginning of real world aviation coverage appearing on our website and other media channels to varying degrees. This new coverage will not begin immediately, however. Besides planning the type of content we would like to create corresponding with the schedule of the museum's operations, there is also paperwork for news media guidelines, filming requests and related topics. We expect our first content of this type to appear on our website in 30 to 60 days. Sponsoring VRChat Aviation Rookie Tournament 2023 After three years of dogfighting tournaments, the competitive VRChat Aviation scene can be hard to get into. Some of the larger organizations even limit how many events pilots that frequently win tournaments can participate in, for the sake of giving less skilled pilots a chance. But even then, it is a somewhat high hurdle for newcomers. In 2021 and 2022, VRChat aviation organization, the Black Aces , hosted rookie tournaments for first time competitors to battle others of a similar skill level with no risk of veteran pilots potentially ending their interest in competing in future tournaments. This year, Skyward Flight Media will be sponsoring Rookie Tournament 2023 with a combined 150.00 USD prize pool. With 1st Place receiving 75.00 USD, 2nd place receiving 50.00 USD and 3rd receiving 25.00 USD. The top three competitors also earn ranks within the Black Aces, which appear in their Discord server. Sign-ups for the tournament begin on August 9th, 2023 . Preliminaries begin August 19th, 2023 at 10 PM EST / 9 PM CST . Semi-finals and finals happen on August 26th, 2023 at 10 PM EST / 9 PM CST . EDIT: To participate in this tournament, it is required for you to join the Black Aces Discord server , since that is where the organizers will interact with participants directly before and after the tournament. You are not required to interact with any other users or the larger community to participate in the event , but you will still need to be in the server by the time of the event. You can use the following button to join: Tournaments with new pilots that are using their unproven skills and untested tactics at a competitive level are often some of the most memorable air battles in VRChat. We do plan to discuss this event in an article in the near future. About Page Updated Our About page had been updated. Our contact and staff pages have been combined onto this webpage. A list of our organization's memberships, partnerships and sponsorships will are also available on this page. Mobile View Updated The quick menu in mobile view (smartphones, computer tablets) has changed in design and simplicity. It is easier to access and understand. New mobile view example. Other website updates have occurred. They are as follows: Rotating content thumbnail galleries on key webpages: home, content, articles, interviews, reviews, etc. This feature will most likely not be used on all categories. Home banner format and dimension adjustments. Various minor quality of life adjustments. Throughout the month of August 2023 further minor adjustments will be made. In closing, we once again would like to thank everyone that has supported us or has followed our content for so long. It is thanks to this active and passive support that Skyward Flight Media continues to progress and gives us the confidence to continue to strike out and see what is possible. Please look forward to our upcoming creative efforts!

The first VTOL VR mission from Skyward Flight Media Operation Boitatá (Flame Serpent) is the first original mission from Skyward Flight Media created by Caio D. "Hueman" Barreto for VTOL VR by Boundless Dynamics. FEATURES 1 to 4 Players Player VS Environment (Co-op) Fixed-Wing and Rotary Wing Aircraft Inspired by real world anti-criminal operations in Brazil Massive map based on Belém, Brazil Optional custom liveries available for download BRIEFING SITUATION Intel reports multinational criminal organizations are using the waterways in the Amazon river basin to transport heavy weaponry acquired from cartels in neighboring countries. This ever-growing network of criminal activity is largely funded by smuggling and illegal mining activities. The damage, both to the local population and the environment, grows day by day. In response to this emergency, government authorities have decided to employ air power to deal a crippling blow to their operations. As of today, Operation Boitatá (Flame Serpent) is on. The objectives of this operation are to dismantle illegal mining operations in the Amazon River Basin, as well as destroy key criminal infrastructure facilitating smuggling operations. We're being deployed to Belém Airbase, near the northwestern coast of Brazil. Just north of here, the Pará river, which connects the Amazon and Tocantins rivers, meets the sea - making this location ideal for flowing supplies out of the country. The Brazilian Navy has deployed a helicopter carrier, the A19 Arapaima, to the river in order to assist in this operation. OBJECTIVES Today we have two main targets. First is a clandestine dock housing several LPVs (Low Profile Vessels). Smugglers use these to transport contraband from all across Latin America all the way to the US and Europe, with the Amazon river as their gateway to the Atlantic ocean. This installation serves as a warehouse, refueling stop, and maintenance facility. Expect anti-aircraft guns and MANPADs. Disable the warehouses and maintenance facilities, and sink the LPVs. The second target is an illegal airstrip, with a dirt runway cut out in the heart of the forest. Smugglers use these to transport contraband in and out of the country with low-flying aircraft. This particular one is the largest we've seen. Disable the runway and destroy any parked aircraft on the airstrip. Additionally, four illegal mining sites have been selected for targeting. They are designated: Objectives Tango, Romeo, Sierra, and Uniform. Destroy all equipment and storage facilities at the illegal mining sites. In case there is an attempt to move the equipment out of these sites, you are authorized to seek and engage the fleeing targets. FRIENDLY ASSETS The A19 Arapaima helicopter landing ship is on station at the center of the AO. They have deployed Marine landing teams which have established FARPs near the river shorelines. Helicopters may choose to deploy either from the Arapaima or from any of the FARPs. (The FARPs are marked as completed mission objectives, so you can set waypoints on them for landing.) Additionally, a tanker will be on station over Arapaima to support the fixed wing aircraft deployed at Belém AB. This concludes the briefing. Good hunting. MISSION DOWNLOAD Operation Flame Serpent V1.1 is available for download via Steam Workshop for VTOL VR. The mission can be found created by user Hueman Of Hue . OPTIONAL LIVERIES The mission editor has also created a pack of aircraft liveries to match the setting of the mission. These are also available for download in the Steam Workshop for VTOL VR. Brazil Navy AH-94 Grey Brazil AF AH-94 Std Camo Brazil Navy F-45A Grey Brazil AF T-55 - Std Camo Brazil AF T-55 Vintage SM Brazil AF T-55 Vintage SC

As we remember Ace Combat Infinity’s 11th anniversary, it’s hard not to feel a sense of nostalgia - of yearning for something we lost along the way. Its multiplayer experience was something not seen before - or since - in the Ace Combat series, and as imperfect as it was, with the fuel system and other flaws inherent to a monetized free-to-play game, it could be argued that it remains the series’ most successful foray into online multiplayer. When Infinity's servers shut down, on March 31st, 2018, we lost not only a game, but also the ability to go back and review it - to see it for what it is . We can only see it for what it was - in our memories of the nearly four years of gameplay, and the videos and pictures taken during that time. And since we can only see it through the lens of nostalgia, it follows that any analysis will be inherently flawed. While acknowledging this limitation, let us try and look at what made Ace Combat Infinity special, and why it is remembered fondly by so many players to this day. The final video trailer for Ace Combat Infinity. Released on May 20th, 2014 for the PlayStation 3 in Japan (and May 27th in North America), Ace Combat Infinity was paradoxical from the very start; On one hand, its always-online, free-to-play nature and monetization system were a complete departure from anything the series had done before, but at the same time, it was also a return to form - something with a gameplay experience closer to the "holy trilogy" of the PS2 era, and further from the controversial "Dogfight Mode" of its predecessor, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. And it couldn’t have been launched with better timing - it arrived exactly at the point in time when the Ace Combat online community was growing exponentially, with old-time players of the series during its PSX/PS2 days coming together in social media platforms to exchange experiences, fan art, lore, and horribly overused Belka memes. When Ace Combat Infinity was announced, it didn’t only stoke the flames of a fan base which eagerly awaited new content after the mixed reviews of Assault Horizon - Infinity’s co-operative multiplayer focus also provided the perfect place for these fans to play together and interact with each other. And it truly felt like a love letter to the series - it was chock full of references to previous games, featured a roster with nearly every single iconic aircraft from the series (including liveries and sometimes even special aircraft variations for aces), and little details like being able to choose an emblem and nickname - sometimes even with a theme song attached, which would play for the top-scoring player of the winning team. This meant players could not only fly the aircraft of their favorite characters, but also bear their colours and titles - you could see a team led by Mobius One in his Raptor, followed by Yellow 13's Su-37, Pixy's Morgan and Cipher's F-15C, while the other team would have two Belkan aces from Grun and Indigo squadrons, a time-travelling Night Raven from Ace Combat 3, and a presumably lost, bright pink B-2 covered in anime idols. It was truly a magnificent sight to behold. But bells and whistles alone a memorable game do not make - so let's jump into the gameplay mechanics of Infinity. MAP AND MODE VARIETY Even though Infinity took place in the real world instead of Strangereal, the vast majority of the maps were references to previous Ace Combat installments. There were more than enough to cover almost every previous game in the franchise, but this variety wasn't just for the sake of nostalgia; the different flows of each map, as well as the mission updates typical of Ace Combat, made sure that the gameplay never felt stale. Even the superweapons of past games were brought back for the ride - in the Special Raids, players would be pitted against such classics as Stonehenge, Excalibur, SOLG, and the Aigaion's aerial fleet. There were plenty of game modes too, from the classic team deathmatch to the unique new take on it, NTDM (Naval Team Deathmatch) - but the main star of the show was Online Co-Op. This mode was where the game's events and raids took place, and can be considered as its main game mode; it's also where one of Infinity's most memorable characteristics comes into the spotlight. Example of over-the-top, high level gameplay by Dantofu. TEAM WORK When it comes to multiplayer flight games, from the simulators to action arcade games such as Ace Combat, Player-Versus-Player modes have historically been the most prevalent. There's something that drives humans to want to compete with each other, and when it comes to aviation media, there's an allure to the romanticized idea of the dogfight; a test of skill and nerves between two pilots. In light of this, Infinity having Co-op PvE as its main game mode seems quite unusual. But Project Aces had a clever way to make this game mode interesting, even in the fast-paced, chaotic arena of an arcade flight game. In keeping with the game's lore of a private military corporation fighting under contract, players are incentivized to compete with each other, even though they are on the same side. Players are assigned to two four-ship flights, Alpha and Bravo; and the team with the highest score wins, being rewarded with a victory cutscene and, in the case of the MVP, their very own theme song - should they be carrying an emblem worthy of that honor. However, what makes this work as a co-operative game mode is that winning the mission - and the completion rank achieved upon doing so - still depends on the efforts of both teams, and at the end of the day, and this directly affects the amount of credits earned and how many research points players get at the end. This implementation creates a unique gameplay dynamic where players are incentivized both to work with and compete against their allies for the the highest score, adding in that layer of rivalry while still making sure that the most important thing - what actually affects your credits and progression in the game - is still inexorably tied to the success of both teams as a whole. The resulting effects could clearly be seen in more difficult missions, where getting an S-Rank was difficult; on Hard mode missions, where this was doubly true, and enemy air defenses posed a genuine threat; and most explicitly of all, in the Special Raid missions. Relatively rare to come by and occurring at random, these special events temporarily eliminated the boundaries between teams altogether, and the massively increased rewards bonus made sure all players worked together to defeat these boss battles. A mixed formation of aircraft. Picture by Benjamin Bortkiewicz. This dynamic made it a perfect game to play with friends, even if they ended up on the other team - the lack of a super-competitive environment kept it casual enough for just chilling out after a long day at work, while still rewarding players who were more inclined towards being ruthlessly efficient. PEAK ELECTRONIC COUNTERMEASURES One unique example of how Infinity encouraged and rewarded teamwork was its implementation of ECM pods in Co-op gameplay modes. For most of Ace Combat's history, this special weapon had been relegated to a fairly minor role - and we have a whole article on the history of ECMP in Ace Combat if you're interested in a more in-depth look. Long story short, there just wasn't much of a reason to choose the pods over other SP Weapon options in a single-player game. The pods had appeared on multiplayer settings before, namely in AC6 and Assault Horizon - but their PvP nature required heavy restrictions in range and emission time to be placed on the pods' effects for balance reasons (Infinity's PvP modes had similar restrictions as well). It was Infinity's co-op modes which truly allowed the ECM Pod to shine. A flight of Su-24M Fencer. (Picture by Benjamin Bortkiewicz) Players equipped with one could create what was effectively a protective field around themselves, disabling the guidance systems of any enemy missiles which entered it. The decently large radius of this field, and its 20-second effect time, meant this wasn't just useful for self-protection - it could also be used as an "escort jammer", protecting several teammates (or indeed a whole team) from enemy weapons. Higher levels and performance-enhancing parts further increased range and reduced reload time, and the net result of this was that with a Level 5 ECMP and a jamming-focused build, players could provide consistent, nearly constant ECM coverage to their teammates, allowing a team to blaze their way through a mission with little concern for air defenses and other missile-based threats. When playing on Hard difficulty, this had an enormous effect - a single competent player running a max-level ECM platform could change the course of the entire game. Since the main feature of the harder difficulty settings was vastly increase damage dealt by enemy units, the ability to shield teammates from missiles effectively allowed a team to fly as if they were on a lower difficulty setting. If both teams had one such player, an S-Rank was almost guaranteed. This resulted in a curious phenomenon - even when playing alongside groups of random people with no communication, as soon as someone deployed ECM on a Hard map an impromptu team dynamic formed, with players naturally congregating around the jammer's protective bubble. Seeing this happen for the first time felt like a truly enlightening experience - the bonus of being able to strike down targets with impunity was too alluring for even the most individualistic players to ignore. AIRCRAFT SELECTION And what exactly made a viable jamming platform in Infinity? Well, the answer is, pretty much anything that could carry an ECM pod - provided you had some performance-boosting parts to go with it. Therein lies one of the most beautiful things about Infinity - pretty much any aircraft in the game's vast roster could be made viable if you spent the time and effort to upgrade it. Sure, the high-tier special aircraft would still be the top performers, but there was absolutely nothing keeping you from taking a page from Brazil's or Thailand's book: shoving a bunch of shiny new parts in your old F-5E, and then somehow keeping up with your teammates flying much fancier aircraft. This meant players could stick to their favorite aircraft and remain effective with it even if their jet (or prop!) of choice didn't have particularly flattering base stats; this was doubly true if you happened to have a special version of said aircraft. A player in a fully kitted-out Jack Bartlett or Shin Kazama F-5E was a force to be reckoned with, and let's not even get started on the min-maxed stats of the Idolmaster collab aircraft . Typical multiplayer gameplay by Pandazooka. There was no lack of options to choose from when it came to aircraft. Featuring what is easily the largest aircraft roster in the series, Ace Combat Infinity had almost every aircraft ever featured in Ace Combat (With some notable exceptions, such as the poor, forgotten Skyhawk), including the first (and so far only) appearances of Ace Combat 3 original aircraft - the Night Raven and Delphinus - since AC3 itself. Whether it was a real life design or an AC fictional, chances are you would most likely find your favorite aircraft somewhere.It also featured first-time entrants into the series’ playable roster, such as the ATD-0 Shinshin and Su-24 Fencer. There were also some more unusual aircraft: playable strategic bombers, first introduced in Assault Horizon, made a comeback - and one of the updates brought piston-powered WWII fighters into the fray, complete with a custom HUD made to resemble analog dials! Players could choose to take to the skies in a P-38L Lightning, Spitfire Mk. IXe, Bf 109 G-10, or an A6M5 Zero.  To put the complete Ace Combat Infinity aircraft selection in perspective, let's refer to a data point from Acepedia , the Ace Combat Wiki: "Ace Combat Infinity is one of the largest rosters introduced on the franchise, surpassing the previously featured in Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War (53 aircraft on total). Ace Combat Infinity features 68 playable aircraft from their stock versions, 151 special aircraft versions, and 145 additional skins for all the available aircraft that could range from Ranking Tournaments, Random drops or Challenge Events." FINAL THOUGHTS Ace Combat Infinity was a bold gamble on the part of Project Aces and, in many ways, it could be said that it's what kept the Ace Combat series alive - its success proved to Bandai-Namco that there was demand out there for a new Ace Combat mainline game, and no doubt made them more aware of the game's considerable - and fairly loyal - fanbase. In paving the way for Ace Combat 7, though, Infinity's success was ironically responsible for its own demise. After its servers were shut down to make room for 7's online mode, Infinity was sealed behind its title screen, its virtual skies never to be flown in again; and with it, its unique gameplay formula which had made it the ideal place of pilgrimage for the series' fans. There's not been any other Ace Combat like it, before or since. 7's multiplayer mode doesn't quite cut it - it feels like something's missing. So, even if we cannot play the game again and look at it objectively, even if we must look at it through the lens of nostalgia - we think it's safe to say, when it comes to an Ace Combat multiplayer experience? Nothing else comes close. Picture by Fighterman. About the Writer Caio D. "Hueman" Barreto An incurable aviation fanatic since childhood, fascinated by the design and history of practically anything that flies. A long-time fan of flight games, he holds a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering and pursues his hobbies of drawing, writing and flight simulation on his spare time. See Staff Profile .