It’s clear that I have a penchant to review and speak of games far past. What can I say? I’m drunk on synthwave, Frutiger Aero wallpapers, and badly-normalized voxels. But perhaps the greatest challenge of creating these reviews is determining whether these dinosaurs are actually worth playing today. So often I’ve found myself having to put an asterisk next to what would otherwise be a glowing review, because it would be dishonest to not point out how much the playing field has changed, and even the greatest of innovations are quickly superseded by something better. Sometimes though, the game still just… works. It’s rather amazing how well After Burner Climax still works, and how well it shamelessly takes the high-energy, rapid-paced, score and time attack arcade rail shooter into the 21st century for what may be its last hurrah. Honestly, I don’t think the original After Burner aged well. I have nostalgic feelings for it of course, but as it and I have aged, it’s not something I would be willing to show off as a jewel of the rail shooter—if I want that on a console, I’d point someone to Star Fox way before After Burner. And where Star Fox’s upgrade from its SNES debut to Star Fox 64 remains legendary, Afterburner’s generational uplift resulted in After Burner II, which pushed on into the realm of the Sega 32X but didn’t really result in enough innovation or, frankly, affordability to keep one of Sega’s self-proclaimed stars afloat. And it’s pretty clear that they knew it. Over ten years had to pass before they decided to bring it back for one more explosive, penultimate release. So… I wanted to approach it as faithfully as I could without getting my hands on the arcade cabinet itself. That took the form of taking, ripping, and hopefully emulating the actual Sega Lindbergh media disc for this review. I had hope for this; a Lindbergh emulator does in fact exist, but it’s been unsupported and incomplete for some time, so I gave up hope in getting it emulated… …right up until I was literally looking for a picture to demonstrate this lack of support and discovered that a new emulator called Lindbergh Loader was released just one month ago and apparently supports After Burner Climax pretty well. Well... dang. I already got the CD back to its rightful owner. I guess we’re going to move forward with the next best thing: the Xbox 360. This is truly where I’ve played this game the most anyway. After Burner Climax made a wide home release four years after it dropped into arcades and was downloadable on both the 360 and PS3 for a very approachable ten dollars. Bringing in two new aircraft alongside the F-14D, you can also select the Super Tomcat’s successors (Or contemporaries depending on how you feel) in the form of the F-15E Strike Eagle and F/A-18E Super Hornet. Immediately its clear the game is a more than faithful port of the Lindbergh disc. It adds earnable cheats and the ability to have a console-style constant play mode that keeps the quarters (dollars?) in your pocket where they belong.  Pressing start after an in your face title screen that transitions into an attract mode/ranking screen blaring with an awesome modern update to the After Burner theme song, you are given a selection of the three aircraft above with a set of different paint schemes and 20 seconds to make up your mind. The game literally explodes off the deck/flight line into a fantastic guitar riff and never lets up. Story? Z is preparing a nuke. Stop them. That’s all you need to know. Get to it! “Plane Jesus has got nothing on the Brave Fangs.” The game’s feature claim to fame is the “Climax Mode”, which functions as a bullet-time slow down and reticle widener that allows you ample time to maximize score and damage on the level for a short time. The meter is refilled as you destroy targets and is depleted as you hold down the triggers. This is still the score attack game we had all those years ago, and as you progress through levels, you want to keep that score up along with attempting to destroy special objectives to change your trajectory on the level select map. It’s very easy to trigger Climax Mode in the panic driven flying you’ll be doing though. There’s a learning curve to its operation, but that adds to the skill-building you’ll be doing to master the traditionally twitchy After Burner flight model. “Super Tomcat! Getready…” The graphics were top-notch, and honestly still are. Not that you’ll have much time to admire them with how fast the screen comes at you. You’ll occasionally catch glimpses of the who’s who roster of enemy aircraft, which includes F-4’s, F-5’s, F/A-18’s, B-52’s, and many others, all of which are easier to observe once you’ve inevitably gotten yourself blown up by a wayward missile or twenty.  “FLIGHT CONTROL, FLIGHT CONTROL” As the terrain blows by you’re being constantly yelled at by your invisible teammates who just won’t stop talking; and I wouldn’t have it any other way. This is a prime example of the in-your-face never shut up 90’s arcade energy that ports itself so flawlessly into the 21st century that I can’t help but take it seriously. The way your two teammates make off-color remarks about the terrain you’re flying over on or the over-the-top bogey calls or the panicked odd sentence structure in their radio-crackled voices when you get hit by a missile just keeps the balls-to-the-wall atmosphere flowing. Oh, and have I mentioned that they call enemy aircraft by their actual model names? What’s your excuse, Ace Combat 5? But I have to emphasize that this is an After Burner game. You’re going to get yourself blown up over and over again until you get good and start recognizing the patterns to dodge the missiles and down enemy aircraft efficiently. Thankfully the aforementioned console-exclusive EX Options (cheats, if we were to be honest) will make that easier for you, and the more you play, the more you earn, so if you want to eventually just finish the games, these options should get you there in short order. This is a short game—it’s 14 or so levels blow through as rapidly as you might think, but the replay ability is through the roof. By the end you’re clearly getting some traditional flight-shooter inspired tunnel and canyon chases. The monotony is also broken up by pursuit or friendly-fire challenges to keep you on your toes. Wait ‘til you get to the laser fences. It truly is refreshing to revisit this game every so often and enjoy it more and more each time I play it. Honestly, I’m not much better at it now than I was back then, but it gets the blood pumping and keeps your attention front and center. I love this game so much; it flies in the face of changing tides in game design and defiantly drops itself into an era where game length and story complexity was rearing its head. I’d wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who wants a fun flight romp and an escape back to the simplicity of arcade gameplay with a modern veneer.  … TOO BAD YOU CAN’T BUY IT ANYMORE! 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 .

One of the most unique pieces of flight sim gear ever seen The Yawman Arrow  handheld flight controller is one of the most unique flight simulation devices I have ever put my hands on. This review took a bit of an unexpected turn. Turning from the standard “how does it feel and fly” review and into more of a deeper analysis of the device and its concept. This review will certainly be going off of the beaten path, as we tested it in many flight games and simulators it has not previously been advertised for.  This review was created without any input from the Yawman team. There were no embargos or restrictions in place, though Yawman did ask that if I ran into any technical issues or needed troubleshooting advice, they would be contacted first. No major issues occured, but for the sake of transparancey, this was the agreement. A part of the FlightSimExpo 2023 Infinite Flight Booth Meeting The Arrow  This certainly is not a case of shiny new product excitement. Skyward Flight Media first went hands on with the Yawman Arrow at FlightSimExpo 2023 . This was the debut event for both the company, Yawman, and their one-of-a-kind controller, the Arrow.  Yawman Arrow prototype at FlightSimExpo 2023. This controller had its own display at the Infinite Flight  booth, where anyone could walk up and try both Infinite Flight and the Arrow at the same time. At first glance, the Arrow somewhat confused me. Its layout incorporated a familiar set of flight controls with the form factor of a well-known game console controller. But after successfully orbiting an airfield and landing a Cessna 208 Caravan with ease while using the Arrow and a PC tablet, it had my intrigue.  We met with the Yawman team on the last day of the expo, which resulted in exchanging emails and Skyward receiving a review unit in January 2024.  The Concept  The company Yawman LLC is based in Carmel, India, United States of America. It was created by Dwight and Thomas Nield (aviation and airline veterans) and Jon Ostrower (Editor-in-Chief of The Air Current). Designed, manufactured and packaged in the USA, the Arrow handled flight controller is the first product from Yawman.  According to official blog posts from the website, the concept of the controller is ease of access and travel ability while incorporating well known flight control designs such as a trim wheel, trim hat, vernier-style poles and mechanically linked rudder pedal triggers. With 7 axes and 21 buttons to back up the more specialized flight focused components, the Arrow really is standing in a class all of its own.  That being said, the concept of this controller is so anomalous when it comes to the established expectations of what flight simulation gear is and/or should be, it is something that requires a close analysis to really understand.  Acknowledging the Price Point  The Yawman Arrow was originally priced around USD $250.00 during pre-release. For many this was the main point of contention, primarily since the controller itself is so anomalous the price point added to uncertainty about this device. 10 days after its official launch on January 8th, 2024, the price was further reduced to USD $199.00. Within the announcement of this price drop, Yawman acknowledged that they heard concerns about its price point being out of reach for some people, the uncertainty expressed because of its unproven design and Yawman wanting to keep this controller competitive with existing flight simulation gear.  However, you cannot say this was caused by failure. The initial batch of Arrow handheld flight controllers sold out the same day it launched. A second batch of controllers was released for sale on January 15th with the price drop happening on January 18th. Customers that purchased the Arrow when it was at its higher original price were automatically given a USD $50.00 refund with no actions necessary from the customer. This certainly does not sound like something a company with a failing product would do.  At the end of Skyward’s review process for this controller, I can say that the Arrow is worth the price point. There is a lot to explain as to how I came to this conclusion. Let’s continue.  Design, Unboxing, Feel  The design of the Yawman Arrow is absolutely unusual for a handheld controller. To those that are familiar with flight controllers, the sliders, vernier style poles, five-way Hat swtich and multifunction wheel are immediate eye-catchers. At a glance, they let you know what the purpose of this controller is. Media showing its mechanically linked triggers in action further raise eyebrows as they do effectively act as traditional foot rudder pedals. This controller is essentially offering the functionality of three major pieces of flight simulation equipment in a single device, for a price point lower than the cost of purchasing all of those devices and needing the space to use them and store them. That is a tall order.  People should remember that while this controller is trying to provide the functionality of three devices in one, it can still be used in conjunction with hardware like head tracking to further enhance the experience.  The package of the Yawman Arrow is simple and effective. The box being decorated on all sides with non-labeled diagrams is definitely one of the more memorable packaging designs I’ve seen in a while. In fact, this box is so sturdy and good-looking, I’d recommend keeping it long-term for storage of the controller itself when it is not in use. Heck, you could even use it during travel to keep it protected, since the foam mold in the box does fit the controller like a glove.  The 2024 release version of the Yawman comes in the color White Sands  - a reference to the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in the United States of America. Personally, I prefer any handheld device I use to be darker in color since it is less prone to show staining from dirt, grime, grease that any handheld device eventually gathers. I would have loved to get my hands on the dark blue colored Arrow that was shown in pre-release promotional material, but I digress. This isn’t really a huge deal.  Taking it out of the box and holding it for the first time, its weight is comparable to any game pad for game consoles currently on the market. I was expecting a bit of a lead weight controller because of all the flight specific controls that have been incorporated. I was definitely wrong about that.  The click, rotation, slide and pull of just about everything available felt good with two exceptions.  The shoulder buttons felt strangely mushy. It simultaneously feels like I need to press them with a bit more force than you would think is required, while the tactile button click feedback was so minimal I sometimes had to double-check if the buttons were depressed all the way.  The vernier style-poles are both one of my favorite parts of its design and the most likely to be accidentally snapped off parts of the design. These poles are made of the same plastic the other buttons are. When fully extended, there is a bit of a danger of accidentally damaging them by maybe putting the controller down in the wrong way or the poles getting wrapped around something within the play space. In a future Arrow updated design, I would like to see these reinforced, possibly made of some type of metal.  The linked mechanical triggers have their own dedicated section within this review, but I can say that these are the signature feature of this controller. They worked quite well, even during intensive use. They mimic the familiar feel and function of rudder pedals well.  The five-way trim hat switch does feel a bit more fragile than the study thumbstick with center press, but I have no worries about breaking it. Having it used for trim, aircraft camera controls and similar functions is recommended.  The multifunction six-pack button layout took a bit of getting used to, as just about every game controller since 1995 has stuck with the traditional four button cross layout to some degree. That was more of a mental adjustment for me. Within a few flights using the Arrow I was happy to have these buttons readily available. A big part of this was because they could be reassigned to new functions as needed.  The position of the USB-C connection was good as it is high away from the triggers, and not in the way of controls I would need to cross my fingers across the pad to reach. By being positioned high on the back of the controller, the USB-C cable also remains out of the way during use.  Because there are so many non-standard moving parts - the vernier poles, twin sliders and triggers - I would say paying attention to cleanliness and storing this controller properly would be a good move. Do not eat crumbly snacks that could potentially get jammed into this controller or let too much grime build up in these parts. The Arrow requires less maintenance and cleaning than full sized flight equipment, but it is still good practice to make an effort to keep it clean.  Thorough Testing The review process for the Arrow was something we really wanted to do in our own way. Since the earliest public introduction of this handheld flight controller, there have been a handful of popular flight simulators the Yawman team paid special attention to support. The frequently mentioned titles are Digital Combat Simulator World, Infinite Flight (Android), Laminar Research X-Plane (PC, macOS), Lockheed Martin Prepar3D, and Microsoft Flight Simulator (PC). It is safe to say that the main demographic of customers are semi-pro or professional flight simulators for this device would primarily find themselves flying in these titles. So these are safe bet titles to ensure compatibility with. They even have well documented profiles  for Microsoft Flight Simulator and X-Plane 12.  Example page from Yawman Arrow documentation. In fact, compatibility is a focal point in what the Arrow offers. It touts the potential to have every button on the controller reconfigured as needed. This allows the controller to easily assign functions that are specific to each aircraft. A very handy feature. You could assume that any personal computer game or sim that could recognize the Arrow via USB could be played with the controller. This is where Skyward Flight Media’s testing focused. Certainly to test the hardware and functionality of the Arrow, but also to challenge the concept of the Arrow itself. More on this later.  Here is a list of titles we tested the Yawman Arrow in: Absolute Territory Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown At Skies Edge Comanche Digital Combat Simulator World Flight of Nova Frontiers Reach GroundFall Infinite Flight Manta Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Nova Squadron Nuclear Option PCSX2 (Emulation Software) Project Wingman ReDream (Emulation Software) Roger Meatball Simple Planes Strike Fighters 2 Tiny Combat Arena The Brew Barons Underspace Xemu (Emulation Software) World of Aircraft Glider Simulator Many of these titles are clearly not flight simulation titles. Some of the listed names are actually emulation software that lets people play old games and simulators from game consoles from long ago. We tested even more titles through those emulators that are unlisted. The Yawman Arrow worked with every one of them.  Justifying the Arrow Skyward tested the Yawman Arrow in a solid block of unusual titles to use flight simulation gear in. Some may even view it as unnecessary. Many of these are decidedly not flight simulation titles. However, Skyward reviewed the Arrow from the point of view of a potential buyer that is outside the dedicated semi-pro or professional flight simmer demographic.  Someone that has an interest in simulated flight, may or may not have some flight simulation gear and is having a bit of a hard time justifying the cost of the Arrow, when there are similar sized controllers that could potentially be pressed into service to fly in these same titles.  A frequent question we have heard about the Arrow since its introduction is whether something niche like a handheld flight controller is a viable purchase. References to larger units of flight simulation gear, like flight sticks, throttles and rudder pedals, could be purchased around a similar price point. Or if the controller is so specialized, you would only be able to use it on what less flight simulation focused users would consider “one or two games”. This is what shaped our perspective when we tested the Arrow.  After many hours in various titles with a variety of aircraft, I do feel like the Arrow does justify its concept. There is a place for the Yawman Arrow as it made the smart move to be versatile enough to be compatible with non-pure flight simulation titles, while being purpose built for full-fledged simulation titles.  It is hard to rationalize plugging in a full hands on throttle and stick setup with 30-something buttons to a flight sim lite that could be played with an Xbox Controller. The Yawman Arrow offers similar functionality with the small footprint of a game pad, while being easy enough to use by just plugging in a single USB.  Also, keep in mind that this controller does fulfill the same functions of a dedicated rudder pedal, dedicated yoke / flight stick and dedicated throttle. Individually buying all those units would cost around USD $800.00 to USD $1000.00, depending on the manufacturer.  Mechanically Linked Triggers The star of the Yawman Arrow is undoubtedly the patent pending mechanically linked triggers. Back in 2023, I was obsessed with their feel and functionality. While my feet were accustomed to rudder pedals moving in concert with one another, my fingers certainly were not. I am not certain about how exactly the triggers are linked (nor do I want to dismantle the controller to find out!) but it does feel like there is some type of heavy-duty compression spring in the device. The constant level of opposing pressure while pulling these triggers contributes to the accuracy of rudder pedal inputs. Rather than being able to perform 100% deflection rudder inputs with no resistance or feedback, the counter-pressure in the mechanically linked trigger makes rudder inputs more deliberate and accurate.  Example of mechanically linked triggers. This is great for flight simulators, which are inherently slower paced and rely on precise inputs for smooth flying. Does it work for fast, action packed flight arcade titles? Certainly. I have no doubt that the mechanism itself is designed well and can withstand constant heavy-duty usage. Just from a press or two, you can feel that its build quality is very good. I do not feel as though this part of the controller would fail very easily, even with me rapidly pressing either trigger back to back.  Personally, I always ask myself if I would want to use these triggers - or more traditionally a rudder pedal - heavily in a flight game that really does not require high precision. It becomes a question of long-term use. As I continue to use this controller for the rest of the year, I will most likely circle back in on this subject specifically.  A Controller for Adults While it does look like a controller you would see plugged into a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, I would not recommend letting young people use unsupervised. The D-pad, six-pack buttons and left joystick are quite sturdy. My concern lies more with the trim wheel, vernier style poles, twin sliders, five way hat switch and linked triggers. Setting the linked triggers aside for a moment, the rest of these buttons and switches do feel like they would break if maximum hand strength inputs would be made to them frequently.  It is not that the build quality is bad, it is because this is something adults would never do; especially those that are familiar with flight simulation equipment. They know it does not take a lot of force to adjust trim, fuel mixture or throttle settings. For example, someone familiar with a flight stick knows they would not need to slam the stick fully to the right to roll, but someone unfamiliar would frequently do this. That increases the rate of wear and tear on the device.   Someone younger that may mash or pull too hard has a real chance of damaging the more specialized parts of the controller, in my opinion. If a younger person is to use these controls, a bit of guidance to help them understand how to properly use it is recommended. The Arrow really could be used as introductory flight sim gear, but again, some guidance would be needed.  Higher Fidelity = Better Experience Something that became clear after three days of testing was that the experience was better the more high fidelity the aircraft being piloted was. This has less to do with the design of the controller itself and more to do with how many systems people can interact with in the aircraft cockpit. The Arrow can keep the most important controls and systems at your fingertips, but attempting to map every function available in something like an Airbus A320 is neigh impossible. Unless you have a full sized flight deck in your home, any device would have problems with this. But, the Arrow does very well since the core systems can be easily managed while looking around the cockpit in sim and manually clicking the systems or using a keyboard.  Functions like trim wheels, thrust reversers, fuel mixture settings, etc. feel very good on this controller, so being able to use them to their fullest is great.  Spaceflight We also tested the Arrow in fictional space environments. Space sims often require even more lateral, vertical and diagonal control than any atmospheric aircraft simulator would. Space simulation rigs regularly have two or more flight sticks, which function very differently from standard aircraft. This can be addressed by assigning some of the buttons on the D-pad to be modifier buttons that activate a second layer of controls (or more layers if needed) when depressed. The vernier-style poles were helpful as reverse thrusters, the trim wheel helped during reentry as we used it for minor pitch corrections, 5 way hat switch was used for the reaction control system to make fine adjustments during flight.  The most realistic simulator we used to test space flight with the Arrow was Flight of Nova . It presents newtonian mechanics, realistic gravitation and orbital physics, atmospheric density inspired by Earth data, aerodynamic drag corresponding to vessel shape, drag / air friction energy calculations, real-time accurate orbital data and a full-scale body diameter 12’700 km planet.  With the Yawman Arrow we were able to launch from the surface of a planet, go into orbit, plot a course for rendezvous and successfully dock with a space station.  Space simulation is not something I have an extensive amount of experience with, but the Arrow supported me enough to be successful. This is an interesting thing to note.  “Desktop Mode”  It is not talked about a lot in their promotional material, but Yawman does mention that the Arrow has a “desktop mode” of sorts. They released a short video about this on January 26th, 2024. Holding this flight controller in your hands is the preferred way to use this device, but unlike game controllers of similar design, its triggers and even the multifunction wheel have enough clearance to let the controller lay flat on a hard surface and still have all of its buttons accessible.  A few cross-country flights I did in Microsoft Flight Simulator demonstrated the usefulness of this feature. During taxiing, takeoff, landing and parking, holding it in my hands felt necessary to me. But during the long legs of the flight itself, laying the controller down onto my desk and flying in this way allowed me to relax my arms and hands while maintaining full control. This was an unexpected way to use the Arrow, but I cannot deny that it worked well.  Closing I am a bit surprised at how much I came to enjoy using the Yawman Arrow handheld flight gaming controller. While this was a review, I did not feel as though I was forcing myself to use it. It became very natural to plug this controller in, take a few minutes to assign some functions for the first time and go flying. I am someone that frequently preaches the effectiveness of desk mounts for flight simulation hardware, and I must admit that it was nice using the Arrow in lieu of constantly having to shuffle all that equipment around.  With its current functionality and price point, it does seem valid to me after a little over three weeks of testing it in titles it was both built with in mind and titles it probably never would be used in normally. I cannot say that I am about to throw out all of my flight simulation gear to solely fly with the Arrow, but I can say that it will be a frequently used part of my collection for sure.  Skyward Flight Media would like to thank the Yawman team for presenting us with a review unit to create this review and giving us all the time needed to do it in our own way.  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.

Taking a Closer Look During Steam Couch CO-OP Fest 2025 Back in Steam Planes, Trains and Automobiles Fest 2024 I briefly interacted with a demo for Mirage: A Biplane Adventure by Blitzwood. At the end of the section I wrote about Mirage I had mentioned that I was curious about whether or not the demo represented the full game. Admittedly, with digest style articles like those that cover multiple games in a single piece, you definitely cannot spend as much time with a game to give it a more detailed look. Unexpectedly, we recently were contacted by the developer of Mirage to try the full game out during the ongoing Steam Couch CO-OP Fest , running between February 10th through 17th, 2025. I'd like to thank Blitzwood for reaching out and offering this opportunity to us. World Setting I mentioned previously that the world of Mirage: A Biplane Adventure  was one that gave me the feeling I wanted to explore and understand what exactly is going on. For a genre where the focus is traditionally aircraft doing cool things under the player's control, having decent worldbuilding and/or an unusual story also exists is enticing. This is going to sound odd, but it is a very specific feeling I have had with a few other flight games. Games like Sky Odyssey , The Brew Barons , Sky Gunner and even Aviassembly  come to mind. World map. The world of Mirage has been invaded by unknown robotic entities. They can be found in towns and around strategic locations in the form of static, land based anti-aircraft units and small, high speed blimps with turrets able to fire in any direction. The player is a first-of-its-kind biological-mechanical drone created to fight the robots at the direction of its creator. Using an in-game compass to navigate to story driven objectives, backed by radio communication with in-game characters, players fly to new towns, crisscross the continent finding unusual landmarks. These landmarks include monuments, towns, ports, challenging terrain and portals that players fly through, transporting them to mini-game levels that are still story related, but are based on time attack or score attack game modes. The geography of Mirage is unusual. As progress is made more of the story unfolds. Overall the tone of the game is one of mystery. To be transparent, I have not completed the full story of Mirage as I chose to discuss more of the gameplay aspect of it. Fully CO-OP If the inclusion of this game in the Steam Couch CO-OP Fest is not enough of a give away, Mirage joins the ranks of relatively few modern flight games that are full game co-op. Fellow Skyward Flight Media staff member T.J. "Millie" Archer and I tested this functionality over the course of a Sunday afternoon, sitting side by side in true Couch Co-Op fashion. While Player One is in game they can activate the second player, Player Two, by pressing P or Back on the keyboard. Player Two is free to fly anywhere on the map with no distance restriction from Player One. During testing T.J. and I operated separately looking for landmarks we were on opposite sides of the world map. Resources like currency, ammunition and fuel are not shared between both players. Both players will need to manage their resources independently. Of the few things that are shared is save points/waypoints set by making progress in the game or flying through the resupply Rings. In the event player two crashes or is shot down in combat, they respawn near the last ring Player One utilized. While in mini-games based on time attack and score attack, the death of Player One can cause a restart of the mini-game for both players, whereas the death of Player Two occasionally respawns them completely outside of the play area. In our experience the best use of having a second player was coordinating attacks against the robotic invaders in the land of Mirage. Using basic World War II era flak suppression tactics with Player One evasively flying through areas full of known hostiles, drawing their fire while Player Two flies in seconds later, destroying the distracted enemies. The level of difficulty in combat is noticeably lower when two players are active just because of this. T.J. would argue that the most entertaining part of the co-op experience would be that friendly fire is on. Players can shoot at one another or ram into each other. The occasional random betrayal or aggressive bump in a time attack can bring out hilarious interactions between each other. The Learning Curve T.J. and I initially struggled to adapting to the gameplay style of Mirage. Partially because we jumped straight into it concentrating on immediately accessing the flight and action, as the developer intended. After a brief reset and taking time to adjust all controls and remap buttons to something more familiar to ourselves - a feature added to the game just back in November 2024 - we found ourselves getting better at the fast paced gameplay. Highspeed Gameplay Something that I can now confirm is a core part of this arcade flight game is high speed. In every moment. While the aircraft players control is capable of hovering in mid-air, even while it is hovering it consumes its Coal Fuel at quite a high rate. An entire fuel tank is expended in roughly 60 seconds. The pressure of needing to refuel once a minute is considerable. This is somewhat offset by picking up in-game currency floating around the map at random locations. Picking up these orange glowing coins does give a slight increase in fuel capacity, but the coins do not reliably reappear at a rate that would replace the need to always know where the nearest resupply ring is and be ready to fly there within 30 to 40 seconds. This makes even a few moments of non-combat feel as though you are wasting time by not being purely fixated on flying straight from objective to objective. On one hand I wish the fuel consumption rate was a bit slower to allow players some more time to strategize and fly around the map, but I can respect the concept of mind high speed, skill based gameplay where so much happens in 60 seconds you are constantly mentally engaged with what is happening in the game. An important part of this highspeed gameplay style is to accept is that the player(s) will most likely crash, run out of fuel or be destroyed frequently when they are new to the game. Very similar to rouge-like games, in a sense. While there is technically a punishment for this, it is a relatively small punishment. If you are someone that takes seeming to "lose" rather hard, I would keep in mind that the setbacks that come with it are quite small. Instead, focus on simply getting experienced with things and you'll notice that the amount of times you go down decreases quickly. Mini-Games It should be noted that the mandatory mini-games could be a point of contention. It certainly was for my dearest wingman T.J. As mentioned in the sections Fully CO-OP and Highspeed Gameplay, when Player One dies it causes Player Two to restart. With limited fuel and short timers, these mini-games require immense speed and precision to clear. We failed almost a dozen times each before we got it right, to be honest. With these mini-games being requirements, they are not impossible to complete but do expect to dedicate more time than expected to these. Example of portals to story related mini-games. Flight, Combat The flight model is decidedly flight arcade. With Mirage not allowing for full pitch control above 80 degrees nose up or down and rudder and yaw controls coupled together, adjusting Turn Speed to its near maximum greatly enhances the players ability to survive in combat and increase their chances to complete score attack and time attack mini-games. There is very little in the way of physics halting players from zoom climbing and speeding away from danger while also being able to snap turn through tight valleys or abstractly designed tunnels running up the sides of mountains. Destroying an air target over an occupied town. The aircraft is able to absorb three glancing blows or minor terrain impacts, but cannot take even a few seconds of sustained direct fire from enemy forces. Because of this high speed and high maneuverability to avoid taking damage is more important than anything. Both the player and enemy forces use types of rapid fire cannons that explode with anti-aircraft flak cannon style ammunition. This limited amount of splash damage can be utilized by players to hit small groups of enemies in a single pass. I'd say the general rule of thumb is to focus on slashing attacks or Boom and Zoom tactics. Whether they are air targets or land targets, avoiding getting into low speed turning battles and focusing on eliminating the enemy one or two units at a time while flying at maximum speed. Strafing anti-aircraft turrets. Though, the player's cannon has a range that reaches farther than the hostile robots can return fire. Using patience and being willing to burn quite a bit a fuel, it is possible to fly high above land forces and hover outside of their range firing down on them, destroying them outside of their counterattack range. Time consuming, but an effective alternative. Closing Thoughts Even after the afternoon co-op session with T.J., I have continued playing Mirage: A Biplane Adventure between assignments for Skyward Flight Media. I genuinely am curious about what the full story of Mirage is. Now that I have adjusted to the gameplay style I am more wiling to to pursue this game to its end. I'll be sure to report back. Connect with 'Mirage: A Biplane Adventure' Steam : https://store.steampowered.com/app/2909720/Mirage_A_Biplane_Adventure/ T.J. and Aaron somewhere in the unknown. 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 Staff Profile .

After a long time in development, it is now the time to shine for Polychop Simulations' newest helicopter: The legendary OH-58D Kiowa Warrior. A smaller, heavy and somewhat underpowered platform, the Kiowa was made with observation and scouting duties in mind. It serves quite excellently in these roles, as well as CAS duties during Iraq and Afghanistan. Additionally, it now serves with several different nations, such as Greece and Taiwan. It is now time for us in DCS World to enjoy this fabulous aircraft in all its glory, and that is something we say seriously. This release is a rarity for DCS World standards, as it was released into the game as a complete module. No early access, no tricks. Just for doing this, we have nothing but respect for Polychop, as this is proof of how confident they are in the quality of their products. EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL 3D MODELS Externally, the Kiowa looks mighty fine. A lot of detail has been packed into this model, with everything from the different fuselage-mounted sensors to the mounted weapon assemblies and harnesses. Depending on the livery, the weathering on the fuselage can go from very mild to extreme, to reflect where some of these birds were and the conditions they flew under. It feels like a definite step up from the Gazelle, and I am proud of what the devs have done with this model. A notable addition to this model is the wide range of customization available to the mission editor. They can add or remove the IRCM (Infrared Countermeasure) system, equip two different sets of skids, and so much more. Here, take a look at the model yourself: As for the cockpit, the quality shown on the external model persists. It is weathered, but not enough to look like a museum piece, like some other modules currently available for purchase. It looks roughed up and beaten, but also taken care of by maintainers that need the bird up in the air at any time. Additionally, all the changes to equipment are reflected in the cockpit with the removal or installation of several different panels. The pilot and co-pilot models are the most alive any of these have ever felt in DCS. They have a bit more character than we are used to and their animations, while somewhat stiff due to limitations, do bring these models to life more than any other ones we have seen in the game. Everything from holding the M4 out of the window to grabbing a smoke grenade, pulling the pin and throwing it out of the door. These are the points that make a difference with modules in DCS, and Polychop has outdone all other helicopters in DCS with their addition. Here, take a look: VISUAL AND SOUND EFFECTS The Kiowa is not really a visually impressive aircraft in the same way that something like a Phantom would, or any other fixed wing aircraft. It cannot pull vapes when you push it, or have a spectacular afterburner effect. What it can have, it has. This comes in the shape of what seems to be the inclusion of ED's rotor blur technology that gives the rotor assemble an amazing sense of movement, as we have seen previously on the Apache and Hind. Night lighting is pretty spot on, and it certainly can become a bit of a Christmas tree with all the external lights on at night. Cockpit lighting is on-par with the external lighting, as well as how it is reflected on the latter when you turn on your lights in-cockpit. It is an alright bird in this category, and we cannot complain much. A category we can applaud them on is sound design, as this has that "spark" that is so rare in DCS modules. We can tell what my aircraft is doing just by listening to the way the rotor sounds, and that feedback is precious when we cannot rely on all of our other senses. You can hear the air rush by when you pick up speed, as well as the difference in rotor sound when you enter a roll or start pushing the aircraft a bit. Polychop have created an excellent sound environment that compliments the flight model perfectly, and we have nothing but good things to say about it. Well done! FLIGHT MODELING DISCLAIMER:  This is always a tough category, as like with any other aircraft, there is a lot to take into consideration other than just the feel of the flight model. This category is the most subjective one in this article, as we do not have any real world experience with this craft. We will only base our opinion on practical experience and knowledge of practical aerodynamics and the theoretical behavior that a OH-58D should have under certain scenarios. If you want to talk about realism, please refer to CasmoTV or Barundus , two of the SMEs with thousands of hours logged on the Kiowa each. With the disclaimer out of the way, we will start by saying that this is the best feeling helicopter currently in the game, period. It is the closest we have felt to properly flying a real helicopter in DCS, and that is something we do not say lightly. The flight model is a thing of beauty, and we cannot get enough of flying this helicopter. It behaves exactly how you think a helicopter would, with none of the usual quirks that come with simulated flight characteristics. It feels stable on the hover without force trim, and hand-flying it is easier than riding a bike. Applying torque with the anti-torque pedals results in predictable motions that you can control appropriately. Additionally, falling on VRS (vortex-ring state) situations is a rarity, as long as you fly it within parameters and control your descent rate properly. During landings and take-offs, you can also distinctly feel the aircraft settle on ground effect, which is something that took us by surprise. RBS (Retreating blade stall) is also manageable, as this aircraft doesn't really have a lot of power to begin with in order to get you going that fast, especially when fully loaded. The Kiowa is a delight to fly, and we cannot get enough of it. Polychop, Kinkku, well done! You've shown everyone why PC are the kings of helicopters in DCS. MISSION CAPABILITIES If you come into the Kiowa thinking it will be as capable and/or well-armed as an Apache or Hind, well, you are not going to enjoy what I have to say. The OH-58D Kiowa Warrior's main role is that of a scout and observer. To understand this, one has to understand where the Kiowa comes from. It is essentially the militarized version of the Bell 206 that initially entered service during the Vietnam War in the late 1960s, one which has seen a plethora of modifications throughout the years going from the OH-58A to the OH-58D, and some prototypes here and there. It was meant to be an observer aircraft capable of directing artillery fire and performing Aerial Forward Air Controller (AFAC) duties. It was never meant to be an attack helicopter. With that being said, the version we have is a OH-58D from around 2012-2016, one of the last versions ever to see service with the U.S. Army. It includes a fully digital/glass cockpit, as well as INS/GPS navigation, advanced survivability equipment and the iconic Mast Mounted Sight (MMS). This also includes a first for DCS, a set of functional airbags upon crash! This bird is capable of performing AFAC duties sublimely, as well as enacting its own light-attack missions thanks to the use of the MMS in conjunction with the laser guided weaponry it can carry. Additionally, it can perform these duties during the day and night, thanks to its modifications that made night flying a breeze for pilots. This bird does excel in low-threat environments similar to those in which it saw most of its action, such as Afghanistan and even Iraq. Thanks to its ability to equip relatively cheap weaponry, as well as having a low operational cost, this bird was a soldier's ally when it came down to receiving Close Air Support (CAS). It might not be as famous as its bigger brother, the AH-64D Apache, but it certainly saw plenty of action and is an aircraft cherished by those that flew it and those it protected on the ground. ARMAMENT M3P .50 CAL MACHINE GUN One of your main means of sharing your love with your enemies. 500 rounds max, 100 min. M260 HYDRA ROCKET PODS Your classic 70mm rocket pods capable of carrying 7 rockets each, from guided to unguided rockets. MAX of 2 pods for a total of 14 Hydra rockets that come in two unguided types: M151 10 pound HE rockets M229 17 pound HE rockets M151 ADVANCED PRECISION KILL WEAPON SYSTEM ROCKETS The laser guided version of the M151 10 pound rockets. They are accurate, lighter than Hellfires, and you can carry a total of 14 of these in two pods (7 per pod). AGM-114K HELLFIRE MISSILE The most capable long range weapon that the Kiowa can carry, this missile will delete everything you point your laser at. You can carry two per pylon for a total of 4 missiles, but that set-up is not recommended. Instead, carry two of these alongside a rocket pod or your trusty .50 cal. FIM-92 STINGER MISSILE The Kiowa can also defend itself in the air-to-air arena, all thanks to the Stingers. These missiles can be equipped in pairs for a theoretical total of 4 missiles, but that is a set-up we wouldn't recommend. M4 CARBINE A first in DCS, you are able to whip out your trusty 5.56 carbine and throw lead out the door. You have a total of 5 mags with 30 rounds each, for a total of 150 rounds. It can only be used by the left seater. This is also VR compatible! M18 SMOKE GRENADE A Kiowa-classic, the M18 smoke grenade can be tossed out of the window or door to mark objectives during a fly-by. It comes in these colors: Blue, Green, Red, Violet, White and Yellow. EASE OF USE AND LEARNING CURVE This is one of if not the easiest helicopter to fly in DCS thanks to its predictable flight dynamics, as well as its stable yet very fun flight profile. It is not as complex to fly as the Apache, but not as simple and analog as the OH-6A Cayuse. We think it is the ideal starter helicopter for those that want to take a step up from all the flyable helicopter mods. Having issues? Then you have to have seen these airbags pop! Additionally, this module comes with an AI-Pilot! This system can fly the helicopter for you in a number of situations, including hovering in relatively strong winds and even navigation from waypoint to waypoint. If you are a solo-pilot, you can rely on this system to keep that hover for you while you employ your weapon systems at a distance. It is easy to manage and very reliable, so it can only add to the accessibility that this module already has. IS THIS AIRCRAFT FOR YOU? If what you want in a module is: A wonderfully crafted flight model. A unique experience while flying. To be able to spot for your friends that only fly fixed-wing. To fly the most enjoyable helicopter in DCS. If you don't mind: Not having 16 Hellfires under your wings. Being relatively slow compared to other helos. Having fun. See above. If all or some of the above is what you want, then Polychop's OH-58D Kiowa Warrier is for you.

World War II multicrew night raids against vital supply lines In the overall landscape of aviation worlds on the  VRChat  platform, the most common types of experiences available revolve around 3rd or 4th generation combat aircraft and quick player versus player gameplay. Because of this, worlds like  BlackCats: Maritime Interdictor  by  5Sori  stand out. On the surface it is mainly because they are player versus environment experiences that benefit from players working together. Going deeper, it is the build quality and concept behind the world that gives it a special place among its peers. Development BlackCats: Maritime Interdictor is a World War II era VRChat aviation world based on Pacific Theater of war operations. Specifically on notable operations of the "Black Cats", US Navy patrol squadrons who flew nighttime combat missions against Imperial Japanese Navy throughout the war. Their Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina amphibious flying boats painted in black became an iconic part of their image. 5Sori, the world creator / developer first posted a video about development of this world in  October 5th, 2024   with them acknowledging their inspiration for starting development was the "Black Cats" mission from Call of Duty: World at War (2008). They had previously 3D modelled a PBY-5 for sale and use in VRChat, so creation of this world fit the aircraft they had modeled perfectly. Development and private testing continued while the developer also worked on other project. The Black Cats world was released to the public on May 31st, 2025. The Setting Players are tasked with flying their aircraft into battle against flotillas of NPC controlled transport ships with Nakajima A6M2-N Rufe aircraft in the airspace. The transports have multiple gun positions and searchlights to spot attackers and increase the accuracy of anti-aircraft fire. Upon loading into the world, players spawn in a tent in the middle of an island military base. Within the tent is a briefing room to explain the concept of the world, handheld models of vehicles seen in the world and options to control in-game settings. A map with a compass rose somewhat doubles as a radar system, as it identifies the general locations of far-off enemy forces and shows the positions of allies. This table is useful for speaking to aircrews in flight, monitoring the battle space and choosing which vehicles to spawn in mid-flight to join others while they are in combat. This is a good starting point to give players that will be flying a general idea of what is happening in the surrounding area, while players that remain on the ground can give navigation assistance via the radio system if needed. Outside of the tent is a small airfield with limited support facilities like hangars, support buildings and a tower mounted radar. There is also a steel grate runway and smooth beaches that allow players to operate their aircraft purely in the ocean or from land.  Aircraft can return to the island for repair, refuel and rearming by landing in the sea or on land, or flying low over the island for a much faster resupply process. Honestly though landing on the ocean is recommended as the aircraft is designed for that. The world creator has a good set of animations for the aircraft on water, retractable floats and the audio of landing on the water and travelling on water are good parts of the experience. The Aircraft Players have access to two PBY-5 Catalinas housed in the hangar. Each PBY-5 is equipped with a surface search radar to find the convoys of transport ships. The first aircraft is equipped with two air launched torpedoes and the second with six unguided bombs. It is possible for a player to fly on their own and be successful in completing this PVE scenario, but it is made much easier with the inclusion of more players. Why is this? Besides the pilot and co-pilot seats, each aircraft has four gunner positions. The pilot has authority to launch torpedoes or drop bombs and has control over a pair of nose mounted 20mm cannons. The nose gunner is also particularly important as they have a bombsight that is used for level bombing at altitude if the pilot and nose gunner work together. Coming into a fight with multiple crewmen in gunner positions is ideal, but there is a second, albeit more physically involved option.  In a somewhat amazing feat, players can also leave their seat stations mid-flight, walk to a different part of the aircraft and take up a new position. This is an extremely rare ability for the SaccFlight system in VRChat. Few aircraft have colliders that stop players from phasing through vehicles. Even fewer let players be able to leave a seat station while in flight without them being flung around the aircraft. It would be interesting to see the Unity code that made this possible. The flight model of each Catalina is more forgiving and arcade-like than the real-world example, but not to a point that you will be performing fighter jet-like maneuvers with little to no danger. Also, the aircraft is able to receive a decent amount of gunfire before exploding, making consistent attacks against convoys a viable tactic. While staying in a rolling gun fight is fun for entertainment, the most effective way to attack is of course slashing attacks through the convoy not remaining within its range of attack for extended periods of time. Examples of combat in the world. The Experience While airborne the pilot of each Catalina wanders the ocean searching for radar contacts on the water's surface. Because of the nighttime setting and the haze over the water, the radar is the best way to detect potential targets farther than players can visually spot them.  Upon finding and approaching these transports, their spotlights activate to find the Catalinas and direct anti-aircraft fire onto them. The ships themselves are not easily destroyed. If only relying on machine guns and cannons, the transports take a substantial amount of damage before they explode. Specific parts of each vessel, like the searchlight and anti-aircraft guns, can be targeted and disabled making follow up attacks easier.  The occasional intercept by small numbers of A6M2-N Rufe complicates the players’ attacks. Of course, a Catalina being attacked by a much more maneuverable aircraft that can pursue them a moderate distance is a genuine problem, but it seems as though the seaplane escort fighters are susceptible to the anti-aircraft from their own ships. So it is possible for them to be destroyed while pursuing the Catalinas.  The most effective means of attack are of course torpedoes and unguided bombs, each of those capable of sinking a vessel in just one or two successful hits. Though their ammunition is realistically limited and their accuracy is not guaranteed. Learning how to lead a target with slow moving torpedoes or drop bombs onto a moving target while in a dive or flying straight and level is a key part of the experience. With there being no chart for ideal airspeed and altitudes available, players will be learning this literally on the fly. Lost at Sea A few flight sessions ago, a pair of Skyward staff members were stuck in a rare moment in VRChat aviation. This is not a standard occurrence that everyone who tries this world out should expect, but the story contributes to the uniqueness of this world. The pair of staff members became genuinely lost at sea. After multiple engagements pursuing transports as they appeared, the two flew for nearly 30 minutes unable to spot their home base visually or via radar. The first reason this is so unusual for VRCA is because it is easy to navigate back to other players because their nametags, when visible, show where clusters of players are located. Secondly, the terrain of these worlds usually give plenty of landmarks that can be used to return to known airfields. Getting lost in a world that does not use the Open World Movement Logic system by Zhakami Zhako is exceedingly rare. However, out on the open ocean with no land to refer to and no other players back at base to use as navigation beacons, their PBY-5 Catalina was lost for almost 30 minutes. Capitalizing on this rare occurrence, the two attempted to navigate back until they hit the world border. Using this artificial landmark to triangulate their position, they eventually made it back to base with no ammunition and a dwindling fuel supply. A truly VRChat style solution to a VRChat style problem. After finding two edges of the world border, the lost PBY-5 cut to a 45 degree angle to return to base. Closing Thoughts Black Cats - Maritime Interdictor is a bit of a shining example of what is possible with player vs environment VRChat aviation worlds. A seemingly basic premise of hunting down ships navigating through the night can become a dynamic experience with a crew of up to 6 players per aircraft coordinating their efforts. We recommend giving it a try soon.  Connect with 'BlackCats: Maritime Interdictor' VRChat.com (all options) World Quick Launch Link World Creator, 5Sori (X.com) 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 Staff Profile ]

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