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“Hello Bruce”
And with those words, a dozen turrets rise from the floor, and begin firing. My suit is pelted with bullets, and before a full system failure occurs, I leap through the window, a bloodied mess. I press my wrist, and the batwing flies to me, and I land in the cockpit.
I have the batwing autopilot itself to Wayne Tower, and it drops me off at the helipad. I begin to crawl to the penthouse, leaving a bloody trail behind me. Alfred sees me, and opens the door. He runs over to me, and picks me up and throws me over his shoulder.
He brings me into the safe room, and lays me on the medbay. He injects an Iv into my arm, and everything goes black.
I slowly open my eyes, and try to get up, but the pain is too much. I scream in agony as Alfred rushes into the room. He's followed by a Woman in a blazer and brown boots. Selina Kyle.
“What happened, Alfred?”
“You were shot Sir, multiple places. If it wasn't for the suit, you'd be dead by now.”
I look to my left to see the dented and destroyed piece of scrap I used to call a suit.
“Mr. Lynns has used the time you've been out to make a replacement. Several modifications are in place as well.”
Selina turns to me.
“Can you give us a moment, Alfred?”
She says. And with that, Alfred leaves the safe room.
“Why are you here Selina.”
“Alfred called me, he said you might not make it. You've been out for almost three weeks Bruce. I can't begin to know how four bullet wounds feels.”
“I don't need your sympa-”
Alfred bursts into the room.
“Sir, you may want to see this.”
I roll out of the bed, a grab the cane next to my bed. I limp out into the main room to see the news on.
“Breaking news, Bruce Wayne's previous residence, and the house of the Wayne legacy, Wayne manor, has been attacked. It seems that there were four explosives placed in the estate, and they were set off today. At first we suspected this to be a terrorist attack, but with evidence released by Commissioner James Gordon, it seems that an ex-Wayne Tech employee, Abner Krill, has attempted to murder Bruce Wayne. We have confirmation that Bruce was in his penthouse on Wayne Tower when the attack occurred. Stay tuned for upcoming details.”
I turn the TV off, and stare at the painting of my parents and I. We all seemed so happy then. I turn my head to the left to see the old photograph of Gotham from Wayne Tower. It was so bright. So clean and refined. Something that this Gotham cannot be right now.
But maybe in time, I can restore it to its former glory. Maybe in time.
Luna loved it. And I had a fun flashback to a piece I wrote for WIRED about the value of peering into the black boxes of our world.
Given all the talk of automotive semiconductor shortages, I curious to investigate the Tesla Autopilot module to which we have trusted our lives these past years. Here is a peek into the Model 3 HW2.5 module, from VIN0005.
What we found: A magic box with liquid cooling tubes dripping a blue fluid. Inside are two circuit boards with thermal paste (grey and pink) connecting the processors on each board to the metal cooling plate that runs through the center.
Tesla designed a custom liquid-cooled dual-computing platform with the Autopilot ECU and Infotainment MCU on two boards in the same module.
There are two Nvidia Parker SoCs, one Nvidia Pascal GPU and one Infineon TriCore CPU. The autopilot ECU board has 4,681 components. It also has an Intel Atom processor, NXP and Infineon for the microcontrollers, Micron Technology, Samsung and SK Hynix memory and STMicroelectronics audio amplifiers.
For the circuit boards, I’ll add descriptions of major parts, and feel free to add more part IDs to them.
Autopilot (hxdb remix)
yay day 300. Glad I made it to this point, albeit a bit late hehe. I was gonna try to do something special, but I didn't find the time. Got a big two weeks ahead of me...
so this'll have to do. me on the phone, getting some big plans on lockdown. muahaha
The SpaceX Falcon 9 wins the Tech Achievement Crunchie, and Tesla Autopilot was the runner up!
I accepted on behalf of Elon. Here is the video from last night and here is something I wrote about the value of being able to recover the Falcon 9 booster for reuse. And here is the backstage interview afterward that covered the future of space, Planet Labs, and the Mars Colonial Transporter.
Top Board: Autopilot ECU backside — faces away from heat sink, so few heat sources here
• Three big brackets for the NVIDIA chips on the other side
• Various ON Semi chips
Bottom Board: Infotainment MCU — faces heat sink, so that’s where you find Intel :)
• Daughter card on top has four Micron memory chips and an Intel Atom A3950 (4 CPU + 18 GPU cores).
• Bottom right edge: Micro USB card with all my phone use history and SIM card for cellular (I wonder what that could be used for?)
A pretty interesting Canberra this. Built as a B(I)8 in 1956, WT333 was delivered, new, to Marshall's of Cambridge for trials installation of the Smith's Mk 19 autopilot as well as power rudder stabiliser trials. Shortly afterwards (a few months) it was transferred to the Royal Aircraft Establishment's Armament Department for LABS development and flight trials (Low Altitude Bombing System).
In 1959, WT333 was transferred once again, this time to the charge of Controller (Aircraft) and, in 1958, at the Aircraft & Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) it took part in rocket firing trials with the Microcell unguided missile system.
Around 1964 it returned to Marshall's for a major overhaul before going to BAC Warton in 1965 to take part in flight trials involving drop tanks. A&AEE carried out flight clearance for drop tanks in 1966. In the same year, WT333 was sent to 12 Joint Services Trials Unit at Edinburgh Field (Australia) where it undertook a series of weapons trials before returning to the Radar Research Establishment at Pershaw for "Sky Flash" missile homing head development in 1969.
1970 saw this B(I)8 being put into strorage at 27 MU RAF Shawbury. where it languished until 1976 when it was removed from store and modified into a "long nose" B.6 - the "nose" fitted came from Canberra WK135. It was flown to RAE Bedford in 1977.
Those Robbers landed on pretty much the only flat spot on the mall's rooftop. Everywhere else there's either an uneasy incline, some ventilation or A/C-heating units, or skylights. Thank almighty spaghetti monster for autopilot, as Adam would probably say. The WhirlyBird hovers a good 10 feet above the mall roof and we just drop down. Before heading in we pull the line they used to drop in back up since we can't cut through it. Some kind of heavy-duty rappelling line not unlike the lines in our grapple guns. I also plant a tracker on the helicopter in case they find a way back up here. Could be a fire exit we missed or something. After that we drop down through the same skylight they dropped down through and walk into panic. We're on the third level it looks like and everyone's trampling over each other to get to lower levels and out of here. Two of them are in the Jewelery shop to my left, one in the Rolex shop next door, and one in the Apple Store to my right. Steph runs to the Apple store so I head to the Jewelery shop. The instant I walk in the pink mask says "oh crap" or something. Didn't really catch it because I was too busy watching that SMG he was lifting up. Before he fires off a single shot I throw a shuriken. He dodges. Pretty good, that was a fast one I threw at him. It was a good enough distraction, though. Before he could lift his gun back up I grab his forearm with my arm like I'm trying to choke his arm out...if that makes any sense. Still holding his arm in my arm, I spin to get to white mask behind him. I hear the pink mask's gun drop and him yell out in pain. Must be twisting his arm. Or breaking it. As I'm trying to get a hold of the white mask, I notice something; his suit is kinda different from the pink mask's one, and what was reported. No-one said anything about pinstripes. We have the identity of three of the robbers. Is this guy the the forth one we're missing?....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When we jumped in, I remember seeing Jackie across the walkway running to the scene. Got here just in time. I took the closest robber next to me in the Apple store. Tim and Jackie can decide between the Jewelery and Rolex stores. I run in and see a robber in a blue mask filling a bag with iPhones, Macs, whatever overpriced junk was on the tables. Can't believe there's people who pay like over $800 of their parent's money for a phone that bends in their pockets. But wait....I bought my phone with Bruce's money... Wow, I'm horrible. Whatever. I made myself known and the robber cusses out on sight. I instantly recognized his voice. Edward Van Meter, the teacher back as Morris Bench Industrial. It was pretty much confirmed I was right to start with, but it feels really good when you have something like this to show how right you are. I see him pull out his pistol and instinctively activate my staff's shield. He wastes an entire clip. Hard to believe these guys are bigtime high-profile robbers when this guy's such an amateur. The time he wastes reloading is all I'll need to get some revenge. Hey, if you saw the bruise on my shoulder he gave me, you'd want some payback, too....
Originally I wanted to name this shot "look Ma, no hands!" but just out of curiosity I looked up images on Flickr with that title and I got about 5000 results. So, no thank you =)
But this is the shot I've tried to do a couple of days ago and it almost killed me as I swerved off onto the street, luckily there was no car behind me..
Another day, another street, another try.
Day 141. These new Boris bikes now provide more opportunities for cyclists not to pay attention to other road users. I'm just saying...
So in this photo, it appears as though I am restoring the UP (CNW) route for autopilot. When a train was to arrive here, the operator was called from home and would then show up. You would then call the chief on the phone and let him know you're there and they would call back shortly and let you know of the trains arrival. West Chicago would also let you know when the train went west, and vice-versa. The date was July 3rd, 2001. Jason Tykac or my dads photo I believe.
Unfortunately, it was night time so the view into UP/Metras Barrington yard isn't visible.
The colored levers marked "East" & "West" were out of service train order levers. I had no idea what they were for when I worked there because the levers had "E" and "W" instead of 19 & 20, which is where they sat in the bed. Once I learned more about train orders & T.O. signals, I figured it out.
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…the true Armstrong hero.
At Kelly's house, I had the chance to ask him a question about the first landing on the moon that provoked a response that seemed poignant and awe-inspiring.
I asked him, of all of the systems and stages of the mission, which did he worry about the most? He had spoken about the frequently failing autopilot... the reliance on a global network of astronomers to spot solar flares in time to get the warning out... the onboard computers being less powerful than a Furby...
No, none of those. He dove into a detailed description of the hypergolic fuel mixing system for the lunar module. Rather than an ignition system, they had two substances that would ignite upon contact. Instead of electric valves, he wished he had a big simple mechanical lever to open the valves. He kept using his hands to show how easy a big lever could be.
That seemed a bit odd to me at first. So, I asked if he gave that answer because it really was the most likely point of failure, or because it symbolizes a vivid nightmare – having completed the moon mission, pushing the button... and the engines just wont start.
He responded that he had nightmares about that for two years prior to the launch.
It’s a setup for a sequence of tough decisions. What would you do? Go for a long walk? Spend your remaining moments on the radio with loved ones? Have one volunteer try to hotwire it from outside…. Ask Buzz for his air...?
And then, during the Apollo 11 mission, guess what happened? The critical ascent switch broke! Buzz Aldrin later wrote: "A few hours earlier, after we returned to the LM interior once completing the first lunar moon walk, I noticed that the ascent engine arming breaker push/pull switch was broken. Apparently during movement wearing our large space suit 'backpacks,' either Neil or I bumped into this panel and broke off that particular switch. This switch was the direct means of arming our Ascent Stage engine which would allow us to leave the lunar surface. Mission Control verified that the switch was open, meaning that the engine was currently unarmed. If we could not get the engine armed, we would be stranded on the Moon. They advised us to leave the switch in the open position until the timeline called for it to be engaged. I started to think of ways to activate the switch if pushing it by hand failed. As it turned out, the very pen I used to record these notes was the perfect tool to engage this circuit breaker."
And a revelation from one Neil Armstrong's last, and rare interviews that I discovered while researching the Eagle construction log — prior to launch, he thought there was only a 50% chance of successfully landing on the moon, but that they should go for it.
Happy birthday, hero of humanity.
I was on my way to work in a somewhat still sleepy haze . . . driving on autopilot as you sometimes do when suddenly I awakened!
I have gotten in the habit of looking down almost every street I pass (when stationary of course), just in case there is a VW lurking somewhere as was the case with my Dak Dak find, infact I now look down that street every day out of habit to see if it's still there, weird I know!
On this particular morning the traffic had come to a stop just one street ahead of where Dak Dak resides and I did a double take for there in the distance I spotted another Kombi, a blue one with a white roof. I can't believe how many I am finding!
I had my Nikon with me but it would have meant turning around in the opposite direction and being very late for work, something that wasn't an option, so I grabbed a quick shot through the window of the car with my iPhone (see pic in comments) and I hoped it would still be there on my way home, but it wasn't and hasn't reappeared since. I guess theres no time like the present!
All was not completely lost for later that same day Ray phoned me at work . . . 'Did you get my photo?' he asked. I checked my phone and was so excited when I saw what he had found!
With Ray being just a big part of this project as I am, and seeing as he spends most of his day on the road, I have armed him with my little Lumix and a license to shoot . . . VW's that is! He's not a photographer or really even into photography, but he's always such a huge supporter of me and my passions.
Not only was I impressed by what he found but I was even more touched that took the time to stop in order to take a few extra shots other than those with his phone and chat to the barista onboard too . . . the result . . . this wonderful capture, a matt black 1967 Split Screen Kombi named Mr Deluxe, hence the name on the side of the van!
From the back of this vintage coffee van, an experienced barista operates the Mazza Grinder and Wega coffee machine onboard and on offer is D'Angelo coffee, organic Barambah milk and if you're not sweet enough, Panela organic sugar . . . and for the non-caffeine lovers Mr Deluxe also offers Mork dark salted drinking chocolate! Now this is a Kombi you want to follow!
Mr Deluxe is available for hire for markets, weddings, festivals, parties and just about any event! One very cool Kombi, one very cool find and one amazing husband! Thank you Ray!
I think he did a great job of capturing this awesome find and I had thought of pairing this one with fresh coffee beans but I quite liked it with this capture I took recently at one of our fav cafes . . . what a team!
The inner heat sink plate. The messy grey rectangles are thermal paste to couple processors and hot chips to the liquid cooling running through the center.
PictionID:54636021 - Catalog:14_035074 - Title:GD/Astronautics Details: Advanced Autopilot Modules and Asembly Date: 12/14/1967 - Filename:14_035074.tif - ---- Images from the Convair/General Dynamics Astronautics Atlas Negative Collection. The processing, cataloging and digitization of these images has been made possible by a generous National Historical Publications and Records grant from the National Archives and Records Administration---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum
I set out toward a distant place. I get into the car and drive. I
know where I’m going, so I take the highway, turn on the music,
and arrive.
And what was there for me along the way?
Nothing. The road held no meaning,
because I was on autopilot.
That’s the way I learned to live.
So I take off my autopilot shoes
and leave them
by the side of the road.
I choose to look at everything, to experience it all,
and to understand that everything
can be seen and understood in countless ways,
without limits.
Sortir du pilote automatique
Je pars vers un lieu lointain. Je monte dans la voiture et je roule. Je
sais où je vais, alors je prends l’autoroute, je mets de la musique,
et j’arrive.
Et qu’y avait-il pour moi en chemin ?
Rien. La route n’avait pas de sens,
car j’étais en pilote automatique.
C’est ainsi que j’ai appris à vivre.
Alors j’enlève mes chaussures de pilote automatique
et les laisse
au bord de la route.
Je choisis de regarder chaque chose, de tout ressentir,
et de comprendre que tout
peut être vu et compris de mille façons,
sans limites.
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last week, I had the privilege to sit in the cocpit of a Transavia Boeing 737-800, while my litle brother (he is 12 years younger) and the captain flew the aircraft to Barcelona and back
Given all the talk of automotive semiconductor shortages, I was curious to investigate the Tesla Autopilot module to which we have trusted our lives these past years. Here is a peek into the Model 3 HW2.5 module, from VIN0005.
What we found: A magic box with liquid cooling tubes dripping a blue fluid. Inside are two circuit boards with thermal paste (grey and pink) connecting the processors on each board to the metal cooling plate that runs through the center.
Tesla designed a custom liquid-cooled dual-computing platform with the Autopilot ECU and Infotainment MCU on two boards in the same module.
There are two Nvidia Parker SoCs, one Nvidia Pascal GPU and one Infineon TriCore CPU. The autopilot ECU board has 4,681 components. It also has an Intel Atom processor, NXP and Infineon for the microcontrollers, Micron Technology, Samsung and SK Hynix memory and STMicroelectronics audio amplifiers.
For the circuit boards, I’ll add descriptions of major parts, and feel free to add more part IDs to them.
Richard Russell’s Full Transcript with Air Traffic Control
Richard “Beebo” Russell SkyKing Tribute Page
[INAUDIBLE FIRST TRANSMISSION from RICHARD RUSSELL] 0:05:35 Everyone standing by for departure, just hold - hold on with me for a second. 0:09:30 Man, I'm a ground service agent. I don't know what that is. 0:10:51 ... start it up, n' get it to go. Uh, a couple hours I guess. But um, yeah I wouldn't know how to land it. I wasn't really plannin' on landin' it. 0:11:15 ... [INAUDIBLE] on or is this some guy who knows all about it? 0:11:23 ... knows how to fly one of those aircraft but uh, we'll see what we can do and get you in contact with somebody. 0:11:29 Alrighty. Um, yeah I just kinda wanna do a couple maneuvers - see what it can do before I put her down, ya know? 0:15:52 - [INAUDIBLE] can uh reach out to you a little easier. - [INAUDIBLE] a little bit. 0:15:57 I'm sorry. Say that again? 0:15:58 Sorry. I, um, my mic came - came up. I threw up a little bit. 0:16:03 Uh. Ya know. I, uh. Hold o- ah shoot! [CAUTION ALARM] 0:16:09 Man, I'm sorry about this. I hope this doesn't ruin your day. 0:17:06 ... just flyin' the plane around. Do you seem comfortable with that? 0:17:10 Oh hell yeah! It's a blast, man. I've played video games before so I uh, ya know, I know what I'm doin' a little bit. 0:17:17 OK. And uh, and you can see all the terrain around you. Uh, you've got no issue with visibility or anything? 0:17:24 Naw. Everything's peachy. Peachy clean. Just did a little circle around Ranier; it's beautiful. Um, I think I got some gas to go check out uh, the Olympics and uh, yeah. 0:17:38 OK and, and Rich, do you know uh, are you able to tell what altitude you're at? 0:19:06 I threw up all inside of it! It's bad. 0:20:02 ... back and join. I was thinkin' about it and then uh - probably a good thing I didn't. 0:20:58 Yeah, that's all mumbo ju— I have no idea what all that means. I wouldn't know how to, um, punch it in. I'm, I'm uh, off autopilot. 0:21:30 ... me to the jets? 0:21:31 No, I'm not takin' you to any jets. I'm actually keepin' ya away from aircraft that are tryin' to land at SeaTac. 0:21:37 Oh, okay! Yeah, yeah I don't wanna screw with that. I'm glad uh, I'm glad you're not uh, ya know, screwin' up everyone else's day... on account of me. 0:22:55 I'm uh, I'm down to 2100. I started at like 30-something. 0:23:00 [BACKGROUND "... one hundred pounds of fuel"] Rich, you said you had two thousand one hundred pounds of fuel left? 0:23:06 Yeah, uh, I don't know what the burn— burnage, burnout is like on uh, uh, on take off. But uh, yeah it burned quite a bit faster than I expected. 0:23:27 There is the uh, the runway just off your right side in about a mile. Do you see that? That's the uh, that's the uh, that's McCord uh Field. 0:23:37 Oh, man! Those guys would rough me up if I uh, tried landin' there. I think I'd, I think I might mess something up there too. I wouldn't wanna do that. 0:23:45 I'll hopefully... Oh! They've probably got anti-aircraft. 0:23:49 No, they, they don't have any of that stuff. Uh, we, we're just tryin' to find a place for you to land safely. 0:23:56 Yeah, not quite ready to bring it down just yet but holy smokes! I gotta, I gotta stop looking at the fuel 'cause it's going down quick! 0:24:05 OK, Rich, if ya could. Could you start a left hand turn and we'll take you down to the southeast please? 0:24:14 This is probably, uh, like jail time for life, huh? I... I mean I would hope it is for a guy like me? 0:24:19 Well, Rich, we're not, we're not going to worry or think about that but could you start a left hand turn please? 0:24:35 ... and he's gonna try and help you out here a little bit, okay? 0:24:55 ... and I think you might have some questions. Rich, if, uh, I've got a pilot on with us and if ya got any questions, you can ask him now. 0:25:04 Hey, uh. Well first off, you're a little - little breakin' up a bit. Um, maybe I'm too far away. What's the distance on this frequency? 0:25:40 Uh, you are a very calm, collect voice. [CAUTION TERRAIN - CAUTION TERRAIN] 0:26:30 ... hundred, apparently he's a, a grounds crewman with Horizon I guess. And uh, right now he's just flyin' around and uh, he just needs some help controlling his aircraft. 0:26:49 Naw, I mean, I don't need that much help. I've played some video games before. Uh, I would like to figure out how to get this cabin altitude, like I know where the box is. I would like to get some uh, make it, make it pressurized or something so I'm not so lightheaded. 0:27:06 Rich, what's your altitude? 0:28:00 Yeah, I don't know anything, uh, I don't know anything about the autopilot. I'm just kinda hand flyin' right now. 0:28:06 OK. Do you know how fast you're goin'? 0:28:32 ... um, minimum wage. We'll, we'll chalk it up to that. Maybe that'll uh, grease the gears a little bit with the higher ups - maybe uh, yeah. 0:30:31 I think I lost you behind the [INAUDIBLE] a little, but I'm comin' back up. 0:31:25 [INAUDIBLE] somethings in my ear. 0:31:39 Damn it, Andrew! People's lives are at stake here! 0:31:44 Now, Rich. Don't, don't say stuff like that. 0:31:47 Naw, I told you. I'm not, I don't wanna hurt no one. 0:31:50 I just want you to whisper sweet nothings into my ear. 0:32:41 ... would that be than trying to land it? Like, I know how to put the landing gear down. 0:33:15 Put your uh, your power at probably fifty percent. That'd be the two top gauges right in the center on that glass display there. And then, press, uh, well tell me uh, do your power at fifty percent or tell me what you got. 0:33:34 Yeah I got it like [INAUDIBLE] idle. 0:33:37 Well that's too slow. Bring it up to like fifty. 0:34:15 ... other side on the bottom that says HDG and it's got a little blue M on it. You can crank that around and uh... And uh, you know what? Tell ya what. Let's just do this. Um. Push... you see the HDG... HDG button right by that little thumb wheel? 0:35:37 ... know you could do that with these things! Uh, so what would, if you were to do it, how would you do it? 0:35:44 Well I'd try to figure out how to use the autopilot first. 0:35:55 Not concentrate so much on flying the airplane. 0:35:57 Hey. You think if I land this successfully, uh, Alaska will give me a job as a pilot? 0:36:03 Uh, you know, I think they would give you a job doin' anything if you could pull this off. 0:36:07 Yeah, right! 0:36:10 Naw. I'm a white guy. They... 0:37:38 Yeah [INAUDIBLE], man. Hey, FAA guy Andrew. Are you on? 0:37:41 Yeah, I'm still here, Rich. 0:38:14 ...ad but, kinda not either. 0:38:19 ...[INAUDIBLE] uh, if you wanted to land, probably the best bet is that runway just ahead and to your left. Again, that's uh McCord Field. Um, if you wanted to try that might be the best way to set up and see if you can land there. 0:38:35 Or just like the pilot suggested, another option would be over Puget Sound into the water. 0:38:41 Dang, uh. Did you talk to McCord yet? 'Cause I don't think I'd be happy with you telling me I could land like that 'cause I could mess some stuff up. [CAUTION ALARM] 0:38:51 Well, Rich. We already talked to 'em and uh, just like me, what we wanna see is you not get hurt or anybody else get hurt. So like I said, if you wanna try to land that's probably the best place to go. 0:39:05 Hey, I want the coordinates of that orca with the... you know the mama orca with the baby? I wanna go see that guy. 0:40:11 Behind you there's another aircraft. Would you be willing to talk to them? If they're on the frequency and maybe they can help you land? 0:40:32 [INAUDIBLE] back and [INAUDIBLE] water. Hey, what's that airport right there behind me? Like to my left. 0:40:40 OK, Rich. Well first of all we just need you to keep flying the aircraft so if you could just stay there and keep flying the aircraft. The airc... the uh the airport you just passed over on your left, that's the uh Tacoma Narrows Airport. 0:40:54 I mean that's also an option if you wanna try and go there but uh, like I said earlier, McCord that's a bigger runway if you wanted to try to land there 0:41:25 [INAUDIBLE] disgusting, one sec. 0:41:29. Hey, Rich. This is Captain Bill here. We're still listening. My airplane's doin' just fine. How's yours? 0:42:32 He said it would be a better option I think if he tried to land it or even land it on it on the water 0:42:38 Yeah 0:42:41 Hey, is that pilot on? 0:42:43 I wanna know, uh, what this weather's gonna be like at the Olympics. 0:42:47 Um, if you can see the Olympics, the weather's good. 0:42:49 I can see the Olympics from my window and it looks pretty good over there. 0:42:54 Alright 'cause I didn't - I didn't um. It felt like turbulence around Ranier but there was no clouds hardly. 0:43:01 Oh that's just the wind blowing over all the bumpy surfaces there. 0:43:06 Oh, copy that. 0:43:08 (inaudible) Rich, if ya could, uh, maybe start a left hand turn - start turning back around because if you get too close the the Olympics, uh, you won't be able to hear us anymore. 0:43:46 Turn back around here. Like I said, I just wanna keep talking to you and if you keep going towards the Olympic Mountains we won't be able to hear each other. 0:44:18 Turn back around so we can, uh, stay in contact with you. 0:44:21 ... for this issue to be resolved and then we can clear up the taxiways. 0:44:31 I got a lot of people that care about me, and uh... [CAUTION ALARMS] 0:44:35 It's gonna disappoint them, that, to hear that I did this, um... [CAUTION ALARMS] 0:44:42 I would like to apologize to each and every one of them. [CAUTION ALARMS] 0:44:45 um... [CAUTION ALARMS] 0:44:47 Just a broken guy... 0:44:50 Got a few screws loose, I guess. 0:44:52 Never really knew it - 'til now... 0:44:55 Um, just... ya know. 0:45:02 Going to, uh, come in here and start talking to Rich as well. 0:45:47 Is that pretty easy to come by? 0:46:11 Man! Have you been to the Olympics? These guys are gorgeous! Holy smokes. 0:46:16 Yeah I been out there. It's... it's... it's always a nice drive. 0:46:23 ... but ... 0:46:26 ... think I might have to [INAUDIBLE] here. 0:46:29 Yeah, uh, yeah, I bet you do. I haven't done much hiking over there. 0:46:34 And uh, but if ya could, if you could start a left turn and uh, turn back towards the east 0:46:40 I know you're gettin' a good view there but uh, if you go too much further in that direction I won't be able to hear you anymore. 0:46:47 Alrighty, um. Hey, pilot guy! Can this thing do a uh... a back flip you think? 0:47:39 ... gonna land it. 0:47:41 Um, like, uh... in a safe, safe kinda manner. 0:47:45 Think I'm uh, think I'm gonna try to do a barrel roll and if that goes good 0:47:49 then I'm just gonna nose down and call it a night. 0:47:55 Well, Rich, before you do that, let's think about this. 0:47:59 I got another, uh, pilot comin' up - Pilot Joel here - in just a minute or two, I hope. And, uh, we'll be able to give you some advice on what to do next. 0:49:46. We call it a bug. It's like a little (inaudible) rectangle. It's just somewhere around that compass. Do you see that? 0:50:00 Um, just kinda lightheaded, dizzy. Um, man! And ya know the sights went by so fast. Dude, I was thinkin' like gonna have this moment of serenity, ya know I'll be able to take all... in all the sights. Uh, it was a lot of pretty stuff but um, I think that they're prettier in a different context. 0:50:45 ... the right hand side, uh, above ya, on the right hand side. Air conditioning panel, you'll see it's a big panel. There's three switches along the top of it. Make sure all three of those switches are in the down position - facing the nose of the airplane. 0:54:05 ... where I've been at this whole time ... 0:54:07 OK, Rich. Thank you. 0:54:09 2500 to be exact. 0:54:11 OK, thank you. And do you have an idea of how much fuel you have left? 0:54:14 Uh, man! Not enough. Not enough to get by, uh, like, uh, 760 - 760 pounds. 0:54:56 - I'm... gonna do this barrel roll real quick. 0:55:01 - Uh, well no need to do that. If you could just start a turn to the right and then I'll tell ya when to stop turning and then you can keep it level from there. 0:55:46 - I wouldn't mind just shootin' the shit with you guys. But all business, ya know? 0:56:49 - I feel like need to be, what do you think, like 5000 feet at least to be able to pull this barrel roll off? 0:57:09 - [INAUDIBLE] you to get hurt either... Uh, if ya could. I see you're still turning to the right. You wanna maybe start making a turn back to the left a little bit? 0:57:20 - Just lemme know when you get him. (Alright) 0:57:51 - He'd be a hero if he could pull off a landing. 0:58:43 - Start another right hand turn. 0:59:18 - All right, Rich. This is Captain Bill. Congratulations. You, uh, did that. Now let's uh, let's try to land that airplane safely and not hurt anybody on the ground. 0:59:27 - All right... ah, damn it! I dunno, man! I dunno! I don't want to. I was kinda hoping that was gonna be it, ya know? [INSTRUMENT ALARMS] 1:01:18 - [INAUDIBLE] ... for long. I feel like one of my engines is going out or something. [FINAL TRANSMISSION] 1:01:22 - OK, Rich. Uh, if ya could, you just want to keep that plane right over the water - maybe keep the aircraft nice and low?
Some background:
The VF-1 was developed by Stonewell/Bellcom/Shinnakasu for the U.N. Spacy by using alien Overtechnology obtained from the SDF-1 Macross alien spaceship. Its production was preceded by an aerodynamic proving version of its airframe, the VF-X. Unlike all later VF vehicles, the VF-X was strictly a jet aircraft, built to demonstrate that a jet fighter with the features necessary to convert to Battroid mode was aerodynamically feasible. After the VF-X's testing was finished, an advanced concept atmospheric-only prototype, the VF-0 Phoenix, was flight-tested from 2005 to 2007 and briefly served as an active-duty fighter from 2007 to the VF-1's rollout in late 2008, while the bugs were being worked out of the full-up VF-1 prototype (VF-X-1).
The space-capable VF-1's combat debut was on February 7, 2009, during the Battle of South Ataria Island - the first battle of Space War I - and remained the mainstay fighter of the U.N. Spacy for the entire conflict. Introduced in 2008, the VF-1 would be out of frontline service just five years later, though.
The VF-1 proved to be an extremely capable craft, successfully combating a variety of Zentraedi mecha even in most sorties, which saw UN Spacy forces significantly outnumbered. The versatility of the Valkyrie design enabled the variable fighter to act as both large-scale infantry and as air/space superiority fighter. The signature skills of U.N. Spacy ace pilot Maximilian Jenius exemplified the effectiveness of the variable systems as he near-constantly transformed the Valkyrie in battle to seize advantages of each mode as combat conditions changed from moment to moment.
The basic VF-1 was deployed in four minor variants (designated A, D, J, and S) and its success was increased by continued development of various enhancements including the GBP-1S "Armored" Valkyrie, FAST Pack "Super" Valkyrie and the additional RÖ-X2 heavy cannon pack weapon system for the VF-1S for additional firepower.
The FAST Pack system was designed to enhance the VF-1 Valkyrie variable fighter, and the initial V1.0 came in the form of conformal pallets that could be attached to the fighter’s leg flanks for additional fuel – primarily for Long Range Interdiction tasks in atmospheric environment. Later FAST Packs were designed for space operations.
After the end of Space War I, the VF-1 continued to be manufactured both in the Sol system and throughout the UNG space colonies. Although the VF-1 would be replaced in 2020 as the primary Variable Fighter of the U.N. Spacy by the more capable, but also much bigger, VF-4 Lightning III, a long service record and continued production after the war proved the lasting worth of the design.
The versatile aircraft also underwent constant upgrade programs, leading to improved versions like the VF-1N and P. For instance, about a third of all VF-1 Valkyries were upgraded with Infrared Search and Track (IRST) systems from 2016 onwards. Many Valkyries also received improved radar warning systems, with receivers, depending on the systems, mounted on the wing-tips, on the fins and/or on the LERXs. Improved ECM measures were also mounted on some machines, typically in conformal fairings on the flanks of the legs/engine pods.
The VF-1 was without doubt the most recognizable variable fighter of Space War I and was seen as a vibrant symbol of the U.N. Spacy even into the first year of the New Era 0001 in 2013. At the end of 2015 the final rollout of the VF-1 was celebrated at a special ceremony, commemorating this most famous of variable fighters. The VF-1 Valkryie was built from 2006 to 2013 with a total production of 5,459 VF-1 variable fighters in several variants.
However, the fighter remained active in many second line units and continued to show its worthiness years later, e. g. through Milia Jenius who would use her old VF-1 fighter in defense of the colonization fleet - 35 years after the type's service introduction!
General characteristics:
All-environment variable fighter and tactical combat Battroid,
used by U.N. Spacy, U.N. Navy, U.N. Space Air Force and U.N. Spacy Marines
Accommodation:
Single pilot in Marty & Beck Mk-7 zero/zero ejection seat
Dimensions:
Fighter Mode:
Length 14.23 meters
Wingspan 14.78 meters (at 20° minimum sweep)
Height 3.84 meters
Battroid Mode:
Height 12.68 meters
Width 7.3 meters
Length 4.0 meters
Empty weight: 13.25 metric tons
Standard T-O mass: 18.5 metric tons
MTOW: 37.0 metric tons
Powerplant:
2x Shinnakasu Heavy Industry/P&W/Roice FF-2001 thermonuclear reaction turbine engines, output 650 MW each, rated at 11,500 kg in standard or in overboost (225.63 kN x 2)
4x Shinnakasu Heavy Industry NBS-1 high-thrust vernier thrusters (1x counter reverse vernier thruster nozzle mounted on the side of each leg nacelle/air intake, 1x wing thruster roll control system on each wingtip)
18x P&W LHP04 low-thrust vernier thrusters beneath multipurpose hook/handles
Performance:
Battroid Mode: maximum walking speed 160 km/h
Fighter Mode: at 10,000 m Mach 2.71; at 30,000+ m Mach 3.87
g limit: in space +7
Thrust-to-weight ratio: empty 3.47; standard T-O 2.49; maximum T-O 1.24
Design Features:
3-mode variable transformation; variable geometry wing; vertical take-off and landing; control-configurable vehicle; single-axis thrust vectoring; three "magic hand" manipulators for maintenance use; retractable canopy shield for Battroid mode and atmospheric reentry; option of GBP-1S system, atmospheric-escape booster, or FAST Pack system
Transformation:
Standard time from Fighter to Battroid (automated): under 5 sec.
Min. time from Fighter to Battroid (manual): 0.9 sec.
Armament:
1x internal Mauler RÖV-20 anti-aircraft laser cannon, firing 6,000 pulses per minute
1x Howard GU-11 55 mm three-barrel Gatling gun pod with 200 RPG, fired at 1,200 rds/min
4x underwing hard points for a wide variety of ordnance, including:
- 12x AMM-1 hybrid guided multipurpose missiles (3/point), or
- 12x MK-82 LDGB conventional bombs (3/point), or
- 6x RMS-1 large anti-ship reaction missiles (2/outboard point, 1/inboard point), or
- 4x UUM-7 micro-missile pods (1/point) each carrying 15 x Bifors HMM-01 micro-missiles,
- or a combination of above load-outs
The kit and its assembly:
Another spontaneous interim build in a busy time - if I want to build something "on autopilot", an ARII VF-1 in fighter mode is a safe bet. The trigger was that I realized that I had, despite having built far more than twenty VF-1s so far, none of them carried a US Navy "low viz" paint scheme? No idea why this had slipped my attention - even though I had already built one in a USAF "Egypt One" scheme and a modified (non-transformable) VF-1D in a low contrast Keith Ferris splinter scheme with USN colors.
I dug out VF-1 fighter from the pile and built the kit mostly OOB - but with some detail updates. This time, the kit would receive an extended landing gear and an open canopy for ground display. Consequently, I added side consoles and a dashboard extension to the cockpit. On the wings, the slats and the flaps were lowered, but not extended, and for additional excitement I opened the spoilers on the wings - because their red interior would be a nice contrast to the overall grey aircraft (see below).
Characteristic blade antennae were added to the nose flanks and on the spine, and the pilot figure was only added for the beauty pics.
The ordnance was in part taken OOB, too, with six AMM-1 missiles on the outer pylons but an 1:100 AN/ALQ-131 ECM pod (from a Revell 1:100 A-10) and a single stand-off missile (an 1:144 AGM-86 ALCM, left over from an Academy B-1B kit, just mounted upside down) on the inner pair of pylons.
Even though the model would later stand on its own legs, I added the option to attach a display (my almost-patented wire construction that uses the OOB display base) to the back of the ventral gun pod.
Painting and markings:
I am not certain if the "Compass Ghost" paint scheme is actually canonical for the Macross universe - Hasegawa offered such a "low viz" VF-1 as an option in one of their fighter kits, but I haven't found any sign of a USN paint scheme in official source material, except for some all light-grey Battroids that do not look like a "Compass Ghost" aircraft/mecha. After 2009, many VF-1s were officially painted in a low-viz scheme - but this would rather be an overall FS 36440 (Light Gull Grey) livery with full color markings than a totally subdued multi-grey paint scheme?
However, I found the idea plausible, and also took it as a challenge. Consequently, the aircraft was painted in typical USN colors: FS 36320 (Dark Compass Ghost Grey) from Modelmaster on the upper surfaces and FS 36375 (Light Compass Ghost Grey, Humbrol 127) from below. The area around the cockpit was painted with FS 35237 (Grey Blue, Humbrol 145), inspired by USN F-14 Tomcats, as well as the head unit.
Air intakes, the gun pod and some details were painted with Revell 77 (RAL 7012), the land gear was painted glossy white. The cockpit was held in standard colors, with medium gray interior, a black ejection seat and reddish brown upholstery and brown "black boxes". As a stark contrast to the all-grey exterior, I painted the interior of the spoilers on the wings in bright red (Revell 330, RAL 3000 Feuerrot) and added thin red decal strips to the lowered slats, too.
Many markings like the roundels and the modex' were designed and printed on clear decal sheet with an inkjet printer, and any other bright marking was replaced with grey alternatives from the decal scrap box. The lightning markings on the fins come belong to a Malaysian MiG-29, taken from a Begemot sheet. All in all I wanted a very "dry" and subdued look, with only the ordnance not being light bluish grey.
Once painted the kit received a light black ink wash and the engraved panel lines were traced with a very soft pencil, with some additional thin panel lines and details. Finally, the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish (Italeri).
I guess that I might be able to build this kit blindfolded, and the whole affair was completed in just three days, since the paint scheme itself was not complex. The result is interesting, though, and a nice contrast to the normally very bright and colorful VF-1s in my collection.
They are here, there and everywhere* - except their mind is elsewhere. (Part of a series of random strangers sleepwalking the London streets).
*The song: youtu.be/FusIKjztap8