Skyblazers need your help!

Hey Fighter Jocks,

I'm afraid the Skyblazers are once again looking to this great community for help. Our left wingman got a new job where he is unable to make practices, so there is a position open on our team. We are practicing 2-3 times per week and looking for pilots who are able to fly formation as well as commit to practices.

You can send in an application on our website, join our forums, and take a look at some screenshots and videos of what we've been doing.

Skyblazer homepage

Best,

Garner

Looks like you guys keep losing pilots. Its a shame I remember going through all that. Its a tough process finding the right person.

Hope you guys get everything going again I would love to see you guys preform.

FSXFD_#1_Boss wrote:Looks like you guys keep losing pilots. Its a shame I remember going through all that. Its a tough process finding the right person.

Hope you guys get everything going again I would love to see you guys preform.

Yeah I Agree with the Seeing you guys perform part

Andy,

thanks for the encouragement. We would love to see the Dukes perform as well. Do you guys have any videos of any shows you've done, or do you have any plans to fly a show in the future?

Also, I think "tough" is an understatement when it comes to finding the right people. The training and then loss of good people is a terribly painful emotional process and I think it is a real untold story in the histories of our organizations within this simulator community.

I'd love to see you guys perform, i wish you the best and will support you guys. If you need anything, just contact me, ill do my best to help. Our Team is supporting you guys.

skyblazer3 wrote:Andy,

thanks for the encouragement. We would love to see the Dukes perform as well. Do you guys have any videos of any shows you've done, or do you have any plans to fly a show in the future?

Also, I think "tough" is an understatement when it comes to finding the right people. The training and then loss of good people is a terribly painful emotional process and I think it is a real untold story in the histories of our organizations within this simulator community.

You may have to wait even longer to see us, Right now I'm in a tough position in work which is causing a huge set back delaying any practice or any FSX affiliation at all at this time until summer. By that time we may have lost a few pilots but its gonna reveal the true dedicated.

True tough is a understatement. A better one would be "ITS HELL!" in fact it took us 4 months to find our right wing and 3 to find our slot because there seems to be a shortage in dedicated FSX Pilots who really want to preform professionally.

Andy,

The shortage of dedicated FSX pilots that we are talking about is a real problem, but I've been thinking that it might just be the symptom of a larger issue. I have a feeling that there is a misunderstanding of the effort and time necessary to bring our organizations to fruition. The lack of dedication we are talking about stems from an initial misunderstanding of our organizations, not so much a character flaw in would be pilots.

I'm sure all formation organizations go through the painful process of realizing the inherent difficulty in achieving our goals of flying a true-to-life Ariel demonstration routine. Potential pilots should also understand, or should be made to understand, that when they apply and join a team it may be six months to a year before they are able to comfortably fly close formation, and longer still before they are able to feel comfortable performing aerobatic maneuvers. Aside from the limitations of simulated flight, we are limited by a dearth of fundamental formation flying experience. In the real world, aerobatic teams require their pilots to have a certain number of hours (many of which are formation hours). For the real Skyblazers, pilots were expected to have logged 1,000 hours of flight time and be very proficient in formation. For the modern Thunderbirds I believe that number is 1,500 hours. Needless to say, the road to creating an FSX formation team is a long one. Applicants who wish to fly formation aerobatics in this simulator really need to ask themselves "Is this something that I want to be doing a year or two years from now?" For many, that is not the case.... and we should be weary of beginning to fly with people who are not here for the long-haul.

My father flew right wing on the Skyblazers for four consecutive years, twice as long as the usual 2 year term limit. Aside from his natural ability as a pilot, he and the Skyblazers were successful because the pilots flew together nearly every day for years on end. They established a trust in one another and learned to respect and enjoy one another. We obviously can not fly every day, but the same level of trust, enjoyment, and respect must be established by months and years of working together.

I'll reiterate my point..... I don't think it's that pilots on FSX aren't dedicated by nature.... I think they just don't understand what they are getting themselves into and when they finally realize the commitment it takes they decide that other things are more important to them. This is a fine distinction, but an important one. Let's make sure and educate people about this before we fly with them.

Skyblazer3 thank you for your comments and I agree with all you have just laid on the table. You just hit the nail right on the head in your post. Just to add a few more points to your ideas for a successful team I have encountered personally. The amount of work it takes to create a team not just to fly, but all the leg work that needs to be done is a monumental task as well. The flying is the fundamental ability for a successful team to exist. No doubt if you cant fly as a TEAM there has to be countless hours of flight training by every team member to make the display look presentable. The element of a great looking demonstration must be spot on by every team member and therefor if one team member is off and having a bad day flying the formation the flight team will look off. So that being said the same amount of dedication must be shared by each and every person on the team at all times! This is a fundamental problem I see in this comunity and why teams are not as successful as they hope and plan on. People just don't understand the TEAM work it takes to accomplish the same goals they set out for. People just don't realize how much time it takes to make something like this to work successfully.

The leg work I speak of besides flight training is all the productions of the team. Spending time in FSX flying the demonstration is just a part of the work needed but there are many other jobs involved as well. This can range from web design to public affairs, videos and it goes as far as forum communications. Also the amount of technological advancements each team has to understand to create an air show. For example Live Stream. Back when this comunity started out flying formation we all dreamed of starting a team and performing air shows. We didn't have the ability to do this until I spent many months looking into live stream systems. So during this time looking into live streams from many different companies I found what we all use today. No one told me how to use this system and how to utilize the software to create an air show. So what I am saying here is anyone can learn how to utilize technology you just have to spend time learning systems and must be able to be innovative and creative at the same time. But at the end of the day look at where this comunity is today knowing this ability exists.

These are the type of leg working projects I speak of. This forum you all come to for communication purposes didn't just get here by accident nor did the web site. Web sites are the cover page to the book being written by the team and the amount of work it takes is mind boggling. Finances are another key to make a demonstration team successful. Every team member must have the computers capable to fly inside FSX smoothly. So that being said a computer to fly properly inside FSX costs allot money as well. Finances spent by every person is very expensive no doubt. Not only does the team have to spend money on their computers but if you want a professional looking web site and forum that costs money as well. The ability to show the public what the team is doing in the season is very important. Many hours of work goes into a flight team and is no small task that is for sure. Videos are another key to show people who are interested in seeing how the team is doing. I am sure this goes for all the real teams out there demonstrating any Navy, Air Forces or private flight group world wide.

So for all of you that read this thread understand that the FSX Thunderbirds have done allot of work and have spent many many hours and dollars through the years. I encourage anyone to be successful but at the same time realize how much it takes to create your dream. I encourage people to see a dream and go for it but everyone understand when you say you are going to start a new team how much work it really is. Great job to the Skyblazers and all the teams out there that do what we do at a professional level.

Foxy,

Good call..... this might be the most intelligent and well thought out post I've ever read from you.... I guess you had thought about this for a long time, I'm glad it all came out.

You are right when it comes to the "leg work" associated with the creation of these teams. That was a whole other can of worms that I did not want to open. My post was aimed more at the people looking to join teams, not the people looking to start them. However, the administrative side of this beast, as you pointed out, is technologically challenging, time consuming, and expensive. Formation organizations must make a decision about what they will spend time, money, and effort on. For example, I use the free WEBS.com website hosting for our team's website. The reason for that is that I don't think it would make us better pilots if we had a better looking website. The trade-off, however, is that without a good website people might get the impression that we aren't a serious organization. Nonetheless, my focus is fundamentally on the flying. I think that I have a strong reaction against organizations that put most of their effort into videos, screenshots, and websites but skimp on flying together. I won't name any names, but I think some teams care more about their image (i.e. names on the side of their aircraft) than their station keeping. Perhaps this is just an evolution that teams go through as they progress into more serious groups. Obviously a middle ground exists where we can find a balance.... I think the Thunderbirds have found it.

You also raise a very important point when you write "This forum you all come to for communication purposes didn't just get here by accident nor did the web site." I think that often we don't express our gratitude to the FSX Thunderbirds enough. This community, and the FSX Skyblazers in particular, owe a lot to the FSX Thunderbirds and we can't say thank you enough. This forum and that of the Blues basically ARE the forums for FSX formation flying. While each team has their own forums, membership ranges around 25-30 members, as apposed to the nearly 700 on here. This holds true for teams that have been around for many years. Part of this success is obviously the sentiment that people have for the real Thunderbirds, and the link between the two organizations that exists in the minds of many -- good job on blurring the lines between fiction and reality..... simulacrum here we come. However, a big part of the success of these forums is the affinity people have with the members of the FSX Thunderbirds. You guys have done a lot to encourage people, but also to teach people about how to fly formation in this simulator, as well as give us the tools and technological skills to become a success.

Personally, I can not say enough kind words about Thiago, Kevin, and Jon. Jon played a large part in making me the lead pilot that I am today -- I immagine that I lead the way he wishes Burst would lead -- HA! And Kevin and Thiago's advice and observations have made me a much better formation pilot. Your team has some real professionals on it, as well as some damn fine people. From one USAF team to another: THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING.

I started this thread hoping that I could fine a good pilot to come fly with me on the Skyblazers...... I hope I haven't scared them all way with this philosophical waxing.

Garner

Garner

This thread will hopefully generate the kind of person you wish to employ in your fine organization. Now that we have gone over some of the details of what kind of people should be involved with successful teams in this comunity I hope your new pilot comes to you realizing the serious platform we represent here. Thank you sir for your kind words towards this team and I know with your insight to what you expect out of your team this adventure you are on will be a success. I am pleased to see your team sharing in the vintage side of the USAF Thunderbirds and you represent them in a very respectful manor. Your web site is very nice Garner and I can see you have spent allot of time working your pages to represent your team. I also fully understand and agree with what you have said in your threads here, flying is an art form and takes allot of team work and dedication to emulate the real teams in a challenging virtual environment. Very nice representation of the Skyblazers and keep up the great work. Anyone wishing to join a great team understanding what we have both said in expectations of a future pilot please fill out an application to this team. This is one of the best teams in our comunity!

I would add something but after coming home from work it looks like you boys covered it all.

I think that this problem can be summed up in 3 words

Supply and Demand

To many teams not enough good/dedicated pilots, The Silver Falcons are feeling that effect, we have 3 filled spots out of 5, its kind of depressing thought to think about.

Scout

Scout,

So you are also experiencing this:




If you want to do some horse trading.... I'll send you 10 applications from bad pilots for the two good pilots you have......... sounds like a bargain to me!

Hey Folks,

The offer still stands...... Here is your once in a lifetime chance to become a FSX Skyblazer.... Don't miss out!!!

We still need a Right Wingman. All other positions are filled, and practices are underway. We fly twice a week, and have logged about 20 hours of flight time as a group now. We would love to get a right wingman ASAP.

Garner