Arado AR 234

Comments:

• 

  oldtimer
  

  Although I think the texture should be down scaled, the model is really good. I like it indeed.

  Written February 11, 2013
• 

  BMF
  

  You are obviously an expert modeler for FlightGear simulations. I notice that you have posted three models of German concept, experimental, or late operational aircraft. What other aircraft have you modeled?

  Written February 11, 2013
• 

  Helijah
  

  hi BMF,

  In my profil you can find the link for my Hangar :) You'll find the 217 models already done so.

  Namely, I have always 2 or 3 models in progress. Such as the "Boeing Pelican Ultra" for example or the "Farman F224".

  Regards Emmanuel

  Written February 11, 2013
• 

  BMF
  

  217 aircraft! That's amazing. Nice modeling techniques as well.

  I'm fairly new at Blender and so I began with simple models such as a cup, a rock, etc. I've progressed to a few nature, buildings, and other scenes.

  However, I'd like to eventually model a few aircraft that are of special interest to me such as the B-15F-90, B-47, B52H, F-86F, P-47, F-106, and about 15 or so others that my father and uncles flew in the Air Force.

  My father was the pilot of a B-17F-90 when he was shot down over Germany in July 1943 on his third mission. He spent two years as a POW.

  One of my uncles, on the other hand, was a fighter pilot flying the P-51, F-80, and F-86F during the Korean War. He became a double ace, downing his 10th MIG-15 in his F-86F. He also flew over 100 F-4 missions into North Vietnam during the Vietnam war. He was the most fearless, aggressive, and confident pilots I've known.

  At one point, my uncle, my brother, and I were in Vietnam at the same time within a 15 mile radius. I was a Marine platoon commander and my brother was a Marine company commander only a few miles from my location when he was gravely wounded. My uncle, of course, was flying F-4s out of Da Nang.

  I had poor eyesight so I couldn't qualify for military pilot training. I joined the Marine Corps instead and served 21 years as an infantry officer; retiring in 1989. While in the Marines, however, I became a commercial and instrument rated pilot on my own time and trained in advanced aerobatics. I also earned my certification as a glider pilot and flew both amphibian and float planes for a while. I may eventually model some of those private aircraft that I once flew as well.

  So, in a way, these aircraft will be a tribute to the skills and courage of my father and uncles and as such I'd like them to be highly detailed and historically accurate models. Unfortunately, I don't yet have the Blender skills for that level of quality and there are very few tutorials on

  My first attempt at modeling an aircraft was a simple Fieseler Fi 103 V-1 Flying Bomb which I uploaded to Blend Swap. That effort taught me that I have a long way to go before modeling more complex and highly detailed aircraft.

  Nevertheless, I've been modeling a B-17F-90-BO with 388 Bomb Group markings used during the summer 1943. I won't bore you with the details but I will say that I do extensive research on each model that involves a special event, a time of historic significance, or a specific pilot. In the case of my father and uncles, I've taken the research to some of the serial numbers of the aircraft they flew if records still exist. In the case of my father, I have both the serial number of his B-17 and therefore an accurate configuration configuration of his aircraft and I located the serial number of the FW-190A-5 and the name of the German pilot who shot him down.

  I've lost count how many times I've started this B-17 model over. One of the problems is that virtually all of the drawings for this particular aircraft are poor quality and some are mislabeled as a B-17F when in fact they are a B-17E or D.

  No doubt my first efforts for each aircraft type will not be up to my standards and so I'll just keep re-doing them until I have the detail and quality I'm looking for. I estimate that I will need to model each aircraft on my list between 6-12 times before I get it right until my skills improve.

  My current and first B-17 is about 50% complete with fuselage, cabin, wings, and tail. I need to do the engines, landing gear, some interior modeling, and of course the texturing . It doesn't look too bad, but it will lack a lot of detail that will have to wait until later versions as I improve my modeling skills.

  I didn't see a link to your Flight Gear Hangar in your Blend Swap profile, but I found the list of your models on the website without any problem. You have impressive skill to have modeled so many different types of aircraft. I noted that you created a B-17G with late 1944 / 1945 markings. The image was small so I couldn't see the details, but from what I could tell, it looked very nice.

  You also did one of my favorites, the Boeing 314. You cannot think of commercial trans-oceanic flights in those early days without remembering the 314. What a classic. And the comfort of the passengers far exceeded first class on airliners today with dining a dining room, tables with linen and china, waiters in white waist coats, and complete 3 course meal.

  My father took me up in military aircraft in the early 1950's when the rules were no so strict. My first commercial flight was in a Lockheed Constellation in 1957 from St. Johns, Newfoundland to NYC. The meal came in a small white box than included a Baloney sandwich, a pickle, and an apple. It was a feast compared to coach class on airliners today that comes with a packet of about 10 peanuts.

  By the way, I used to be an avid Microsoft Flight Simulator X and X Plane enthusiast and enjoyed the old WW II flight simulation games. I used the early version MS Flight Simulator to practice my instrument flying between actual flights. It made a big difference and renting an instrument configured aircraft was very expensive so I wanted to get the most out of every hour in the air. I never did much care for the modern jet simulations--I prefer the feel of stick and rudder. I might give Flight Gear a try to see what it's like.

  I had 500 hours of pilot in command time when I had to give up flying due to the demands of my jobs and overseas deployments. They are some of my best memories.

  Anyway, I have a very long family and personal history in aviation that spans 70 years, which explains my interest in the subject.

  I appreciate people like you who keep those memories alive in both models and simulations. Thanks.

  Sorry for the long post.

  Take care, BMF

  Written February 12, 2013
• 

  Helijah
  

  Hi BMF,

  My hangar is here : http://helijah.free.fr

  And before all, the Boeing 314 is not mine :) But it does not matter :) FlightGear will soon diponible in version 2.10. Version that brings a lot of improvement graph. You may well find that free software and open source sometimes worth as well as commercial products :) It is enough to test Blender, to be convinced.

  Thank you for this long post. Length is not a problem. Only English is difficult for me and google translation are sometimes strange lol

  Regards Emmanuel

  Written February 12, 2013
• 

  BMF
  

  Thanks for the link to your hangar. Very impressive.

  Written February 12, 2013