US Navy liveries available to all!

The "Jolly Rogers" F/A-18D AG/200 POW MIA marks the release of :: 8SB :: U.S.N. paint jobs to the public.

 
The "authorities" have decided to give the general public access to United States Navy liveries through our official supplier, Eight Shades of Blue ( :: 8SB :: ) that up to the release of Shana Carpool's new Hornet only supplied Second Life naval officers, in particular those serving in Third Fleet. This decision was already in the making as the Hornet was released with a VFA-25 set of liveries, hinting what was to come. However, the gift paint kit you get by purchasing Shana Carpool's Hornet, included in the aircraft box, remains special as it contains a REPLICA livery (see here). This was a one of a kind occasion - and this set is still available for 0 L$ in :: 8SB :: market place store and vendors across the grid.
The opening salvo of this new release policy belongs to ALTERNATE SERIES VFA-103 "Jolly Rogers" C and D Hornets in a POW MIA color scheme, but other U.S. naval aircraft paint jobs will be available in the future, depending on :: 8SB :: listings and work load.

SEE THE FIRST RELEASES FOLLOWING THE LINKS BELOW!

U.S. Navy VFA-103 "Jolly Rogers" POW MIA F/A-18D Hornet (in the main picture above)

U.S. Navy VFA-103 "Jolly Rogers" POW MIA F/A-18C Hornet (in the picture below)

click image to enlarge

Eight Shades of Blue will now create :: 8SB :: ALTERNATE SERIES United States Navy liveries for the market, available to all. The ALTERNATE SERIES are paint jobs inspired by real life aircraft that have served or still serve in air forces and navies across the globe. They are not replicas.

U.S. Navy paint jobs related to Third Fleet squadrons, ALTERNATE or REPLICA, are never available to naval officers serving in other fleets than those mentioned below or to the public in general.
U.S. Navy aircraft replicas, in the :: 8SB :: REPLICA SERIES, are only available to naval officers serving in the Second Fleet, Third Fleet and Seventh Fleet in Second Life's United States Navy, with the caveat that Third Fleet, as the main procurer, has special prices. SL naval officers serving in the fleets mentioned also have access to SL active duty ALTERNATE liveries, Third Fleet ones remaining exclusive to the squadrons in the fleet. These are not accessible to all.

We hope in this manner to further spread the image of the United States Navy throughout Second Life with quality liveries now available to all aviation enthusiasts - naval aviation in particular.

GO NAVY! HOOYAH!!

CAPT. Asra "Cougar" Kron
NASMCO / TFCOM / :: 8SB ::
  

New Hornets for the Fleet

CAPT. Asra Kron preparing to board Angel 4, F/A-18C BA v.1.0 BuNo 163435 at Miramar. 01/13/2018.

On January 30, 2017, Captains Vickster Kühn and Asra Kron met with Ms. Shana Carpool to inspect the first shell of the Hornet Project. A year after her first frame was built, the first batch of Shana demo ready Aircraft Boeing F/A-18C Hornets, version BA v1.0, was delivered to the Navy Flight Demonstration Team. Right on time for Homecoming (see here).

To fly the actual aircraft the real life Blue Angels fly today has been a long time aspiration of the Navy Flight Demonstration Team in Second Life. It has come true. After initial discussions with Ms. Shana Carpool, the Blue Angels engines and avionics supplier, the decision was made to create a brand new aircraft to match the one flown by the United States Navy Demonstration Squadron, and that is the reason why the models soon available to both the Fleet and the public at large are not the Super Hornets but the C and D models of the Boeing F/A-18 Hornet.

The United States Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS) would provide the flight tests necessary for the R&D stages of the Blue Angels versions that are exclusive to them, as in real life, and the stock versions that will be operated by the United States Navy Third Fleet, in both cases impacting the versions later available in the market.

Development started as early as January of 2017, a few days after that year's Homecoming Air Show, in which the Blue Angels introduced the single seat Grumman F9F-6 Cougar that was to replace the dual seat F9F-8T, which in turn received an upgraded engine and avionics. Regardless of the first operational version being delivered to the squadron, as expected, there is still a lot to be done in both the development of the Blue Angels models and the USN Third Fleet and stock models, also known as default, as well as two F/A-18B earlier models for the USNTPS and the NFWS at Miramar.

Cougar in a brisk salute at Miramar with the C model BA v1.0. 11/01/2018.

The default models are expected to be sold separately or in a C+D fat pack, with liveries provided by Eight Shades of Blue, the official livery supplier for the USN Third Fleet, which will continue development of several livery options for the Hornets ranging from the USMC to the RCAF, the RAAF and the European operators Spain, Finland and Switzerland.

The USN Third Fleet in SL and the NFDT Blue Angels wish to thank Shana Carpool Aircraft for their support of the demo squadron through the years and in particular for the work, that is still ongoing, in this amazing project. Follow the link below to the dedicated NEPTUNE magazine page of photos covering the close to 365 days of R&D that culminated in the release of the F/A-18C Blue Angels version 1.0.

New Hornets for the Fleet - One Year of R&D in Images. (follow the link)

CAPT. Asra "Cougar" Kron
NASMCO / NFDTXO / TFCOM
Angel 7