ID4 2019

Details available here SOON!

 
Since 2016 the Blue Angels have had the unique privilege of demonstrating to the Second Life public the precision techniques of Naval Aviation, hoping to inspire a culture of excellence and service to country. We are honored to return to Cinsal Airport for the fourth consecutive year and fly the third consecutive Independence Day Air Show at Agrippa (ID4 2019).
For this year's edition we will be joined by two air demonstration teams: the Patrouille de France en SL (PAFsl) and Team Phoenix! Below you will find the squadron composition for each team and the Air Show program.

INDEPENDENCE DAY AIR SHOW ( ID4 )
Cinsal Airport
Agrippa - Nautilus
July 4, 2019

The Air Show will start at 08:30 hours SLT on Thursday, July 4th.

Audience sites:
Agrippa - CinSal Airport - USE THIS SLUR!
MacDuff - USS Defiant - USE THIS SLUR!
Tamora - USS Dauntless - USE THIS SLUR!

Air Parade Departure Site:
Boing - Angels International Airport and Harbor (SLAN) - USE THIS SLUR!

Air Show regions:
Team Phoenix - Regan
Blue Angels - Hortensio / Regan
Patrouille de France - Regan 
 

Audience areas are on the Southeast corner of Agrippa, CinSal Airport (20 seats) and on MacDuff sim on a USN Third Fleet frigate, the USS Defiant (36 seats). Please stay out of the circuit sims described in the show layout below. If you choose to watch the show from a private vessel at sea, proceed to one of the neighboring sims. Local airport personnel and Liberty Fire Department personnel will be on hand to help you find the best seat from where to watch the show. They will have landmarks and other information available on site.

The ID4 2017 Air Show celebrates the Independence Day in the United States and the SL United States Navy Flight Demonstration Team Blue Angels take to the skies for the fourth year for this momentous occasion. We are honored this year once again by the presence of the French Armée de l'Air aerobatic squadron Patrouille de France (PAF), present the last two editions of the ID4 Air Show, and Team Phoenix, flying at home at CinSal Airport where they are based. Team Phoenix flies the McDonnel Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk dual seat. The PAFsl flies Dassault-Dornier Alphajet E and this year they sport the 2017 American Tour color scheme. The Blue Angels fly the Boeing F/A- 18C single seat, the Boeing F/A- 18D dual seat (number 7) and the Lockheed C-130J "Fat Albert".
For this occasion, Team Phoenix and PAFsl are bringing four aircraft each and the Blue Angels five jet aircraft and the support aircraft. Here are the selected pilots from both squadrons:

DEMONSTRATION TEAMS

Team Phoenix
U.S. Navy Blue Angels
Armée de l'Air Patrouille de France en SL

Aircraft, Pilots and Crew

TEAM PHOENIX
Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk
Phoenix 1 - Mr Pilot (aviator747)
Phoenix 2 - Destiny Bellarosa (destiny0000)
Phoenix 3 - Diana266
Phoenix 4 - Bambi Baxter (biffbottom)

BLUE ANGEL #7 - U.S. Navy Blue Angels
Aircraft: Boeing F/A-18D Hornet
Angel 7 - CAPT. Asra "Cougar" Kron

BLUE ANGELS jet team - U.S. Navy Blue Angels
Aircraft: Boeing F/A-18C Hornet
Angel 1 - CAPT. Vickster "Speed" Kühn
Flight Leader
Angel 2 - LCDR. Chardy "Hinch" Oaks
Right Wing
Angel 3 - CDR. Dominique "Alba" van Dongen 
Left Wing
Angel 4 - CAPT. Asra "Cougar" Kron
Slot / Opposing Solo / Narrator
Angel 5 - CDR. Jenny "QB" Kaz 
Lead Solo
 
BLUE ANGELS Fat Albert Airlines - U.S. Navy Blue Angels
Aircraft: Lockheed C-130T Hercules "Fat Albert"
Angel 8 - CDR. Dominique "Alba" van Dongen
Fat Albert Airlines pilot / Alternate Narrator

PAF - Armée de l'Air Patrouille de France en SL
Aircraft: Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet E
Athos 1 - LCL Mara Klaber (Leader)
Athos 2 - CNL Rhea Thor (Intérieur Droit) (Pafsl Group Leader)
Athos 3 - CDT Gwenblonde (Intérieur Gauche)
Athos 4 - CPT Tidus10 (Charognard)
Athos 9 - LCL Paterne Lefavre (stand by pilot)


ID4 2019 PROGRAM - JULY 4, 2019
All times are SLT (US Pacific Time)

08:00 am - Gates open
For the early birds, a chance to get the best seats and wander around the demo squadron area where the demonstration teams have their aircraft on static display.

08:30 am - Opening parade
An air parade with aircraft from all corners of Second Life whose pilots wish to mark the occasion, closed by the historic USN Sea King "Old 66" flying a large Stars and Stripes! The "Old 66" will land by the USN Blue Angels team area and will remain in static display.

09:00 am - Team areas close to the public
All visitors must make way to the audience locations. 

09:10 am - U.S. Navy Blue Angels VIP Ride
One special guest will board Blue Angel number 7 for a ride, in which several maneuvers performed by the squadron are executed.

10:00 am - Team Phoenix aerial demonstration
A demo squadron with a long tradition in the skies of Second Life, the flamed TA-4J Skyhawks will take to the skies for another great display of skill and precision.

10:45 am - U.S. Navy Blue Angels Fat Albert Airlines
Although grounded at the moment in real life, in Second Life the Blue Angels are proud to present the aerial demonstration performed by their support aircraft, the C-130J Hercules affectionately known as "Fat Albert".

11:15 am - U.S. Navy Blue Angels Jet Team
The SL United States Navy Demonstration Team Blue Angels will take their F/A-18C's to the skies on their third consecutive Independence Day Air Show at Cinsal Airport.

01:00 pm - Patrouille de France en SL
Returning to Agrippa to once more participate in our Independence Day celebrations, the French pilots of the Patrouille de France will grace us with one of the most spectacular aerial demonstrations in Second Life!

After the end of the last aerial demonstration the airport will be accessible to the public at all locations outside the audience areas and the participating aircraft will remain on static display for a closer look!

Enjoy the air show and happy Independence Day!

CAPT. Asra Kron
U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Team Blue Angels - Angel 7

 

 

Setback. Pause. Play.

And the Blues play on...

Crap happens, as we all are well aware, and when it does all you can do is brace for impact and hope for the best. That's what happened to me, in a nutshell. I knew that, eventually, I would come back - and those of you who really know me pretty much knew it too - and here I am.

Adding to the downward spiral that my real life became late 2018 and early this year, the total loss of Naval Air Facility El Centro and the six sim setup I created hit me a lot harder than I could have imagined. Throughout my thirteen years in Second Life I developed a thick skin. I owned a few regions, spent thousands of hours creating true to life environments, lived in them, called them home... and lost them. As time went by the expression "they are just prims" became adequate and exact, I would shrug and move on to the next project but... Not this time.
Some day I will post here the El Centro history so at least it will live on as a record of what was and is no more. So we remember. And then came the demise of my beloved Miramar.

Naval Air Station Miramar was thought by many to be one of the top tier military installations of its kind in Second Life, among very few others. For nearly three years it stood tall and proud as a symbol of the United States Navy in this virtual world we live in. A true home to many and a familiar sight to countless others who flew to and from it over the years. Nearly 24,000 flights in NAS Miramar's history are a testament to this fact. The last flight out of Miramar was a JAS-39, taking off from runway 18L at 23:43 hours on December 12, 2018. And then it went dark.

I would like to take a moment here to thank my sisters in arms and friends Vickster Kühn, An Rainbow, Jenny Kaz and Margot Fenring along many many others who supported NAS Miramar when it became rough for me to hold it on my own. I owe them all a debt that can not be repaid.

Losing El Centro was hard. But the loss of Miramar was one of the most impactful setbacks I endured in the last 13 years in Second Life. Putting the two losses together with the turmoil my real life had become made me come to a halt. And think it over. Little by little, I started to come back in world as my life and state of mind allowed... And now, as we near the fourth Independence Day Air Show performed by the Blue Angels, on their fourth consecutive year of aerial demonstrations in Second Life, I can say I am back. Not as I would like to, but as I can be. My focus in our esteemed Third Fleet is on the Demonstration Squadron, of which I remain Angel 7. As for my place in the Fleet's command, due to my present condition and current inability to rebuild NAS Miramar (which I will), I stepped down from the Trident, being replaced by a fine officer, Commander Chrissy Dehner, that along with Captain Vickster Kühn and Commander An Rainbow will continue to provide leadership to Third Fleet.

So... After a long pause, it was time to hit play. And so it begins again.
Thank you for waiting.

Captain Asra "Cougar" Kron
NFDT / Angel 7