Friday, May 16, 2008

A day *completely* off the hook...

Ok, I haven't had too many days in my life as interesting and amazing as today has been so I feel compelled to write about it and hopefully not bore you. So I'm up all last night working on the L-39's fuselage, placing rivets, and lemme tell you there are a LOT of them haha. So I wrap that up sometime in the wee hours and figure, well, I'm up, I may as well stay up and watch the dawn, as has been my pattern lately.

I start checking my various emails and I have one from a fan in Sweden who says that I'm in a magazine... umm... what? Turns out PC Gamer Magazine UK/Europe had an article this month on flight simulation and my films and I got a specific mention in it, how cool is that?! Unfortunately it's damned near impossible to find the UK edition here in Canada, we only get the American one, so if anyone has access to a copy please let me know, I'd like to buy one from you. :)

So that's how the day started... and then it got really neat. I left a comment on a youtube L-39 vid several weeks ago when I was first looking for good reference on the plane. It was a video of a guy and his wife flying an L-39 in formation with another, set to a great soundtrack by one of my favourite artists. I don't leave comments on vids very often, but I felt compelled to for some reason and basically said that life didn't get much better than flying an L-39, with a pretty lady in the back seat, and wicked tunes on the sound system.

Three weeks later, today, he emails me out of the blue saying that he'd been feeling a little bit flat lately, and my comment made him realize he had a lot of great stuff going on in his life, and thanked me for it. I messaged him back saying that the reason I'd watched it in the first place was that I was making an L-39 for FSX and was having a rough time finding a real life example to photograph for cockpit reference, and sent him some shots of the plane's progress to date.

So, it turns out he's an FSX fan as well, and he replied that I'd be more than welcome to photograph his plane, but that I couldn't possibly make a realistic handling L-39 without firsthand experience flying one, and so I should visit him and take a ride with him in it.

Ummm.... lemme think about that for a s... OK!

So thanks to this amazingly generous and cool guy I will be heading to California in July, right after I get back from Iceland, for what will likely be the most utterly fantastic single aviation moment of my life. He's also arranging for me to get cockpit photos of two other Albatroses owned by some friends of his, in order to get a really good cross section of the various cockpits these planes have. Man, I can't wait!

And just to top that off I had my second lucid dream ever this afternoon whilst napping. The last one I had was five years ago, on my first of ten nights spent in Israel. Quite fitting really considering the spiritual power of the place. Anyway, if you've never had one, they're the kind of dream where you actually realize you're dreaming. You essentially wake up still in the dreamworld, and can control your environment. Very very trippy, and very very cool. :)

So thanks Karma, for one truly interesting and wonderful day!

As an addendum my computer is being a sulky twit and may have blown two ram sticks, again... and you know what? I couldn't possibly care less. :)

-lotus out.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

If only I just happened to bump into a guy who owned a military jet...
I'm jealous

Vlad said...

You should go to Vegas.

Hmm, with YOUR luck, you might make them bankrupt. That'd be nice. :)

cheers

Lotus / Ramasurinen said...

Haha, yeah Vegas would be great fun, but I'm not about to laugh in Karma's face for this one. I'm the recipient of a random act of kindness from a stranger that I never asked or hoped for and I'm pretty speechless. :)

Anonymous said...

Dude, you can fly in his L-39 with all the settings on the highest, and still get no lag!

Lotus / Ramasurinen said...

HAHAHAHAHA.... yeah man, killer fps! Autogen to the max baby!

Vlad said...

Beta Testing much? ;)

d0ugi3 said...

I'll see if I can get you a copy of the magazine here. And if I get one, don't worry there is no charge!

Lotus / Ramasurinen said...

Dougie that would be *awesome*. Cheers! Ironically I think it's the same issue where they review/preview H.A.W.X haha. I think the article revolves around that game, and I think it's called "Flight Simulators, not as boring as you think."

Thanks mate!

Anonymous said...

Flight simulators are only boring if you involve airliners and wingviews hehe. Awesome news about the L-39 too. Bet that will be a ride you will never forget. Hope I get the chance to fly or ride in a jet like that. Lucid dreams sound fun as hell too.
cheers.

Anonymous said...

That's awesome!!! Maybe you can video your trip so that we can all live vicariously through you.

Nanana_nana_nana_na_na_NANA!........Topgun theme :P

Anonymous said...

I remember my first flying lesson in a C152 was a great experience. That should blow it out of the water. I always loved the L-39.

Lotus / Ramasurinen said...

TopDollar and Jet, thanks guys. :) Yeah I'll try to get some basic video of the flight. I believe he has a camera mounted in the plane usually anyway. I'm sure it'll be quite an overload of an experience though hehe.

Jack, that's cool, my first lesson was in a 152 as well, and the instructor decided my first ride was a great time to do steep turns and spins haha. Hooked for life at that moment.

d0ugi3 said...

Easons is open in half an hour, I'll pop down and get it. And I'll get your mailing info off rafale-imagery.

Lotus / Ramasurinen said...

Dougie, you're a star! I'm pretty sure it's the may issue, whichever one talks about flight sims, I'm sure you'll have no prob finding it. Thanks a ton mate!

d0ugi3 said...

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=958562#958562

Yeh the guys on the PCG Mag forums are pretty hostile.
Nearly as bad as the FreeFlight lobby chat.

d0ugi3 said...

Are you really sure I'm having no problems finding it?
The main problem is it was last month's issue so the shops have the new one in.
Don't worry I'll get it. One way or another!

Anonymous said...

You deserve it, for all the Great vids You've done! :)
And now the L-39 will be even better when You have gotten the first hand experience, altough it looks amazing already. I wish I had 1/10:th of Your modelling/texturing skills! lol

Lotus / Ramasurinen said...

Dougie, thanks, but please don't spend a bunch of time and effort on it, if I have to I'll order it directly from PC Gamer. Thanks though!

Scenium, cheers for the nice words mate. I saw the little fracas on the iris forum btw, and I agree with you completely. Part of having a lot of knowledge about FSX, like Mr. Chalmers does, is having a little respect for those who maybe know less. It's easy to criticize the work of others, but the more I work on this plane the more respect I have for every addon maker. It's a bitch! I do question their wanton waste of polygons though haha. :)

d0ugi3 said...

The thing is, I was only thinking a few days ago that I wanted to send you something for gratitude for your vids and work. Unbeleivably by coincedence I had a chance to do this and though it's small it's still something.
World works in mysterious ways eh

d0ugi3 said...

Found it!

Lotus / Ramasurinen said...

Thanks Dougie! Woot. :)