And So IT Begins!

Mission Planning
The Mission Planning session took place in STL and this post is a quick recap. Kludge (Dan Kult) has already thrown his usual enthusiasm into the new logo design and a work up of what the new delivery system might look like. I think this year we will be going with T-Shirts since I think that will be a easier and cheaper than the patch.
So what did we decide:
- The date is being switched to the 4th of July weekend, exactly when on the weekend is yet to be determined
- We are adding ripple multiple this year which will allow us to drop multiple bombs in one run.
- We also need to figure out exactly how to setup the delivery system. Last year we couldn't get it out the door so we might need something to prop the door open.
- We are going to add recording to the software so we can review are results in the mission debrief.
- The software is also going to take into account vertical velocity this year.
Location
We are considering moving the location to a more open area that would allow better viewing. We'll see on this one. If we can find a better spot we'll do it there but we can always use the same location. It worked just fine.

Target

We need a better target that we can see from the air, and that's probably a little easier to hit.
Motto
Vote to the right for the motto, or if you have a better one put in the comments. Personally I like the Supero Omnia because its a good description of me.

Other To-dos
- Creamy/White Devil/Anand needs to get a flight suit, so he can match.
- We should probably all get some Aviator sunglasses, for OBVIOUS reasons
- I need to remeasure the plane and get more exact measurements
- Kludge needs figure out any surprises like explosions or smoke
- Hopefully this year we can have better markings so we know exactly how far we miss by
- Munitions!! Anybody have any bowling balls to donate? Let us know.

Mission Planning for 2nd Annual B5Q

I am starting this post as a way to create a list of ideas/todo list for this upcoming year.

Party

1. Date??? Keep the same? Move back?
   

Location

1. Do we need a new location??? Where the view is better and we could create a better target area??

Hardware

1. Ripple multiple
2. Software driven drop
3. Actually be able to get it out of the aircaft
   

Software

1. Make config file xml serialized and config a singleton
2. Add constant record of flight data and drop info
   
3. Add trigger to have software drop the bomb(maybe)
4. Maybe goto directx or opengl
5. Figure out what to do with GPS liscense
   

Misc

1. Kludge is working on new patch(may end up a T-shirt)
   
2. Motto, callsigns and fun stuff like that
3. Anand needs to buy a flight suit, try ebay

Feel free to comment or email me with suggestions, info etc....

Hail to the Victors!

Sorry I couldn't resist. Anyways we were 100% completely and totally Victorious, and the end results were better than expected despite some unforeseen circumstances.

Here's how things went down.
0910 - Very sketchy takeoff from 2E8, pretty nerve racking, bad start.
0916 - We overfly the field and are already late, which means gliders could start taking off at any time
0920 - Anand can not get the delivery device outside the plane, ut oh.
0921 - Anand, uses his Bombadier expertise and knowledge to determine we can safely proceed with him dropping the bombs by hand. Dan and I trust his vast experience and agree.
0925 - Can't see everyone until about 5 seconds until drop, can't see target until about 3 seconds before drop.
0926 - First drop with the Rubber Safety Oridance(aka Bouncy Ball), nothing bad happens.
0927 - Once again we rely on Anand's years of expertnessosity to decide it will be safe with a 10.0 pound water melon.
0930 - Watermelon is dropped and no one dies. Confidence is rising.
0935 - Second watermelon kills exactly no one.
0940 - Still no gliders have taken off which is crazy, We Drop The Bowlign Ball Bomb, and land withing 15 feet!!! which means we were within 0.08 seconds of being perfect! Amaizing! (purposefully spelled that way)
0945 - Safely depart

Miss distances Rubber Bomb(75ft), Melon1(25ft), Melon2(75ft),Bowling Ball(15ft) !!!!!!

Here is the video of the bowling ball, we will have more video and pictures to come once everything is montaged up and combined.

Also I had to add that spectacular picture of us in flight suits.

Itenerary, When are we doing what?

The Bowling Ball Bomb Barbeque and Pool Party

presented by
ShowMeTheRent.com
Will take plane on SUNDAY morning! Times are eastern.

The Plan is as Follows

0800: Get to ARB
0815: Take off from ARB
0830: Land at 2E8 for loading
0900: DROP THE BOMB
0930: Return to 2E8 for unloading
1000: Return to ARB

The plan is to first drop a rubber ball, then cantaloupe, then the bowling ball. 0900 is not firm but we won't do it any earlier. We will communication by cell phone right before we take off from the second airport. Josh Norman will be in charge at the drop site so listen to him. He will be communicating with us in the plane.

Directions were sent out in the last email but as a refresher its west of Pinckney on M-36. Turn left at Howlett, and its about half a mile down. I will make sure there is a sign where you need to turn. It's just a two track and there won't be much parking so you might have to park on the street.
Make sure you're not wandering through the woods at about 9am looking for everybody!
Call me right now if you're not sure where to go. Also people will be leaving from my house to go watch at about 8:30 so feel free to go to my house first so you can get a ride or at least follow.

Bring $10 if you want to buy a mission patch, they are pretty sweet. Ask Jenny she will have them, first come first serve.

Failure to Launch

Delivery Problems
Mr. Kult has been hard at work building the delivery system. He has ran into some snafus though. He is having trouble getting it up, I mean down, I mean... Nina and I have talked about it and we have decide he is going to buy a bigger "magnet" which should help. Hopefully the magnet will get the job done, but if not we will just have to scramble here to get some sort of rudimentary system that works. That would mean no big red button though so hopefully Kult's new big "magnet" will help him get the job done.

If only it worked with something on it!

NORMANDY!
I flew a bunch of test runs today and was able to get as low as 300 feet and as slow as 80 knots. So those will be the target for the actual drop. Also it looks like we should be able to get a fairly safe drop. I need to decide pretty quick here if we should do it Saturday or Sunday morning.

Josh and I went to Normandy by land and there is a place to stand that should be at least 1000 feet from the target point. Now we just need to get the target setup. The area is pretty marshy so its not going to be super easy to get the target spot setup. Also we might need to change the angle at which we approach depending on where we have everybody stand. I am pretty sure no one wants us flying over their head and no one wants to stomp through muddy marsh.

Lori is going to either bring her transceiver or give it to Kurt to bring up so that is taken care of. We will have communications with the people on the ground so they can warn us if they think we are going to hit them or something else we don't want to hit.

Mission Card
I got a good start on the mission card but any suggestions for additions would be much appreciated. Right now it's only taking up about half a page and some of the numbers on there are only stubs( so don't email me that the tof is wrong).

Coming Up
The following things need to be completed or decided:
1) More test runs preferable with the B3C2 software
2) Make it so the B3C2 software can take inputs for size and weight for different bombs
3) Setup target
4) Decide exact date and time, its between 9amish Saturday or Sunday
5) Get exact GPS coordinates for target
6) Sacrifice a lamb for good luck

Were gonna drop a bomb!

Normandy Recon
Josh and I checked out Normandy on Saturday and were able to figure out quite a bit. First, it appears that there is enough open land for us to drop the bombs, and for spectators to safely watch. Secondly, that area is extremely busy during the middle of the day because of the glider club that is right next to it. This means we will want to drop either really early Saturday morning or near dusk Saturday night. This week Josh and I will check it out by land to make sure we have enough room. It's really the only hurdle left. As long as it seems safe we will be a 100% go.

Delivery mechanism
Mr. Kult has been busy constructing the delivery device. As you can see by the pictures its pretty much done other than a few possible tweaks. We need to add a safety device to make sure we don't drop the bombing while loading, Josh's neighbors will appreciate that.


Graphs
Mr. Kult has been asking for graphs so I created a spreadsheet of a sample launch that shows the projected bomb position after drop. The good news is the bomb is projected to be a full 20 feet below the aircraft when it should be even with the elevator. So that means we won't hit the elevator with the bomb causing us to lose control of the aircraft and spiral to our death. The picture is another mode that I added to the B3C2 which allows us to view the flight path. I plan on adding more data if time permits.

What's Next?
I already mentioned that this week Josh and I are going to recon Normandy by land. I also need to fly a few more practice mission as well as test out the B3C2. I hope to fly once this Saturday at the time we plan on dropping to check out the traffic around that airport and then maybe one more time the next week for a practice run.

Finally Flying

Finally got checked out at the other airport in a 172SP, so there should be a lot more action in the next few weeks. Measured the baggage area so that Dan can start building the delivery device.

Here is what we need to get done before we can drop any bombs:
1) Recon Normandy
2) Determine final bombing site
3) Do multiple practice runs
4) Plan and build delivery system(Mr. Kult)
5) Create mission cards...for the mission
6) Figure out logistics at site, where people are going to be etc.
I am sure we will come up with a bunch more stuff as it gets close.

Also I need to know what everyone feels is a safe watching distance, so please give an honest answer in the poll on the right. Only vote if you might come and watch the actual dropping. Not to sway anyone but I am thinking 500ft is a nice safe distance. I will be extremely surprised if we miss more than 100ft on the sides. But I will be in the plane so thats why I am not voting.