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Show HILLTOP TIMES TIMES December 11,2008 Left, Viper West soars over Hill Air Force Base with the veteran's dedication pass, showcasing the F-16's power, maneuverability and precision, during a certification demonstration Nov. 21. Above, Senior Airman John Whitlock performs a postflight inspection. LEFT: ALEX R. LLOYD ABOVE: JAMES ARROWOOD U.S Air Force TEAM From page 1 maneuverability and precision are apparent in the demonstration. "We have fans all over the world who follow Viper West and really enjoy the single-ship demos because they are so in-your-face and loud," said Master Sgt. Jeffrey Anderson, team chief in his second season with Viper West. During the winter months, Viper West Airmen practice their ground and air shows locally in preparation for headquarters certification. From spring to fall, the team represents the Air Force at as many as 30 air shows, including international events in South America, Europe and Canada. JAMES ARROWOOD/U.S. Air Force ALEX R. LLOYD/U.S. Air Force Maj. David Graham steps through the maneuvers involved in his aerial demonstration prior to take off. Above left, (left to right) Senior Airman John Whitlock, Staff Sgt. Kelly Birchmier and Staff Sgt. David Gill, Viper West crew chiefs, complete their ground demonstration. Above, Col. Scott Dennis (left), 388th Fighter Wing commander, and Lt. Col. Brick Izzi, 388th Operations Group deputy commander, prepare to watch Viper West's aerial demonstration. Dennis is required to certify the demo's safety and accuracy before the team performs before higher headquarters leadership. "One of our goals is to make the team better than we found it," Anderson said. "I think a topnotch demo shows the pride all members of the armed forces take in their careers when given the right resources." Viper West Airmen are chosen after a competitive records review and interview. Several apply for the team because of the influence military demonstration teams had on them at a young age. "I've been around air shows all of my life," said Maj. Graham, who grew interested in the Air Force and the F-16 after seeing an ACC, singleship demonstration. "It's been a goal of mine to apply for this job anti have an impact on kids around the country." During an air show se.ason, the team's mission includes building public trust in the Air Force, demonstrating professionalism, increasing morale among service members, and promoting Air Force recruiting and retention programs. "I specifically joined the Air Force to work on fighters, and it is really fun to think there are people out there making choices based on the presentation we give, whether at an air show, high school or just talking at a gas station," Anderson said. "Without question, this is the best job in the Air Force." Additional members of the 2009 Viper West team include Staff Sgt. Jared Carter, Staff Sgt. Travis Garren and Senior Airman Keith Schiesz. For more information on the team and updates on their 2009 schedule, visit http://viperwest.hill.af.mil. Researchers using gaming technology in training applications tion project began in June when two Thurgood Marshall College Fund interns 711 th Human Performance Wing joined RHA for a summer of hands-on RIGHT-PATTERSON AIR programming experience. Their initial FORCE BASE, Ohio — Blend- success formed the foundation for a ing commercial gaming project that clearly depicts how modern technology with military-specific dagaming technology can help cut development time and costs for critical military tabases, researchers at the Air Force Research Laboratory's 711th Human distributed mission simulations, said 2nd Lt. Luke lisa, an aerospace engineer who Performance Wing have demonstrated leads the project. quicker, less expensive ways to develop the next generation of tools for In six months, researchers integrated interactive military training. •high-fidelity real-world aircraft models The 711th HPWs Human Effectivewith existing commercial-off-the-shelf, or ness Directorate Warfighter Readiness COTS, X-Plane gaming software to create Research Division at Mesa, Ariz., una realistic flight simulation program with veiled the technological potential of its rich COTS graphics. gaming research and development proj"That's a testimony to how fast we can ect for the first time publicly Dec. 1 durdevelop a product with this method," lisa ing the 2008 Interservice/Industry Train- said ing, Simulation and Education Conference Under a pending technology transfer in Orlando, Fla. agreement, RHA's technology will also The fast-track technology demonstrahelp improve the fidelity of the Defense BY JOHN SCHUTTE W Advanced Research Project Agency's PC-based "RealWorld" Air Combat Environment program, according to Craig Eidman, RHA immersive environment engineering lead Building on the gaming industry's competitive advancements is an approach that makes sense, said 1st Lt. Clinton Kam, an aeronautical engineer also assigned to the project. "You have this billion-dollar gaming industry and they're advancing the technology constantly, pushing forward the video cards, the physics cards, the processors," Kam said. "So our challenge is, how can we leverage their efforts?" Researchers are interested in how best to get military training value in a fun, aesthetically pleasing game environment that would provide genuine training effectiveness at the low cost of a computer game. X-Plane software is known for its fluid graphics, realistic depiction of weather including volumetric (3-D) clouds, and attention to detail such as night-time ground lights and highway traffic. But its military aircraft performance is "low fidelity" relative to real aircraft characteristics and that's where the Air Force tailoring begins. "Fidelity is how close the flight model of an aircraft fits the real world," lisa said. "So if you are flying an F16 and you're pulling a 6g turn, how much energy do you lose in that turn? The bottom line is, the better fidelity, the more realistic the simulation." "Our first objective was an integration proof of concept, showing that tying these packages together can work," lisa said "Now when someone approaches us with a need, they know that gaming has the potential to be leveraged as an alternative approach that saves money and helps meet the warfighters' need faster." |