Hello everybody,I'm not sure how many of you have ever heard of Project Airlift (PAL), but now you have. PAL is associated with Project AI which develops planes, paints, and realistic AI traffic based on real-world airline schedules.Project Airlift was started to continue that tradition into the world of military transport traffic. PAL is currently developing models, textures, AFCADs, scenery, and flightplans to support non-combat military aviation.In 3 weeks, we have made a lot of progress, but the "recruitment office" is open for those who would like to contribute. If you have any of these skills I would love to hear from you:Aircraft modelingAircraft repaintingAFCAD design (w/ or w/o Radius Method)AI flightplan designScenery designIf this sounds intriguing to you, email me at [email protected] HartshornCINCPAL

Dear Michael, I wish you great good luck with this project!!I wonder why you would restrict though to non-combat airplanes? F-16's and Mig 29's still navigate the globe do they not? A right echelon flight of T-38's over texas would be oh-so-cool... :-)Eric

Well, that's where the Project "Airlift" part comes in. Though our focus is non-combat, we do have a F/A-18 that we are going to use. Actually, it's cool because we also have a 2 plane model so you'll see two F/A=18s taking off at the same time and flying in formation.I appreciate your comments and I would certainly like to see combat planes in the skies, but I will leave that to "Project Combat". Here is why:The reasons why combat planes are "restricted" (they aren't, it just isn't going to be our focus) are many. Here are just a few: Number 1: We have to focus on something or else the Project would never go anywhere. If the project was totally "open" to anything and everything, the Project would only be able to offer sporatic, unrelated files. By focusing on airlift, we can concentrate AFCAD development on Air Force Bases related to Air Mobility Command, models of transport planes, and paints of specific Air Forces. In order to have a "realistic" system of F-16 traffic, of example, PAL would have to develop say another 50 AFCADs to support the homebases of all those squadrons. Instead, we can support the most amount of traffic with less AFCAD requirements by focusing on transport traffic. We could do EVERYTHING and PAL would do lots of things, but it wouldn't do anything very well.Number 2: Airlift aircraft by nature go to different places, that's their job. They take equipment/people from one place and drop them off at a different place. Though combat aircraft do get "ferried" from place to place on occasion, their mission is different. Usually, a combat aircraft that takes off at one airbase will land at that same airbase. If FS2002 AI traffic engine supported "waypoint" flights for AI traffic, it would be easy to develop realistic "patrol" type of flights for combat aircraft. However, FS2002 AI is quite literally point-to-point. Therefore, transport aircraft make more sense. Like I said, we will develop F/A-18 flights, but that will just be icing on the cake and those F/A-18 flights will remind you more of a United flight than any real fighter plane would normally make.Number 3: Airlines fly DC-10s not F-15s. What I mean is many military transport/VIP planes are based on commercially available aircraft. Air Force One is a 747-200B, KC-10s are really DC-10s, KC-135s are really 707s, C-21s are really Learjet 35As, and so on and so on. As such, it is a lot easier to find AI friendly models of these aircraft than "combat" aircraft. Obviously, we are on our own when it comes to C-5s and C-141s, but you get the idea. Modeling a fuel boom on a pre-made DC-10 is a lot easier than modeling a whole F-22. Project Airlift is able to use Project AI models because we focus on transport aircraft.Again, thanks for your comments, I wish I could do more, but I have to focus or nothing will come of this. Duplicating USAF AMC flights is a HUGE project in and of itself.Michael HartshornCommander-in-Chief Project Airlift