U.N. Military Service-Which Variable Fighter would you fly?

[VF-7000 THUNDERHAWK]

If you were a Variable Fighter Pilot with the UN Military which of the VF mechas would you want to pilot during your career in the Military?

An if it came down to one VF mecha, which one would you want to take into combat as your primary Variable Fighter?

Here are the VF mecha that I would want to pilot during my Military career:

1. VF-1X Plus Valkerie

2. VF-9 Cutlass

3. VF-11C Thunderbolt III

4. VF-14 Vampire

5. VF-17 Nightmare

6. VF-19 Excalibur

7. VF-22S Sturmvogel II

8. VF-5000 StarMirage

The one mecha I would take into combat as my primary Variable Fighter would be the:

VF-22 Sturmvogel II

So I like to hear from you all, which VF mechas would you want to pilot during your Military career and what would your primary VF mecha would you pilot into combat?

[thegunny]

The other poll gets shut down so it's poll by stealth now

[VF-7000 THUNDERHAWK]

The other poll gets shut down so it's poll by stealth now

Pretty much!!!

[Dante74]

Isn't this basically the same question as before; What's your favorite VF Mecha?

Anyway, I wouldn't want to pilot any mecha as I'd be a canon fodder and end up dead in the first episode.

[VF-7000 THUNDERHAWK]

Isn't this basically the same question as before; What's your favorite VF Mecha?

Anyway, I wouldn't want to pilot any mecha as I'd be a canon fodder and end up dead in the first episode.

No its not the same!!! I'm curious to know from the members on the MW forum, what VF mechas would they want to pilot during there U.N. Military career and if you went into combat, what would your primary VF mecha be.

With that attitude I wouldn't want you as a Wing-man.

Edited January 9, 2008 by VF-7000 THUNDERHAWK

[thegunny]

Um the one they told me to fly

You don't get to pick and choose in the military.

I can just picture it;

Pilot: Morning Chief, what's on the lot today? You got one that matches the colour of my eyes?

Chief: See that one over there with the pointy nose and black tyres? That's yours you over inflated gas bag! You fly what Uncle UN Spacey tells you to fly!

[VF-7000 THUNDERHAWK]

Um the one they told me to fly

You don't get to pick and choose in the military.

I can just picture it;

Pilot: Morning Chief, what's on the lot today? You got one that matches the colour of my eyes?

Chief: See that one over there with the pointy nose and black tyres? That's yours you over inflated gas bag! You fly what Uncle UN Spacey tells you to fly!

What ever you say pal!!!!

[Graham]

Depends on the year.

If it was the 2040s' it would be a VF-17.

Graham

[SpacyAce2012]

I have to second Graham here, it would depend on the period of Macross history.

Since the 2040's was a "hot" decade, I'll go with that one and say VF-11 Thunderbolt.

[Mr March]

I'd never pass the screening they do for pilots, so I could never pilot a Valkyrie (eye sight problems). And yes I know Max wears glasses, but that's cheating I'm with Dante74, I'd stay far away from any Valkyire cockpit, because I'd be one of the first to get shot down.

[azrael]

Depends on the era, depends on the mission.

[thankheaven]

Something other then a cannonfodder VF as i want to actually live through my first mission

I suppose it depends on the year and how well i do at the academy...well if thats the case i would probably end up in a Elintseeker...as a backseat operator

Edited January 9, 2008 by thankheaven

[VF-7000 THUNDERHAWK]

I'd never pass the screening they do for pilots, so I could never pilot a Valkyrie (eye sight problems). And yes I know Max wears glasses, but that's cheating I'm with Dante74, I'd stay far away from any Valkyire cockpit, because I'd be one of the first to get shot down.

Theres always eye corrective surgery, but if the UN Mlitary found out about that they would let you go with a Dishonorable Discharge for committing Purgery.

If you don't believe in yourself and trust in your piloting skills and the VF mecha that your piloting, then yah I can see you being one of the first to be sot down or KIA!

[VF-7000 THUNDERHAWK]

Something other then a cannonfodder VF as i want to actually live through my first mission

I suppose it depends on the year and how well i do at the academy...well if thats the case i would probably end up in a Elintseeker...as a backseat operator

Nothing wrong with Piloting a AWACS VF-1, combat is not for everybody!

[JB0]

Nothing wrong with Piloting a AWACS VF-1, combat is not for everybody!

AWACS seems pretty dangerous too. At least, if you're the poor soul Misa decides to ride with....

[VF-7000 THUNDERHAWK]

AWACS seems pretty dangerous too. At least, if you're the poor soul Misa decides to ride with....

Thats very true but a AWACS crew is never that close to a combat zone.

[ChronoReverse]

Piloting AWACS takes a lot of guts. You're basically announcing to the world "HERE I AM! SHOOT ME!" by pumping out large amounts of energy in the form of scans. You'd better hope your escorts are competent and will keep the bogeys away. Of course, you and your RIO (or whatever they're called in an AWACS) better be competent enough to direct your forces and said escorts into effective positions.

[thegunny]

Thats very true but a AWACS crew is never that close to a combat zone.

That statement pretty much proves you haven't got a clue

I'm pretty sure all the crews that flew in the cold war would feel honoured that you think so highly of their dull safe lives.

[Mr March]

Theres always eye corrective surgery, but if the UN Mlitary found out about that they would let you go with a Dishonorable Discharge for committing Purgery.

If you don't believe in yourself and trust in your piloting skills and the VF mecha that your piloting, then yah I can see you being one of the first to be sot down or KIA!

The large majority of the population is not cut out to be a pilot. I think I'm safe judging my own lack of piloting skills without the pep talk. But you go hard there maverick

[JB0]

The large majority of the population is not cut out to be a pilot.

One more reason the YF-21 > anything with a conventional cockpit!

[azrael]

One more reason the YF-21 > anything with a conventional cockpit!

Unless you happen to be the wingman of a guy who stole your date last night at the bar....

[ChronoReverse]

BDI and BDS does not make one a pilot. Just because you can map your limbs to functions doesn't mean you'll know how to use them since flying is entirely different from our normal movements. Sure it might reduce reaction time, but frankly that's not really the limiting factor in a dogfight.

[JB0]

BDI and BDS does not make one a pilot.

It helps, especially when said pilot-to-be has visual impairments.

Just because you can map your limbs to functions doesn't mean you'll know how to use them since flying is entirely different from our normal movements.

Visual metaphor VS literal operation.

If it worked like that, I'd shoot the designer.

it might reduce reaction time, but frankly that's not really the limiting factor in a dogfight.

And provides finer control of the vehicle, and more intuitive access to a wider variety of information, and...

[sqidd]

As long as I could take it home and park it in my driveway the YF-19

[Ignacio Ocamica]

If I had to, the VF-22.

[Mr March]

One more reason the YF-21 > anything with a conventional cockpit!

No one in their right mind would let mine anywhere near a brainwave control system

[ChronoReverse]

It helps, especially when said pilot-to-be has visual impairments.

True.

Visual metaphor VS literal operation.

If it worked like that, I'd shoot the designer.

And provides finer control of the vehicle, and more intuitive access to a wider variety of information, and...

You brain would still have to keep track of all the "switches" as well since a lot of the incoming information isn't intuitive to your mind. You still have to learn to interpret it. BDI doesn't change that. You don't magically gain new senses, your brain still needs to learn to interpret the data. And people already have enough trouble simply taking full advantage of the basic 5 senses.

BDS also doesn't change how you control the plane that much. You still need to understand how the flying works. You still need to learn how to control each function and eventually map it so that it becomes natural, just like with normal flight controls. It certainly won't make a poor pilot a good one. It would give an edge, but it's a sharp edge that's razor thin.

Arguably you can provide finer control mechanics, but really, there's nothing preventing that with physical controls except it's get complicated... it'd still be complicate with a BDS system; it just doesn't take up space that's all. And again, that degree of fine control isn't the limiting factor in a dogfight.

[Hikaru's VF-1S]

i would pilot any valkyrie.. just hopefully its painted in red or blue so it gives me +10 defense and +20 skill =D

[JB0]

True.

You brain would still have to keep track of all the "switches" as well since a lot of the incoming information isn't intuitive to your mind. You still have to learn to interpret it. BDI doesn't change that. You don't magically gain new senses, your brain still needs to learn to interpret the data. And people already have enough trouble simply taking full advantage of the basic 5 senses.

And science has shown that if given alternatives, the brain will rapidly learn them, and even dedicate sections of the brain to processing them.

Even if you just hijacking other senses. The tongue has proven quite useful for that since it has a lot of nerve endings and just isn't that useful when you aren't eating.

So yes, you DO "magically gain new senses."

BDS also doesn't change how you control the plane that much. You still need to understand how the flying works. You still need to learn how to control each function and eventually map it so that it becomes natural, just like with normal flight controls. It certainly won't make a poor pilot a good one. It would give an edge, but it's a sharp edge that's razor thin.

Arguably you can provide finer control mechanics, but really, there's nothing preventing that with physical controls except it's get complicated... it'd still be complicate with a BDS system; it just doesn't take up space that's all. And again, that degree of fine control isn't the limiting factor in a dogfight.

Yes, you still have to understand how it works. I didn't say you didn't. (Unless the system is set up to interpret simple "go thataway" or "spin thisaway" commands into functional flight controls, which... isn't entirely impossible.)

I DID say it'd be a lot easier to learn, and I stand by that.

And all that extra information IS useful.

Remember, Guld was a civilian. And he went toe-to-toe against a trained military pilot with extensive combat experience.

[jenius]

I'd pilot the little spider craft that went out and picked up the wreckage from you fools after you were slaughtered. I would then come back to base and console your girlfriends.

[Macross007]

I'd pilot the little spider craft that went out and picked up the wreckage from you fools after you were slaughtered. I would then come back to base and console your girlfriends.

I want to see that.

[ChronoReverse]

And science has shown that if given alternatives, the brain will rapidly learn them, and even dedicate sections of the brain to processing them.

Even if you just hijacking other senses. The tongue has proven quite useful for that since it has a lot of nerve endings and just isn't that useful when you aren't eating.

So you agree your brain does have to remap itself first. Then you have to learn how to interpret the data consciously. That's really not much different from learning to interpret visual data.

Not to mention most of our senses don't have the same acuity as vision. Even then we already have to use a tremendous computing power to reduce the set of data so that our brains can consciously digest the information in REAL LIFE (see radar).

And you propose that we flood the brain with even more information? When it's shown that simply talking on a hands-free phone while driving already dramatically increases the risk of an accident? When simply placing a specific image in a clutter, not even camouflaging, is enough to hide it (Where's Waldo)?

It's not that the system isn't useful or even beneficial. It's that the marginal utility isn't so great that it would be gamebreaking.

Remember, Guld was a civilian. And he went toe-to-toe against a trained military pilot with extensive combat experience.

Do you really think that Guld isn't a very good pilot already? The first prototype had only manual controls you know.

Edited January 11, 2008 by ChronoReverse

[thegunny]

Remember, Guld was a civilian. And he went toe-to-toe against a trained military pilot with extensive combat experience.

Um wouldn't that have something to do with the script

[Scream Man]

Probably a 19. Ive always like the fighter, its capabliities seem well rounded....

[JB0]

So you agree your brain does have to remap itself first. Then you have to learn how to interpret the data consciously. That's really not much different from learning to interpret visual data.

Actually, it's totally different.

In your brain, a 2D projection of a radar sweep on a display isn't different than the photo in your wallet, or the paint on your console.

If that radar display was actually a "6th sense," it would be handled far more effectively in the brain.

Not to mention most of our senses don't have the same acuity as vision. Even then we already have to use a tremendous computing power to reduce the set of data so that our brains can consciously digest the information in REAL LIFE (see radar).

Actually, we use a tremendous amount of brainpower filling in information that the eyeball discards due to bandwidth limitations of the optic nerve. So you have the relation backwards.

Also: I'm not sure how the brain analysing the image and then discarding large chunks saves the brain any work over just analyzing it.

And you propose that we flood the brain with even more information? When it's shown that simply talking on a hands-free phone while driving already dramatically increases the risk of an accident?

And any real pilot already deals with far more things at once than a driver on a cellphone anyways.

Getting the information to them in a more intuitive manner is a GOOD thing.

When simply placing a specific image in a clutter, not even camouflaging, is enough to hide it (Where's Waldo)?

Again, we've established that the eyeball discards large amounts of detail.

In fact, it's not even a constant resolution across the eye. The center of your field of vision has a relatively high level of detail(though still far lower than most of the animal kingdom, despite having, as a species, one of the most powerful brains on the planet), and the rest of it sucks even by human optic standards. That's part of why it's harder to pick something out if you aren't looking straight at it.

If the lowly wolf, can see, hear, and smell better than us, if a small owl can see , hear, and smell better than us, if a tiny bat can see, hear, and smell better than us AND process sonar on the fly in it's head(a task even a BCS'ed human wouldn't be left with, as the computer would do pre-processing anyways), what makes you so certain that we're riding at the upper limits of our own capacity?

Do you really think that Guld isn't a very good pilot already? The first prototype had only manual controls you know.

Do you really think that a civilian pilot, no matter how good, is going to have years of training in how to use a fighter jet in a combat scenario, followed by a military career leaving hundreds of enemies dead in his wake?