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Let the renovations begin!

Starting this week, we are taking sledgehammers and wrecking balls to Abbotts Aerodrome. The current plan is to move all aircraft displays, demos, and sales to the south side of Abbotts, next to the runway. All of our aircraft will be arranged by type, rather than by aircraft maker.

Sadly, this means the end of the Cubey Terra shop, which has stood on that spot — or hovered over it — since early 2004. Everything in the shop will eventually relocate to other parts of Abbotts Aerodrome. On the tarmac, you’ll find my aircraft. Under the tarmac, in an enclosed dock, you’ll find the submersibles.


Arrekusu Muromachi, Cubey Terra, and Shady Fox discuss the model.

At the centre of Abbotts will be the main attraction: a gigantic tower, topped with a large dome. That level — the promenade — will include the skydiving centre, the flight shop (clothing, gadgets, and freebies), Terrabucks Coffee, and a stage. Extending outward from the dome are four spoke-like walkways that lead to pads for: a skydiving pod, the airship, a helicopter, and a hot air balloon.

On lower levels are the arrival/departures, and gates to the tarmac.

I personally am very excited at the change, despite the loss of my shop. These changes will solve some of the organizational and layout problems of Abbotts Aerodrome, and should be visually quite stunning.

The schedule so far:

  • Fri Oct 27 – All aircraft are on the tarmac beside the runway.
  • Fri Nov 3 – Existing shops are removed and construction of the tower begins.
  • Fri Nov 10 – I keel over from the effort.
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New! New! New! ZOMG NEW!

Excited yet? No? I was sure that headline would work. Here’s the part of my blog where I tell everyone about what’s new and upcoming. That used to be a regular part of the blog — once every few weeks I’d post about my latest aircraft or gadget.

Over the last couple of months, however, I’ve been less than productive. If I were to blame something, I suppose I’d blame a combination of my job (I’ll talk about that another day, I guess) and a top secret project in the works.

The top secret project is fabulous, really. I can’t tell you what it is yet, but there’s nothing like it in SL yet. So you’ll have to take my word for it that it’s truly nifty. It also suffers from feature bloat. As Reitsuki and I collaborated on its design, we kept adding to our wish list of cool features, and before too long, it became so complex that — to be totally honest — I don’t know how I’m going to finish it. But finish it, I will. Eventually.

For now it’s on hold so that I can finish up a couple of other ideas. Like the one just released last week — the Terra Wind Rider hot air balloon.

In SL, each region has its own ever-changing simulated wind. It blows in eddies, currents, breezes, and gales. The Wind Rider is designed to drift with that wind, just like a real hot air balloon. You control the burner and air vents to adjust your altitude, and the wind takes you were it will. You can, if you want, override the wind and set your own course.

So that one’s finished. You can find it at my shop or on the web shops, SL Exchange and SL Boutique.

Next up, I’m working on the next generation sport parachute. It should have better animation and effects, as well as some surprise new features. I also plan to create a trimmed-down, less expensive version of it that’s more affordable to new residents. So keep your eye on the Skydiving Center in Abbotts for that one.

After that? Well, maybe I’ll return to work on the top secret project. Or maybe I’ll think of something else. Like an aardvark jet. Or a pancake jet pack. Or something.

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Renovations on the way!

Keep your eye on Abbotts Aerodrome. Over the coming weeks, Jillian Callhan and her crack team of builders — Mary Edison and Memir Quinn — will move in with the wrecking ball and take it all down to the dirt. Then, out of the wreckage, something new will emerge. Something bigger and even more airporty than ever before. I don’t want to give away the surprise, but expect a radical change in style.

Drop by and watch the creative process in action. We’ll try to keep everything running throughout the renovations, including skydiving, free flights, and aircraft sales.

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Build your own skydiving center

Arguably, skydiving is the single most popular sport in Second Life. If, that is, you consider falling from a ridiculously high altitude a sport. That’s why more and more business owners are looking to install their own skydiving facility as an added attraction.

It’s a great idea — if you own a club or a shop, for example, you can draw a bigger crowd by giving them something fun and exciting to do. Or you can open a skydiving school, and teach the novice parachutist how to fall from a plane and not become a pancake. Or maybe you want to keep a private skydiving setup on the roof of your home, just for you and your friends.

Whatever the reason, here’s how you can get started. First, pick up the basic equipment from my shop:

  • A skydiving pod with either 4 or 8 seats. These come with a launch pad.
  • A skydiving target. These are free. It keeps track of the top 20 best jumps and keeps stats on up to 25 individuals.
  • Optional: A skydiving drop ship. This lets you fly groups of skydivers over a target and drop them.

Next, contact me in IM for a skydiving gear vendor. The vendor not only includes all of my regular gear, like the sport chutes, skyboards, helmets, etc, but also has the free items, like the E-Chute and Jump Tracker.

I can set up the vendor anywhere on your property and make it movable, so that you can reposition it if you have to. When you IM me, be sure to mention the location, including the X, Y, and Z position. Example: Abbotts(40,160,50). Alternatively, you can drop a landmark on my profile, and then let me know by IM.

I hope to see more of these facilities springing up all over SL. Happy landings!