Awesome job my caps off to you guys....and that Enlightened field was incredible......Play safe agents
Awesome job my caps off to you guys....and that Enlightened field was incredible......Play safe agents
#ResistanceAirForce #Ingress
Originally shared by Ethereal Wake (etherealwake)
Reversal
#Shonin #LasVegas
21 February 2015
Anomaly fielding is like a game of chess. Launch your plan too soon and you give your opponent time to organize a defense and take it down. Execute too late and you’ll be trying to climb out from under your opponent’s field instead. For Shōnin Las Vegas, the Enlightenment attacked first, beating out the resistance fielding operations by less than an hour. Suddenly, Resistance leadership is scrambling to figure out how the field went up and how to get it down in time.
The first anchor was in the frigid North reaches of Saskatchewan. In an epic mission, four highly-prepared Enlightened agents trekked miles in sub-zero temperatures to establish the anchor. A feat so arduous, it nearly took one of their lives. This portal was legit.
The second anchor was at the Trinity test site in White Sands, New Mexico. These portals are only accessible to the general public once a year. A few months ago, a private tour of resistance agents was able to capture all the portals less the one used in this operation: the road was washed out.
The final anchor was at the Skunkworks in Palmdale, California. This portal is inaccessible to the general public with legal authority to shoot trespassers. An employee of the facility took advantage of this fact to establish an “untouchable” anchor.
The Enlightenment knows the Californian Resistance has incredible resources and clearly planned to thwart them. They knew we have multiple pilots and sought to deny us that advantage. Fortunately, our opponent suffers from an inability to read aviation charts. White Sands is deep within restricted airspace (making it completely inaccessible) but Palmdale is protected by nothing more than the Class D controlled airspace around its airfield, no different than any other minor towered airfield.
I am a very casual player. Before Shōnin, it has been weeks since I last touched the scanner. However, I have a very unique ability: I happen to be the pilot who flew David Bauman when he took out the field anchored at Point Sur. When I awoke Saturday morning, I didn’t even know Shõnin was about to start. The Resistance had been desperately seeking a means to bring down the Enlightenment field and this brought them to me.
I was quickly brought into the emergency planning channels. Once all the necessary flight planning had been completed, I headed off to the airport to start the preflight inspections while my WSO (weapon systems officer), Tash Hepting, made the long trip from his house to the airport in South Bay. Once everything was in place, we started the engine, relayed our intentions to the tower, and took off a little before noon.
When most people think of airplanes, they think of jets. A light aircraft is not a jet. It has a reciprocating engine, just like a car. Burns gasoline, just like a car. Travels at 200 mph...quite a bit faster than a car, but not as fast as a jet. From the airfield in South Bay to the target portal, it will take us over two hours. Along the way, I’m practicing my technique to hit a ground target while Tash is getting his equipment ready. He has come to this with full determination: satellite modems, signal amplifiers, everything one could imagine. This mission will not fail on his account. Trickles of information come in from the ground. We lost the first measurement but by only a handful of points. The field is the only thing preventing a resistance victory.
As we close in on the target portal, I slow down to 88 mph indicated (which, after factoring in density altitude and tailwind, still comes out to over 115 mph on the ground) and Tash starts providing real time estimates to the Resistance. We could be there in time for the third measurement, but definitely before the fourth. Instructions are disseminated to Team captains: start gathering the very portal keys Enlightenment agents are unwisely discarding.
Around the third measurement, we make our first pass over the target portal. Unfortunately, a glitch in the communications gear causes a signal loss right in front of the portal. Our first attempt is a failure and the Resistance is forced to enter the third measurement still covered in slime. The original plan, in case of failure, was to continue onto the destination airport, refuel, and make a second attempt on return to South Bay. Given the nature of our failure, this plan had to be discarded: we learned nothing from the first pass.
After a few minutes, I gathered enough courage to key up the mic and nervously ask ATC for permission to circle back. Without any hesitation or concern, the friendly controller gave me the all-clear and we circled back for our second pass. This time, with just 20 minutes left before the final measurement, Tash’s ADA hit home and the field collapsed. William Olsen, positioned deep in the California desert, threw a blocker to drive the final nail into the coffin.
Vegas exploded into a chorus of cheers. The field, which all-but-guaranteed an enlightenment win just moments before, was gone. Resistance captains ordered their teams to link all the things, using the very keys enlightened agents were discarding just minutes before. The timing was classic Hollywood. It could not get better if one tried. And with the mission finished, we continued to our destination airport to rest, eat, and go on standby.
The final scores were announced: the resistance took Las Vegas by 50 points, exactly half the points the enlightenment would have earned had the field survived the fourth and final measurement. Our operation singlehandedly snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. We were the heroes of the hour and our channels of communication were clogged with cheers and praise.
When deciding our next course of action, I explained that it would be three hours back to South Bay but only one hour if we continued onto Vegas. We decide that we might as well make an appearance at the Resistance after-party and learn just how things turned out on the ground.
Upon landing at Henderson, the very same Bill who closed off the Enlightenment’s only chance to rethrow their field, arrived to take us to the after party. Tash, already a notable fixture in the Resistance was recognized immediately. He quickly diverted attention to me and I was soon regaled with drink offers, women flashing their breasts, and stories of just how incredible it was on the ground when the field went down. I finally had the opportunity to meet the other infamous Resistance pilot, Jeremy Angel, and we nerded out on airplanes for a while.
Unfortunately, I was required to turn down the drink offers. The FAA has strict rules regarding private pilot compensation and I was planning to fly out the next day. Hopefully no one was insulted. Of course, storms followed me into Vegas, so I was trapped there for an extra two days. And those two nights? What happens in Vegas...
I also would like to thank Patti Beadles for letting me crash on her hotel room couch, Cynthia Clark for driving me around town, Steve Finch for getting me back to the airport, and all the Resistance agents in Las Vegas who turned this into an epic story instead of just a cool one.
My little soapbox: While leading to great stories, airplanes should not be a required tool for remaining competitive in Ingress. Two of the portals used in this field are on secured military facilities completely closed to the general public. While I lack strong feelings regarding the existence of such portals, I become profoundly annoyed when they are used to adversely affect the gameplay of tens of thousands of players who have literally no recourse. Stories should be about how ordinary people accomplished incredible (or at least creative) feats, not how a defense contractor shut down half the US from his desk portal.
To aspiring skygressors: FLY THE AIRPLANE. The first, second, and third responsibility of the PIC (Pilot In Command) is the safe conduct of the flight. I had literally nothing to do with Ingress during this flight. The game was purely the responsibility of my passenger who is depending on me to get him back home safely. This is not a military mission: failing to capture a portal does not cost human lives but prioritizing the game over safe operation of the aircraft will.
#ResistanceAirForce #Ingress
Originally shared by Ethereal Wake (etherealwake)
Reversal
#Shonin #LasVegas
21 February 2015
Anomaly fielding is like a game of chess. Launch your plan too soon and you give your opponent time to organize a defense and take it down. Execute too late and you’ll be trying to climb out from under your opponent’s field instead. For Shōnin Las Vegas, the Enlightenment attacked first, beating out the resistance fielding operations by less than an hour. Suddenly, Resistance leadership is scrambling to figure out how the field went up and how to get it down in time.
The first anchor was in the frigid North reaches of Saskatchewan. In an epic mission, four highly-prepared Enlightened agents trekked miles in sub-zero temperatures to establish the anchor. A feat so arduous, it nearly took one of their lives. This portal was legit.
The second anchor was at the Trinity test site in White Sands, New Mexico. These portals are only accessible to the general public once a year. A few months ago, a private tour of resistance agents was able to capture all the portals less the one used in this operation: the road was washed out.
The final anchor was at the Skunkworks in Palmdale, California. This portal is inaccessible to the general public with legal authority to shoot trespassers. An employee of the facility took advantage of this fact to establish an “untouchable” anchor.
The Enlightenment knows the Californian Resistance has incredible resources and clearly planned to thwart them. They knew we have multiple pilots and sought to deny us that advantage. Fortunately, our opponent suffers from an inability to read aviation charts. White Sands is deep within restricted airspace (making it completely inaccessible) but Palmdale is protected by nothing more than the Class D controlled airspace around its airfield, no different than any other minor towered airfield.
I am a very casual player. Before Shōnin, it has been weeks since I last touched the scanner. However, I have a very unique ability: I happen to be the pilot who flew David Bauman when he took out the field anchored at Point Sur. When I awoke Saturday morning, I didn’t even know Shõnin was about to start. The Resistance had been desperately seeking a means to bring down the Enlightenment field and this brought them to me.
I was quickly brought into the emergency planning channels. Once all the necessary flight planning had been completed, I headed off to the airport to start the preflight inspections while my WSO (weapon systems officer), Tash Hepting, made the long trip from his house to the airport in South Bay. Once everything was in place, we started the engine, relayed our intentions to the tower, and took off a little before noon.
When most people think of airplanes, they think of jets. A light aircraft is not a jet. It has a reciprocating engine, just like a car. Burns gasoline, just like a car. Travels at 200 mph...quite a bit faster than a car, but not as fast as a jet. From the airfield in South Bay to the target portal, it will take us over two hours. Along the way, I’m practicing my technique to hit a ground target while Tash is getting his equipment ready. He has come to this with full determination: satellite modems, signal amplifiers, everything one could imagine. This mission will not fail on his account. Trickles of information come in from the ground. We lost the first measurement but by only a handful of points. The field is the only thing preventing a resistance victory.
As we close in on the target portal, I slow down to 88 mph indicated (which, after factoring in density altitude and tailwind, still comes out to over 115 mph on the ground) and Tash starts providing real time estimates to the Resistance. We could be there in time for the third measurement, but definitely before the fourth. Instructions are disseminated to Team captains: start gathering the very portal keys Enlightenment agents are unwisely discarding.
Around the third measurement, we make our first pass over the target portal. Unfortunately, a glitch in the communications gear causes a signal loss right in front of the portal. Our first attempt is a failure and the Resistance is forced to enter the third measurement still covered in slime. The original plan, in case of failure, was to continue onto the destination airport, refuel, and make a second attempt on return to South Bay. Given the nature of our failure, this plan had to be discarded: we learned nothing from the first pass.
After a few minutes, I gathered enough courage to key up the mic and nervously ask ATC for permission to circle back. Without any hesitation or concern, the friendly controller gave me the all-clear and we circled back for our second pass. This time, with just 20 minutes left before the final measurement, Tash’s ADA hit home and the field collapsed. William Olsen, positioned deep in the California desert, threw a blocker to drive the final nail into the coffin.
Vegas exploded into a chorus of cheers. The field, which all-but-guaranteed an enlightenment win just moments before, was gone. Resistance captains ordered their teams to link all the things, using the very keys enlightened agents were discarding just minutes before. The timing was classic Hollywood. It could not get better if one tried. And with the mission finished, we continued to our destination airport to rest, eat, and go on standby.
The final scores were announced: the resistance took Las Vegas by 50 points, exactly half the points the enlightenment would have earned had the field survived the fourth and final measurement. Our operation singlehandedly snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. We were the heroes of the hour and our channels of communication were clogged with cheers and praise.
When deciding our next course of action, I explained that it would be three hours back to South Bay but only one hour if we continued onto Vegas. We decide that we might as well make an appearance at the Resistance after-party and learn just how things turned out on the ground.
Upon landing at Henderson, the very same Bill who closed off the Enlightenment’s only chance to rethrow their field, arrived to take us to the after party. Tash, already a notable fixture in the Resistance was recognized immediately. He quickly diverted attention to me and I was soon regaled with drink offers, women flashing their breasts, and stories of just how incredible it was on the ground when the field went down. I finally had the opportunity to meet the other infamous Resistance pilot, Jeremy Angel, and we nerded out on airplanes for a while.
Unfortunately, I was required to turn down the drink offers. The FAA has strict rules regarding private pilot compensation and I was planning to fly out the next day. Hopefully no one was insulted. Of course, storms followed me into Vegas, so I was trapped there for an extra two days. And those two nights? What happens in Vegas...
I also would like to thank Patti Beadles for letting me crash on her hotel room couch, Cynthia Clark for driving me around town, Steve Finch for getting me back to the airport, and all the Resistance agents in Las Vegas who turned this into an epic story instead of just a cool one.
My little soapbox: While leading to great stories, airplanes should not be a required tool for remaining competitive in Ingress. Two of the portals used in this field are on secured military facilities completely closed to the general public. While I lack strong feelings regarding the existence of such portals, I become profoundly annoyed when they are used to adversely affect the gameplay of tens of thousands of players who have literally no recourse. Stories should be about how ordinary people accomplished incredible (or at least creative) feats, not how a defense contractor shut down half the US from his desk portal.
To aspiring skygressors: FLY THE AIRPLANE. The first, second, and third responsibility of the PIC (Pilot In Command) is the safe conduct of the flight. I had literally nothing to do with Ingress during this flight. The game was purely the responsibility of my passenger who is depending on me to get him back home safely. This is not a military mission: failing to capture a portal does not cost human lives but prioritizing the game over safe operation of the aircraft will.
So it's fine for resistance to use inaccessible portals but not enlightened? Got it. Boats, planes, kayaks, hiking... Niantic approves the portals, they are just calling to be used. Nice job and way to be safe and do your job.
ReplyDeleteDrivegress. Whee. Not my idea of getting out and moving.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a fair question as to if portals with extremely limited accessibility are fair game or not. Since the atomic testing site allows public accessibility (albeit once a year), it's totally fair game and a very smart anchor choice. I know a lot of people around here choose to setup guardians and anchors along a road that closes for six months of the year. That's just playing smart.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if there is no period of time when a member of the general public could access a portal (such as the skunkworks facility), it violates the rule about not locating portals on private property. The rule exists for a reason: game balance. It would be completely unfair for anchors to be entirely inaccessible to the general public at all.
Let me be clear that while I feel like the skunkworks portal should be a deletion candidate, I in no way fault players for using it to create a pretty awesome field. I hope, however, that it makes it clear that a better portal vetting process is sorely needed (and not just because of the huge backlog of submissions).
Tours are occasionally available to the skunkworks facility.
ReplyDelete劉煒 Tours were available in Mercury, NV as well.
ReplyDeleteIt was an incredible moment on the ground when the field went down and the cheers went up. There was hope that our hard work trying to keep up with the field would pay off.
ReplyDeleteAccording to this article, it seems to be invite-only for selected journalists, not open to the public. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/10/us-lockheed-skunkworks-idUSKBN0JO16S20141210
ReplyDeleteJesse Harris oh this place is a one of the hardest places to get into alive in the LA area.
ReplyDeleteIts gaming both sides here did an awesome job we just need to stress safety...and this fights been well trained for by a licensed crew so I'm good here.
ReplyDeleteAlways. And the Canada team took all necessary and prudent precautions, imo.
ReplyDeleteLol safety kick still I see. Be like frozen and let it go
ReplyDeleteAny portal is fine as long as you wear the proper waterproof boots!
ReplyDeleteRichard Pino It sounds like the guys in Saskatchewan did everything right, but they had a run of bum luck. No amount of prep can counter that.
ReplyDeleteWhoosh!
ReplyDeleteAdmirable sentiments about flying safe, and well done for resisting the temptation to breach FAA rules by accepting a drink in 'payment' for your flight.
ReplyDeleteAs a fellow pilot, I'm just a bit baffled by the juxtaposition of this fastidiousness with the lax attitude towards the FAA rules regarding intentionally transmitting PED in flight. Hoping you might clear up this apparent inconsistency for me?
Joe Philley Robin has a good question. I know its not really the fault of a pilot if a stupid passenger fires up equipment but going there with that as the sole purpose of the flight means he knew what was going on.
ReplyDeleteRobin its listed same as a cell phone and we really worked on this one,and no images were taken in flight you notice.
ReplyDeleteJoe Philley the safety troll routine comes off as insincere. Here's why. When mark dobson failed to bring a bear can, and posted a photo of the bear that raided his truck, you thought it was cool. Not a safety concern or under geared, just cool. Six people died in 2014 in bear attacks, in the US. It's not cool, to attract bears.
ReplyDeleteSo the safety talk, attacking ENL leadership, it all comes off as picking favorites. You don't do that to RES, and since you play RES, that seems political.
Please have a care for all the people who love this game. Having a community rep that only criticizes half the community, or by some reports, only gives swag to half the community, is demoralizing. Ingress isn't fun without worthy adversaries. It takes both sides, going to extremes. Try to be consistent in how your view that. That's all I'm asking.
Robin - PEDs are allowed in 14 CFR 91.21(b)(5) if used in WiFi mode in conjunction with an air certified BGAN. FCC rules prohibit cell phones in flight per 47 CFR 22.295.
ReplyDeleteMikaila Bell mark was in his cabin and it was not his truck I miss your point.I'm pushing safety don't get yo're dislike for me fog you're judgement here.....Lets both agree we all need to be safe.
ReplyDeleteMikaila Bell oh and my place in Montana has lots of bears trust me I would never kid about bears as what you said is so true.
ReplyDeleteAhh cool, thanks 劉煒. I didn't realise the light aircraft had a manifested and certified BGAN on board. While that seems like an excessive bit of kit for a GA aircraft, I suppose it's possible.
ReplyDeleteI guess it was the commentary that the passenger brought the comms equipment onto the aircraft with them that confused me. That would certainly make it transmitting PED.
Robin Lots of serious teams have BGANs. It's becoming less exotic.
ReplyDeleteI like you, Joe Philley. I really do. I just feel like you hate my team, which is fine as a player. It feels bad, from a community rep.
ReplyDeleteSounds like I didn't get all the details about the bear, just like you didn't get all the details about Saskatchewan and water proof boots. Being on the same team matters, huh?
So, how about the time mark dobson hiked Whitney alone right after a yellow fever shot? You thought that was cool, right? I guess, the real question is, is there anything your team can do that's not safe? Or worth chastising on G+?
How about this one-- I saw Trocar shiver violently on San Miguel Island. He was not dressed appropriately, in wet cutoffs, it was cold and windy. Ask him, if he will ever get in Mark's boat again, why don't you?
I'm great with the safety thing. It's the bias thing, I have an objection to.
Jesse Harris Of this I am aware. I'm just surprised that someone has gone to the expense of having a flight-cleared one fitted to their light aircraft by a certified aircraft engineer, especially when they say that their passenger carried one onboard, with their full knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping for a clarification here, both of FAA rules and NIA's attitudes towards them. I'm only a simple military pilot, so hoping to be enlightened in the ways of civilian pilots.
Mikaila Bell There was no violent shivering, and my shorts were not wet, the long pants were from the boat ride which is why I wasn't wearing them. I was cold, yes, but I rather enjoyed the company of my fellow agents, RES and ENL, instead of curling up alone in my warm sleeping bag just a short walk away. And yes, of course I would get into a boat piloted by Mark again, as it is statistically safer than driving to an anomaly.
ReplyDeleteMikaila Bell Additionally, there WERE dry pants I could have worn, they were just bright yellow and unflattering... and you never know when you are gonna run into some hotties on a remote island, knowutimean? ;-)
ReplyDeleteTrocar That was seriously the best breakfast picnic ever. And if Crystal Bell knew you had gear, I don't think you'd have gotten the pants. Just sayin.
ReplyDeleteMy point is that Joe Philley only seems concerned enough to troll G+ about safety when it's ENL OPs. Is your counter that smurfs never do anything unsafe? Because my feeling is, he probably takes those concerns up with team leadership directly, instead of trolling G+.
ENL deserve the same treatment.
Mikaila Bell I am very appreciative of her hospitality and her pants were quite cozy.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Joe Philley is intentionally trolling anyone. There were TWO instances the same weekend about ENL agents needing rescue. I'm fairly certain he WOULD say the same thing to a RES team needing an airlift out from a remote portal as well. (Tho I am unaware of that ever being necessary?)
I will admit, I would have likely taken the same risks as your SK ENL team, though my supply checklist would have had some other items. The fact that our only real limitation is how far we are willing to push ourselves, and what extreme measures we can go to for a successful operation is what makes me passionate about this game. I don't foresee quitting any time soon, unless it gets "dumbed down" to the level it seems some want to make it.
Robin: type certified AFAIK.
ReplyDeleteOn the meta topic of NIA, it would be nice if there were active community reps of both factions telling tales of their adventures.
ReplyDeleteTrocar We carefully monitored agents in the field, and sent help when needed. That's not a safety failure.
ReplyDeleteIn SK, the team prepped for months. When something went wrong, we got SAR out right away. Did you know, the SAR team also got their feet wet? They had to be treated for frostbite too. Does that mean they were under-geared, or unsafe? Probably not. Saskatchewan in winter is not a very safe place. Calling SAR was the right move, from a safety standpoint. It's not something we should be ashamed of.
I don't think G+ shaming and safety trolling by Joe Philley is very productive. I think it could lead to a reality where either team is reluctant to call for help, which could put lives in danger.
Both sides take risks. Both sides want to keep their agents safe.
Maybe we can have a private, cross-faction place to discuss these concerns? That would actually put safety first.
Bacon cookies + my pants = ready for anything!
ReplyDeleteMikaila Bell yeah the bear was at my buddys cabin....cleaned out the fridge and put all the old food in my friends truck (he was supposed to take it to the dumpster) but i figured meh, bears gotta be hibernating right?? nope! Hiking mount whitney the day after a yellow fever shot, yup I did that. not the smartest thing I've done. I didn't have good legs going up, so it was taking longer than it should have... However, that's not why I slept at the top, I twisted my knee (9 miles into it and 3 miles from the peak) So i figured I would spend the night in the "warming hut" (coldest night of my life) and rest up the knee for the trip down. Here is the key, I might be reckless in the eyes of some, but only with my life. I'll never put anyone in real danger, they might feel like they are, but they're not. oh yeah, number of times I've had to call search and rescue-0
ReplyDelete