This Year's Videos
This event took place June 29th 2024. The following videos were created of the events.
Thunder Over Discovery 2024
![](images/thunder2024/2024Thunder3.jpg)
Come join us to celebrate Discovery Grid's 8th Anniversary Party on Saturday, June 29th. This is an expanded event with new exciting routines, all in one showing.
Thunder Over Discovery 2024 is patterned after the real life Thunder Over Louisville event, which showcases new aviation events ranging from vintage aircraft to modern military aircraft. Our event takes place in virtual Louisville. The show starts with an hour of DJ extravaganza at Club Thunder. The 4PM slot is hosted by DJ Calliope Andel who will treat you to thunderous music, dance, and light show.
Schedule
![](images/thunder2024/Louisville Map & Points Simplified.jpg)
- Only One Showing:
- 4:00 PM - DJ Calliope - Preshow
5:00 PM - Puddle Jumpers airshow
5:08 PM - Vintage aircraft
5:15 PM - F-22 airshow
5:27 PM - Brief intermission
5:30 PM - Blue Angels airshow
5:50 PM - Brief intermission
6:00 PM - Pyromusical Fireworks
- When:
- June 29th 2024 - Event begins 4 PM (16:00) to 6:30 PM (18:30) Grid time
- Where:
- Region "Louisville"
Everyone, use our event WEB teleporter: Thunder Over Discovery Listing
HG visitors, hop in via your WEB browser: hop://discoverygrid.net:8002/Louisville
or via the viewer's world map: discoverygrid.net:8002/Louisville
The Airshow
There is one showing, so PLEASE arrive early especially if you are a hypergrid visitor or you will miss it. The doors close during the airshows and during the pyromusical to prevent timing disruptions caused by people entering the region. For a sneak peek, click on the following images to see previews of the air show:
![](images/thunder2024/PuddleJumpers_4x3.jpg)
![](images/thunder2024/Fokker_F-22.jpg)
![](images/thunder2024/F-22%20FokkerCU_4x3.jpg)
![](images/thunder2024/F-22%20Falling%20Leaf.jpg)
![](images/thunder2024/F-22 missile strike.jpg)
![](images/thunder2024/echelon.jpg)
Following the music and dance party, you will be treated to several air shows: the Puddle Jumpers will perform acrobatics with wing-walkers followed by precision skydiving; an airshow of vintage aircraft; an airshow of the F-22 and its awesome capabilities, and the Blue Angels.
Flight Passenger Raffle
![](images/thunder2024/BlueAngelsPassenger.jpg)
The F/A-18F two-seater
Super Hornet fighter jets are bigger and faster this year than the previous year's F/A-18E. Be prepared to be blown away by the surround
sound effects, the high precision breathtaking acrobatic flight maneuvers and thunderous flyovers with newly added maneuvers.
Because these are two-seater aircraft, we invite FOUR people to be passengers, joining the Blue Angel pilots IN the airshow.
A raffle board will be set up during the preshow to let people sign up. Four winners will be chosen randomly, must be present to win.
The Pyromusical
The pyromusical is a fabulous virtual fireworks running in exact synchronization with a music soundtrack, brought to you by PyroVR Fireworks. Neytiri, owner/operator of PyroVR, has created new custom effects for this event. Click on the video image to see the 2023 show.
Upon Arrival
![](images/thunder2024/PyroVRhud.jpg)
Please set your viewer to shared environment as we will use EEP to bring you evening skies during the dance section, a beautiful day scene for the air shows, and a deep dark moon sky scene for the pyromusical. When you move to the viewing barges for the air shows and pyromusical, get a sound HUD from the dispenser (see photo). Touch the dispenser to receive an attachment request. The PyroVR sound HUD will give you a precise 3D audio mix, so be sure to wear headphones or connect to a surround sound system during the airshows and the pyromusical events. Remove facelights and any particle emitters as they starve out the aircraft smoke trails and the fireworks. Set your draw distance to at least 512m, and preferrably type in chat, dd 1200, since the airshows and the fireworks are spread over considerable space. Enable advanced lighting for the full effect.
![](images/thunder2024/ViewerVolumeSettings.jpg)
You will be treated to both a music sound track and public address announcements directing you to look where the aircraft are located during each of the maneuvers. Before the show starts, set your viewer Music and Sounds settings as shown in this photo. In The Firestorm viewer, hover over the speaker icon (upper right) then move the two sliders as shown.
How to use your Camera to follow the jets
![](images/thunder2024/ZoomFollow.jpg)
Most of the acrobatic maneuvers are executed in front of the viewing barges, so the default view
from the seats works well for them. Press and hold the CTRL key then 8 for a wider angle view, 9 for standard view, 0 for close up.
Some maneuvers look best if you can lock your camera onto
one of the jets. Because the aircraft are moving quickly, it is difficult to use alt-left-click to
lock your camera onto them. An easier approach is to click on the people icon in the viewer or
select menu Comm / People.
Click on a pilot's name, then click on Zoom. The pilot names are listed below.
Puddle Jumpers biplane: Modee Parlez,
Fokker E3: Kayaker Magic,
F-22 solos: Neytiri Omatikaya,
Blue Angels diamond: Balpien Hammerer, Craig Denimore, Kittylove Stillwater, Zai Dium
About the DJ
![](images/thunder2024/Caliope Photo.jpg)
Calliope Andel also known as "Muse" has been a DJ in many game environments and virtual worlds since 2002. "I love entertaining people. I love to play music and engage people so they feel they're a part of the scene not just listening to the music." Calliope's favorite genres include Epic music, International, Bhangra, Latin, Rock, Hip Hop, Swing, and Disco. You can find her throughout the metaverse: look her up on Discord to see where she will be next. Calliope will be playing at the 4PM preshow, air shows, and pyromusicals.
About the Puddle Jumper Pilots
![](images/thunder2024/PuddleJumpersSepia.jpg)
The Puddle Jumpers are a chaotic crew of lovable wee-folk who train weekly to hone their skills and
crazy antics to perform their death defying wing walks
and skydiving routines. They love dealing with virtual air turbulence, welcoming chaos
as their stochastic friend. They are our virtual circus to the air show.
For them, it is all about camaraderie.
The biplane aircraft is piloted by Modee Parlez, known carowser who runs
her pirate battles regularly on the high seas of region LooseCannon.
About the Blue Angel Pilots
![](images/thunder2024/2024 BA3.jpg)
The Blue Angels train weekly for 10 to 12 practice sessions to hone their skills sufficently
to be able to fly solo or lead a formation through the complex maneuvers of the air show. They
master flying close to the water, performing acrobatic maneuvers, dealing with virtual
air turbulence (brief lag when an HG visitor drops into the region), and avoiding the void; a 6x6 region
requires situational awareness lest collisions occur. This year's pilots are a mix of
first to fifth year veterans. For them, performing is all about the love of precision flying, entertaining people, and
having fun. they are: 1-Balpien Hammerer (Lead), 2-Craig Denimore (Left Wing), 3-Kittylove Stillwater (Right Wing),
4-Zai Dium (Slot), 5-Neytiri Omatikaya (Right Solo), 6-Drew Hunter (Mid Solo), 7-Kayaker Magic (Left Solo).
Photo Order:
5 6 7
4
3 2
1
About PyroVR Fireworks
![](images/thunder2024/pyrovrlogo.jpg)
PyroVR Fireworks is a professional fireworks display company providing the most realistic looking and sounding fireworks shows found on any grid, open or closed.
From a humble InWorldz beginning back in 2012 and later founded in 2014, PyroVR Fireworks provides large grid-sponsored public shows exclusively to the following select grids: Discovery, Utopia Skye, TAG, and Mobius.
Previous Year Videos
Watch these videos from previous events to get a sense of what will take place at the shows. The first one is specatator view and how you can watch if you lock your camera onto one of the jets (alt-left-click). The second video is the pilot's perspective, both 3rd-person camera and mouselook. The third video is the pyromusical.
![](images/thunder2024/VidEvent.jpg)
![](images/thunder2024/VidF18CU.jpg)
![](images/thunder2024/Pyromusical video.jpg)