Friday Update, January 27, 2012

[Sternjaeger II]

Originally Posted by Bewolf

Sounds cool, I remember the days in IL2 when people desperately looked for material, checked museums, private collectors, archieves to find blueprints of some of the more obscure planes but also for a lot of german mainstay airplanes (lots was destroyed in the last year of the war). An expert in this field who is much more competent then all others who laid their hands on this so far I am sure you will be welcomed with open arms.

It's a huge learning curve, liking aeroplanes or reading some books doesn't make you an expert. The expert is someone who has a sound general knowledge and is capable of researching material inherent to the required task. Assembly manuals, operation manuals, part catalogues, test pilot notes, understanding the available data (and above all not taking them for divine word) and last but not least knowing when, unless you find more material on the subject, you will have to give up.

when you're doing research money is your best friend. You need to budget for research if you want it done hey presto and in a proficient way.

Also, you need to know what you need to look for. If I said "I need material on the Macchi 202", I need to specify what I actually need, and above all do it in collaboration who's aviation and engineering literate. I don't need colour profiles, I don't necessarily need 500 B&W wartime pictures, or one picture of a cockpit is not necessary the absolute truth about the looks of an interior. I need to know what that specific panel, dial or knob is for, whether it was standard or changed on various variants, I need to know how all the moving parts work and why, what the possible faults are, what are the engineering shortcomings.. It's a HUGE task, but it wouldn't necessarily take months.

It's hard work, and not always easy, but it's a vital part of development, especially if you want to avoid doing things twice.