Systems test

There's much to say, but before we prepare our aircraft for our flight we must check that all lights are operating!


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A Minor update

High School is finished, and the summer is comming to an end. Just moved to New York City, a place I'll discuss in a later post. Found some time to bring this old bird out for a flight, let me know what you think?

A Sense of Freedom?

Or just actual reality?, you take your pick.




I'll just call it graduation from High School, 4 years of loving and hating, four years of winning and loosing, and most importantly, four years of taking 4 years to waste time, to realize that when your handed that paper you would have wasted 4 years of your life, not taking the time to use it to your advantage, or you would have graduated valedictorian and none of this apply's to you. If you are that person, please kindly press crtl-q, thanks.

Graduation amongst other things has now set onto me a feeling of challenge. We no longer have time to spare, nor do we have our parents money to waste. It will no longer be a situation of when we go out and what we are doing, but now when will we have time to go out, and will I be awake to do anything. I graduated high school May 23, 2009. I received one clap, from my father, and to me it was not a success, instead it was now my principal standing on stage to tell me in witness that they have done all they can to prepare me for life, and now its up to me to make the decision as to what I do and where I go. Since then I've kept myself busy with work, party's and not sleeping. Soon I'll be heading up to New York, Hopefully attending Lehman college studying business administration. Maybe I can find some sort of a life up there?

till then, I'll be more specific next time because if I say something smart right now, the world might blow up.

Murphy Laws for Frequent Flyers

1. No flight ever leaves on time unless you are running late and need the delay to make the flight.
2. If you are running late for a flight, it will depart from the farthest gate within the terminal.
3. If you arrive very early for a flight, it inevitably will be delayed.
4. Flights never leave from Gate #1 at any terminal in the world.
5. If you must work on your flight, you will experience turbulence as soon as you touch pen to paper.
6. If you are assigned a middle seat, you can determine who has the seats on the aisle and the window while you are still in the boarding area. Just look for the two largest passengers.
7. Only passengers seated in window seats ever have to get up to go to the lavatory.
8. The crying baby on board your flight is always seated next to you.
9. The best-looking woman on your flight is never seated next to you.
10. The less carry-on luggage space available on an aircraft, the more carry-on luggage passengers will bring aboard.

Stones Throw on South Beach.

Heading down to Miami for the Ultra Conference and events around it I had the fortune of being invited to the Stones Throw Record company's Party at the Fontainbleau Resort on south beach. All I can say was it was probably a leap into where I'd like to be 5 years from now. After the 1 and a Half trip from west palm beach...and traffic passing Pembroke pines we managed to arrive in miami and find our away towards south beach. Making a pit stop at a gas station I took note of the life-style people are accustomed to down in the real Caribbean city of Florida, where you would pump your gas into your car in a bikini. As many beautiful sights there were to see, there were also half as many that shouldn't be legal to the public eye, but fortunately I didn't get turned into stone when I saw them. The city was alive and the sun was shining, almost as though I was back in new york again but with a bit more of that tropical breeze added to it, as my best mate said "Miami is way to fast". Crossing the bridge we had a nice view of the bay, although it was pretty foggy that day the entire coast was just gleaming with boats and a nice breath of fresh life. Walking up to the hotel I wasn't sure what I was getting into, when I saw the name "Fontainbleau" I thought "well isn't this a fancy place?". Turns out it really was, with RR's parked in front of valet, and Ferrari's and Lamborghini coming from left and right I knew this wasnt just any ordinary hotel. I joked with Dionte saying that Valet likes to park the good looking cars up close, and then (as they had already done) take the crappy ones and park them in front of the good looking cars so that in any case someone gets jealous, those lambs and Royce's have a guard in front of them haha. Walking threw the lobby reminded me of a spicier version of the Ritz Carlton, as if someone took the gracious deed to redesign the interior of the Carlton and introduce a concept there not really familiar with called "Night Life", it was crazy. Floor panels where lights shone threw, purple light painted on the walls, and restaurants from left and right, just walking threw the area was fascinating. We entered the party by the back of the hotel on the beach, a couple pools and a couple dozen private suits lined up behind a small stage where Stones throw DJ's and V-Tech Representatives provided almost heavenly underground break,funk and hip hop music, All of which are the basics for my life. I took note that it wasn't hip-hop anyone could just download online from there favorite rapper, the music they played was real music. In essence it was underground. It incorporated much more then just lyrics and a fancy beat behind it, the music itself tells a lifestyle, and that picture was very self evident threw out the scene as people where dancing, socializing, watching the basket ball game, watching the dj scratch, and where I was, break dancing. My brother Dionte and I moved towards the break dancing circle, which was what we more interested in. I had the fortune of meeting many well known artist and dancers such as Shadow, DJs A-Trak & Dave 1 of Chromeo, Peanut Butter Wolf, Gaslamp Killer, Dam-Funk, Mayer Hawthorne, and DJ Spinna. Aperently Rapper and Producer T.I , Lil Jon, and group members of "Little Brother" where there but I didn't take note to them. The event was pretty much a great way to start off my last spring break, and if you haven't already I urge you go and check out some of the music Stones Throw has to offer. If your a DJ I would definitely recommend the label to you, they do provide vinyl at an affordable price and you will use it if your in this social umbrella. Here are some pics from the event.

http://www.stonesthrow.com/











For more photos check out Luis E. Piñol's Flickr page at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/luispinol/sets/72157616055754378/

Spring Break.

Unfortunately, yet relieving to say I am officially on my last spring break in grade school. No longer will I be able to enjoy spring breaks on the cul-de-sack playing kick ball and ridding mountain bikes across the street. Instead...I'll be partying and living life like it should be lived...Haha. Well its been a while and Ive been dealing with school work, last year and all I need to make sure my ducks are in a row for graduation, which is May 21st. Meanwhile this is what I have been up too...

Putting the challenger 300 project on hold while waiting for some more research to be found Ive been completeing the crusader, as sort of a Guinea pig to enhance my skills for the challenger. Heres the most up to date render of the project. Enjoy..

FAA Considers Passenger Ban.

WASHINGTON, DC—Seeking to address "the number-one threat to airline security," the Federal Aviation Administration announced Monday that it will consider banning passengers on all domestic and international commercial flights. "In every single breach of security in recent years, whether it was an act of terrorism or some other form of crime, it was a passenger who subverted the safety systems on board the aircraft or in the terminal," FAA administrator Marion Blakey said. "Even threats that came in the form of explosives inside baggage were eventually traced back to a ticketed individual. As great a revenue source as they have been, passengers simply represent too great a risk to the airline industry."

Under the proposed reforms, the FAA would institute a strict ban on adult passengers, passengers 18 and under, international travelers, and domestic customers. A battery of questions and ID checks will be used to determine whether an individual is a pilot, flight attendant, or federal security officer—the only humans who will be allowed to board an aircraft flying within or headed for the U.S.

In addition, security sensors installed at all gates will sound an alarm if they detect the presence of a 98.6-degree body temperature, and airport-security workers will be trained to spot and positively identify humans in the boarding area.

"Frankly, we've tried everything else," Blakey said. "We've put up more metal detectors, searched carry-on luggage, and prohibited passengers from traveling with sharp objects. Yet passengers still somehow continue to find ways to breach security. Clearly, the passengers have to go."

If approved, the new restrictions would go into effect sometime around Thanksgiving, before the busy holiday travel season. Customers who have already purchased tickets for flights scheduled to take place after the ban's enactment will receive a voucher good for travel to their final destination by bus or train. Should such transportation prove unavailable or inadequate, passengers on most major airlines will receive either a portion of their airfare refunded or a coupon redeemable for a future flight, from which they will also be banned.

"We realize that these new regulations would, for many air travelers, be a major inconvenience," Blakey said. "But we feel strongly that it's a small price to pay to ensure the safety of our skies."

While the ban's primary purpose would be to improve security, FAA spokesman John Gemberling said it would help the airlines' economic future, as well. As evidence, he pointed to the $7.7 billion losses posted by major airlines in 2001—much of which came in the wake of Sept. 11—and the $6 billion increase in passenger-screening costs since the tragedy.

"We've been stretched as thin as we can go," Gemberling said. "New bag-tracking measures ensure that a passenger is on the same flight as his or her luggage, but do little to eliminate the threat of said passenger placing an explosive in the luggage. All bags are currently being screened with bomb-detection machines, but even these $1 million devices are only equipped to detect a limited range of the most conventional explosives."

Added Gemberling: "They're certainly not going to be much help stopping the next guy who wants to blow up a plane with something like a shoe."

Even the stiff measures included in the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, which President Bush recently signed into law, have proven inadequate.

"Improved explosive-detection systems, fortified cockpit doors, more plainclothes sky marshals aboard planes, and mandatory anti-hijacking training for flight crews—none of it could eliminate the possibility of another Sept. 11 with 100 percent certainty," Gemberling said. "This will."

"We've tried every possible alternative, but nothing has worked," Gemberling continued. "For all our efforts, we keep coming back to the same central problem: humans."

In the end zone!

No pun intended. The model is nearing completion, Alot more detail and animation to be done but as of now, the beast is a flying tri-cycle. Enjoy!

Some Wheels to get her rolling.

Added some semi detailed landing gear.

Enjoy

Its No Longer a Glider

Its a Jet Engine.

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bombardier Challenger 300

Refined

Spent a couple hours trying to create a windshield. Sometimes Autodesk can be such a bitch. Well long story short, I decided not to fight it. Instead I deleted the front half the fuselage and refined the fore section to appear smother and accurate. Here are my eye-candy renders...enjoy.

Michael Espinal

Artficial Wings

Amongst the constant struggle to graduate High school this may, I have found some time work on my model some more. The Bombardier Challenger 300...They must have been bored with this one seeing as the shape of the aircraft while unseen to the normal eye, is much more complex then it appears.

Nevertheless, Here's whats left on my to-do list before I can ship the model off to the programmers.

Bombardier Challenger 300

Fuselage-
Windows
Doors
Radio Antenna's
Pito Strips and radar tabs
APU

Wings-
Flap Animations
Underbody Doors/Luggage compartments
Slats
Spoilers Animations
Interior Wings Detail
Wing tip Light covers
Fuel Doors

Engine-
ALL

Landing Gear-
ALL

Model Completion Date : February 17th 2009
Subject to change

Here's the work in progress photo.

The Philosophical Element.

Photo Taken by Yasmin Daguilh

More then often, a teacher, adult or employer will open up my resume and see the names of more then a couple local dance studios that I have worked for, under those names they will see "Lighting Designer" , "Assistant Lighting Designer" or "Lighting Director", and question the authenticity or purpose of such a title or position. Main point being that my passion for the arts thrives in something that doesn't get seen very often, yet is as bright as those who step in it.

Lighting developed after my introduction into the theater world . If you asked me to define a Lighting Designer 3 years ago, I would have told you that a Lighting Designer is a person who uses the newest technology and techniques to produce a visual effect that coincides with the performance or show, in other words...A person who could make really cool colors, angles and shadows. As Young and naive as I was, I had not yet grasped the concept of what a lighting designer actually does, and how much psychology is involved in it.

After deciding that Lighting Design will be my ultimate path in the arts and as a professional career, that is after I become a pilot, I took time to read as much as I can about the so-called art that of which is Lighting Design. Many people never take the time to think about how much goes into planning and careful execution of a Lighting design, it is much more then just turning on and off lights that have different colors. Lighting design in itself is a much more philosophical, subconscial and psychological art then it appears, and while that may go unseen, it is not left to be abandoned, for once you understand it, you then realize the impact a real lighting design may have on the audience, viewer, and perhaps yourself.

Say I took a piece of construction paper, and I held one up to you that was the color orange. I want you to tell me if I am wrong in thinking that your first thought would be something related to the sun, to heat, to warmth. Psychologically it is programmed in our minds that "Orange" "Amber" "Yellow" "Red" these colors will always be associated with the concept of warmth, an interesting question maybe whether it is due to the sheer fact that our sun is our source of energy, the color of our warm blood is red, or fire on the normal occasion that we witness it is red. We have become so in-tact with this concept that it becomes subconscious to us to the point that entering a "warm-lit" room, while most of may not notice, will in effect make us more comfortable then if we where to enter a room lit by florescent or "cool-light". Alternatively there are some situations where entering this "cool-light" may calm us, relax us and even put us to sleep. There are a couple situations where this has occurred, Such as Air Canada's Lighting installations in the interior of there 767-300 aircraft, lit in a brilliant sky blue which may put some weary passengers to sleep, or in my case, the installation of a Purple/blue gel in the overhead florescent lighting in the sound booth (in other words the crew hang out) at my school's theater that puts me to sleep when class just isn't in my agenda. Which ever the case may be, lighting and more importantly the color choices and types of lighting used will effect the viewer if not consciously, then subconsciously.

The first step I take in preparing my Lighting Design for a Ballet is attending rehearsal's usually a month or so before the in-theater dates, this allows me to view the choreography, listen to the music and take notes. In that time I'm able to visualize concepts, colors, transitions, and overall my interpretation of the piece, and how I can incorporate a Lighting Design that only adds to the piece and isn't a separate part of the piece. I always thought, if you as the audience cant notice my lighting then I'm doing a good job, after all, the show is about ballerina's and the story they are trying to tell, not my lighting. One subject I always have to take into consideration is the size of the show, the audience and the show itself. My main priority as a Lighting designer especially working locally is to light faces. To face the reality of the business the majority of the audience at a ballet is only there to see there son or daughters bright face across the stage and just that. I have not yet reached the level of professionalism where I can sacrifice a dancer's face for the concept and incorporation of a drastic lighting angle, Those are usually styles found in larger productions and companys that perform for theater and ballet patrons as opposed to moms and dads, nevertheless I do try my best to exceed the basic requirement of lighting a dancers face, and because I am a stubborn asshole there will be times, rare they may be, yet they still exist, when I will sacrifice a small portion (usually seconds) of "face lighting" for "Concept lighting" , but only to help the piece itself in its presentation.

Next in my design comes the standard, side lighting. The picture above is two friends of mine, Alex and Rachel performing in the Fall dance recital at my school, as you may notice I chose this photo to present, because it captures the pure elements in my lighting design, first the face lighting, which we have already discussed and you may see in the photo, there faces are pretty well-lit to complement there skin and clothing, and second Side lighting. Otherwise known as the "Accent" light or the "Highlight", Side lighting is what turns a regular performance in the theater or the arts, into a ballet standard. You will never find a Ballet lighting designer who does not use side light, for the simple fact that side lighting exposes the art form itself! Dance, when you light a Ballerina from the side, you reveal a different view to the audience, you create a depth, where they can now see as form. You put a light on the choreography and the story that choreography is saying. These are only the basic elements of angles chosen for lighting ballet, and there psychological reason, how ever in lighting, angles mean different pictures, different forms, different storys and there are always a un-countable amount of different lighting angles and positions a designer may use for his visualization.

Finally my favorite, controversial element that will always surface in Lighting Design especially in Lighting Ballets. Color and texture. Color is the most controversial because color is not defined but only in our minds, color is merely what we make it, what we interpret it as, going back to my example of "Warm" and "Cool" colors, as an audience, when I light a dancer with "Cool" Side lighting, I am subconsciously tapping into your mind and I will influence a certain level of feelings, or emotions depending on how you interpret that color, it is scientific fact that we all generally perceive colors as the person next to us, that ,being the test I would have given you at the beginning of this article with the construction paper, now when you apply this to dance, you start involving a psychological field into the matters of lighting design, and it does not end with just "Warm" and "Cool" colors, but also expands into different colors, different textures and shadows, and when you combine this with your lighting position, and give it meaning to the piece it self, you have then created a true Lighting Design.

Although it may seem as though I just "Light" shows, and have an extraordinary amount of knowledge regarding many subjects technological, I engage in this art form because of it's psychological aspect, and because of the door that this psychology opens for me to express my view as an artist, by painting a scene with lights. you may not notice it but there's a reason why I chose R15 color instead of R16, or R36 instead of R34, or why I hang 64 side lights, and attend rehearsals a month before the show opens. Lighting is much more then just turning a couple lights on and making them look cool, lighting effects the entire audience whether they notice or not, and it does so subconsciously and it will psychologicaly effect what they are viewing and how they are viewing it. Just as dancers are dancing on stage together, to convey there message across through the choreography and the music, My lights dance with them to help them express the message. My lights dance with them to present to you a painting, a picture, a life telling you a story.

Michael Espinal
Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts
Ballet Lighting Designer.

Challenger 300

Started this bird probably 2 weeks ago, the main focus of the project is for a design studio, Liberty Studios. The model will be adapted into Microsoft's newest flight simulator for flight simulation, My purpose for the project was to challenge my skills to create an artistic (realistic) looking model, with out the realistic amount of detail, poly's, etc that would go into one, essentially making it computer-friendly for the flight simulation series. The model will include all details modeled such as Beacon Lights, Wing tip lights, Slats, Flaps, Spoilers, Ailerons, Trim tabs, Elevators, Antennas, Landing gear detail, windows, Doors, and anything else that would fit into those "visual details" category. At the same time, Emmanuel Gutierrez A graphics designer for Liberty will assist me in creating a Virtual Cockpit environment, where users of the model will be able to engage in flying the Challenger 300 from a virtual Captain or copilot seat with all flight deck systems functioning, that means all the buttons turn and do spinny thingy's, taking advantage of new graphics software out there that could be used such as baked rendering for the cockpit lighting environment, (VRAY). So anyways enough with the business heres some renders from the 2 weeks of on and off. More like 2 hours...

The Beginning.

Welcome to my official blog. This is the first time I've ever done anything like this aside from Facebook and Myspace but I figured it would be convenient in helping me publish to all who are interested in anything related to Aviation, the 3D arts, and business whether involving me and my success or anyone Else's. Here I will post project information regarding any 3D projects I may be working on, my photography as well as any business matter as to what I'm selling/buying and how anyone can help me, or anything else I'm interested in.. Essentially I'd like to be able to expand on business as I gear towards my college years. I will also bring up philosophical debates and concepts that I personally would enjoy to hear other opinions and perspectives, Till then, Keep the sky's sunny.