Cubey Terra

Eight years ago, I logged in as Cubey Terra for the first time. It was my second time around. My first account, Tillman Terra, lasted only a few days before I deleted it out of fear that I was spending too much time in Second Life.

Tillman Terra (Sept. 2003): The account that preceded Cubey Terra

In the past, I’ve engaged in retrospectives:

• 2005
• 2008
• 2010

And a little flight of fiction:

• The Oldbie

This time I’m going to just say that, although I recently sold Abbotts Aerodrome, I’m not dead and gone yet. I’ll be here playing with aircraft, gadgets, and crap in SL until Linden Lab turns out the lights.

Thanks for all the memories, Second Lifers. Now let’s go make more.

Abbotts Aerodrome closes on September 1, 2011.

Update (Aug 11, 2011): Although Abbotts Aerodrome is closing and I’m moving on, a buyer has stepped up who will repurpose the Abbotts build  (the tower, runway, etc.) as a new facility. See the relevant comment here.

Standing at the edge of the runway in Abbotts, I can hear the waves shushing against the supports underneath. A short ways away in the trees, a bird whistles a song that is suddenly overwhelmed by the roar of a 737 taking off. In the distance, a steady beat of helicopter blades rides the cool morning air. These are the sounds of Abbotts Aerodrome. I made this.

About seven and a half years ago, Apotheus Silverman and I closed our short-lived Zoe Airfield and bought up the majority of parcels in a new southern region called Abbotts.

Zoe Airfield in 2003: The predecessor to Abbotts Aerodrome

We built a floating airport with an art deco theme, called it Abbotts Aerodrome, and welcomed pilots and aircraft makers.

The region of Abbotts in February 2004, before Abbotts Aerodrome was built. That's not a typo on the sign; the region came online as "Abbots", but the Lindens later changed the spelling.

In subsequent years, we expanded, I tore it down, rebuilt, tore it down again, and finally realized the structure that you see today — literally from a dream.

An early version of Abbotts Aerodrome in 2004, when it featured floating platforms around a central tower.

Abbotts Aerodrome in 2005: More art deco, more floating stuff!

We held small aircraft building contests, huge exhibitions, and design competitions. We fought off attacks from sandbox griefers and two-bit newbies with cage guns. We’ve had Aerodrome members join our ranks, and others who faded away and left.

One version of Abbotts had small, low-lying structures that hugged the hillside.

All of it was great fun. But as they say, all good things must come to an end. It’s the end for Abbotts Aerodrome, Second Life’s second oldest airport.

Abbotts Aerodrome in its final configuration

On September 1, 2011, we are closing the doors and grounding the aircraft for the last time. The lights will turn out and the aerodrome will go silent.

Watching the sun set over the southern passage.

On that day, I’ll retreat to a corner of Abbotts to build a little cabin, where I’ll take up fishing and learn to make primfish sushi.

As many of you have noticed, this week’s “gridquakes” have brought with them some extraordinary changes to the geography west of Abbotts. The Linden-owned sandboxes, which have been a fixture since 2004, slid west to unite with Sandbox Island. In their place is a new waterway and a baroque coastline worthy of Slartibartfast himself. If you’re ever pining for fjords, now you can fly west from Abbotts and follow the coast all the way to Nova Albion and beyond to Bay City.

Exploring the new coastline south of the City of Nexus Prim in Gibson

With the removal of the sandboxes and ridge that separated them from Abbotts, now we can perform proper approaches to runway 9.

Making the final approach to runway 9 at Abbotts Aerodrome

Of course, wide swaths of new ocean are perfect for Second Life’s sailing enthusiasts, and some have already approached me to ask about my plans for Abbotts regarding sailing. Since Abbotts Aerodrome’s founding in 2004, it’s been our policy to allow anyone to rez any kind of vehicle. So our marina in the northwest corner of Abbotts is, as always, open to the public for launching their boats on their way into the new southwest passage. It’s not a big marina, so giant yachts won’t fit, but we’ll certainly let you temporarily place smaller vessels.

It’s almost the weekend, which means I’ll have some time to upgrade the Abbotts marina to accommodate the sudden increase in demand. I hope to see you out on the water and in the sky in our new seaway.