Re: X-SIM 360° 3DOF Flight Pit with XPID and VR!
Posted: Mon 26. Aug 2019, 01:31Report!
Thanks to a RL Pilot i had a 2h flight at EDDM in a A-320 Level-D Simulator!
If anyone has also exp. with prof. flight simulators, i would be thankful to share them,
to develope better DIY motion sim concepts!
After 5 years of building my Frankenstein, the moment of truth had come. Would Frankenstein be a laughingstock
compared to this $12 million simulator? Would it all have been for nothing?
Would all the movements and forces have been completely wrong???
So let´s find out!
We did...let´s say some "uncommon" maneuvers in this 6DOF Hexapod
But at first i was super flashed entering the Simulator, because everthing is just
like the real A-320 Pit! Even the seat fur!
The display is astonishing: It is not a monitor system but a 180° mirror system.
Although the textures are muddy and everything is a bit blurred,
the scenery looks very realistic. Especially the viewing angle is much more "real"
- difficult to describe.
Just once at the break from the downwind I noticed the optical borders of the system.
Night flying is especially brilliant thanks to the contrast.
We trashed preflight and startups checks - this was just about one thing: flying!
Again the big, ol scary question popps up: Is my 360° motion concept totaly wrong?
Will this High-Tech Sim blasting my Scrapmonster just away?
Let´s find out:
On Centerline, pushed the Thrustlevers to TOGA:
Damn...Acceleration feels so close to real, even constant.
The needed pitch level to simulate (max 14°) is not noticeable!
But then V1 and rotate:
Hmm...heave is missing. Near to nothing positive Gs. Not even OnSet Cueing. Why??
Time for some rudderwork:
Sway feels very realistic! No matter if levelflight or bank. Too bad that sway is
not simulated when taxing.
Ok, now basics: rolling.
Great OnSet Cueing when applying big inputs! But constant rollforces are only feelable up to 30° bank (system runs out of travelway?).
While performing a wingover it´s some Onset and then nothing -
but this should be realistic, i guess.
Unfortunately even light wing rocks causing no movement/accelerations in the roll axis!
So only the first roll input is simulated, then the system needs a certain time to simulate
the next input. Same issue with pitch.
Too bad, because this is very important for a realistic flight feeling, isn´t?
Buffets/Stalls:
Brilliant simulated. The shaking, stutter and movements works very accurately and without any delay.
However no heave OnSet or Movement also, even with zero G.
Crash Dive / Climb Out:
Hardly or not at all noticeable. Also no OnSet Cueing. It was probably deliberately omitted
in order not to produce false Gs. According to the instructor, most Level D simulators behave like this.
Touchdown:
One of a kind...Deceleration / breaks feels so real (same like T/O)
But at touchdown the wheel bump seems to be scripted (always the same).
Ambience/sound:
Everything as in real, beautifully staged. Engine noises are great.
But wind noises are hardly perceptible for me.
Vibrations by engines at the TOGA are also missing.
Flight physics:
I can't judge...but certainly above any doubt.
My conclusion:
Super real haptics, great ambience, top of the pop for Procedures Training.
That is the meaning of this thing.
But to simulate emergencies, aerobatics or military - sorry nope.
Imho because this simulator use to less heave travel and provides only some roll/pitch accelerations.
May someone has exp. with Level D Simulators providing this things? That could be a gamechanger.
But in this configuration there is zero adrenaline even during extreme maneuvers like strong crosswind APP, stalls, wingover, etc.
And even though the ambience is so great, there is no fluffy cloud no.7 feeling through soft altitude/attitude changes.
Only App/Dep/Touchdown feels like real.
Except this few moments, using a solo VR HMD (without motion simulation) would may generate more (realistic?) flight feeling to some persons because of the 3D visual perception!
However this flight was a super nice experience! Thanks to all who made this possible!
Thanks to a RL Pilot i had a 2h flight at EDDM in a A-320 Level-D Simulator!
If anyone has also exp. with prof. flight simulators, i would be thankful to share them,
to develope better DIY motion sim concepts!
After 5 years of building my Frankenstein, the moment of truth had come. Would Frankenstein be a laughingstock
compared to this $12 million simulator? Would it all have been for nothing?
Would all the movements and forces have been completely wrong???
So let´s find out!
We did...let´s say some "uncommon" maneuvers in this 6DOF Hexapod
But at first i was super flashed entering the Simulator, because everthing is just
like the real A-320 Pit! Even the seat fur!
The display is astonishing: It is not a monitor system but a 180° mirror system.
Although the textures are muddy and everything is a bit blurred,
the scenery looks very realistic. Especially the viewing angle is much more "real"
- difficult to describe.
Just once at the break from the downwind I noticed the optical borders of the system.
Night flying is especially brilliant thanks to the contrast.
We trashed preflight and startups checks - this was just about one thing: flying!
Again the big, ol scary question popps up: Is my 360° motion concept totaly wrong?
Will this High-Tech Sim blasting my Scrapmonster just away?
Let´s find out:
On Centerline, pushed the Thrustlevers to TOGA:
Damn...Acceleration feels so close to real, even constant.
The needed pitch level to simulate (max 14°) is not noticeable!
But then V1 and rotate:
Hmm...heave is missing. Near to nothing positive Gs. Not even OnSet Cueing. Why??
Time for some rudderwork:
Sway feels very realistic! No matter if levelflight or bank. Too bad that sway is
not simulated when taxing.
Ok, now basics: rolling.
Great OnSet Cueing when applying big inputs! But constant rollforces are only feelable up to 30° bank (system runs out of travelway?).
While performing a wingover it´s some Onset and then nothing -
but this should be realistic, i guess.
Unfortunately even light wing rocks causing no movement/accelerations in the roll axis!
So only the first roll input is simulated, then the system needs a certain time to simulate
the next input. Same issue with pitch.
Too bad, because this is very important for a realistic flight feeling, isn´t?
Buffets/Stalls:
Brilliant simulated. The shaking, stutter and movements works very accurately and without any delay.
However no heave OnSet or Movement also, even with zero G.
Crash Dive / Climb Out:
Hardly or not at all noticeable. Also no OnSet Cueing. It was probably deliberately omitted
in order not to produce false Gs. According to the instructor, most Level D simulators behave like this.
Touchdown:
One of a kind...Deceleration / breaks feels so real (same like T/O)
But at touchdown the wheel bump seems to be scripted (always the same).
Ambience/sound:
Everything as in real, beautifully staged. Engine noises are great.
But wind noises are hardly perceptible for me.
Vibrations by engines at the TOGA are also missing.
Flight physics:
I can't judge...but certainly above any doubt.
My conclusion:
Super real haptics, great ambience, top of the pop for Procedures Training.
That is the meaning of this thing.
But to simulate emergencies, aerobatics or military - sorry nope.
Imho because this simulator use to less heave travel and provides only some roll/pitch accelerations.
May someone has exp. with Level D Simulators providing this things? That could be a gamechanger.
But in this configuration there is zero adrenaline even during extreme maneuvers like strong crosswind APP, stalls, wingover, etc.
And even though the ambience is so great, there is no fluffy cloud no.7 feeling through soft altitude/attitude changes.
Only App/Dep/Touchdown feels like real.
Except this few moments, using a solo VR HMD (without motion simulation) would may generate more (realistic?) flight feeling to some persons because of the 3D visual perception!
However this flight was a super nice experience! Thanks to all who made this possible!
