How do you fly an airplane when using Oculus Rift Touch controllers?

  • This may sound very basic to all of you experienced VR flight simmers, but, I don't have a clue as how to fly an airplane in VR. I still have my Rift unopened in the box. I am waiting for my new PC to arrive mid week and I just ordered a couple of wall mounts for the sensors after watching a video.

    I watched BelGeode's Cessna flight between Marathon and Key West and was trying to figure out how he was able to turn the lights on and off, adjust the Heading, AP and such. He states that he only flies in VR. I have Saitek Cockpit gear and use the individual x52 Pro Throttle and Flight Controller when flying AFS2 airplanes now. Will I use them once the VR in installed?

    I have more than 5,000 logged hours of flight time and about 15 minutes total time under the VR hood at two demos during the Christmas holidays. I can't imagine using Rift Touch Controllers to flip the proper switches or to adjust the throttles or fine adjustments to the yoke when flying an approach. I needed help picking up the machine gun in one of the demos. :huh:

    Could someone give me an overview of a flight in either the Cessna or Lear using the Rift VR? Any tips, cautions, pointers, limitations? I'm guessing you fly while seated.

    Regards,

    Ray

  • Hi Ray

    I am not the most experienced vr pilot here as I have the rift since christmas only. However I have many years of flightsim experience. VR flying is a great pleasure, you will enjoy it, complete new experience. Ok, back to your question: use your yoke, throttle and any other hardware as now, no problem with that. For the rest I use the mouse and its wheel as on the screen. That's it! From time to time you will try to turn a knob and not see your arm and hand, your body does not exist. I also have pushed the head (rift) against my real yoke when I tried to get a closer look at an instrument. I mostly just fly, not using the ap, turning knobs etc, just vfr flying, enjoying the outside view. In the past I rather flew ifr, with the rift mostly vfr.

    But it is simply fun!

    Regards,

    Thomas

    Regards,

    Thomas

    i7-14700KF @ 5.6 GHz, Geforce RTX 4090, 32MB RAM, 1TB SSD M.2, 1TB SSD M.2, 2TB SSD M.2, 32" Monitor 4K, Pimax Crystal

    Edited once, last by TomB (January 7, 2018 at 7:59 PM).

  • I am looking forward to trying a Rift out myself, if I can find a local store (meaning, within 200 miles on the Canadian prairie) that will allow me to try one on. Still not convinced I'll be able to use one with glasses. A number of videos on YouTube suggest it to be a limiting factor. Hence, my need to try one on!

    - Kenneth

  • I am looking forward to trying a Rift out myself, if I can find a local store (meaning, within 200 miles on the Canadian prairie) that will allow me to try one on. Still not convinced I'll be able to use one with glasses. A number of videos on YouTube suggest it to be a limiting factor. Hence, my need to try one on!

    - Kenneth

    Prescription lenses for VR:

    https://vr-lens.eu/

    https://vr-lens.eu/oculus-rift-lens-inserts.html

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  • You will quickly memorize where your throttle quadrant is and reach for it as second nature. And you will get good at manipulating the buttons via the mouse. Plus Jeff says that cool hand controls are on the way using the touch controllers.

    Seriously, flying in VR will be second nature within a few hours of flight time.

  • I am looking forward to trying a Rift out myself, if I can find a local store (meaning, within 200 miles on the Canadian prairie) that will allow me to try one on. Still not convinced I'll be able to use one with glasses. A number of videos on YouTube suggest it to be a limiting factor. Hence, my need to try one on!

    - Kenneth

    I have a very large head and wear glasses, and I have been able to use the Oculus while wearing them. It might take some practice, but it can be and is done. And DO wear them. They are necessary to see clearly.

  • I do never go back.Flying in VR is amazing.I use the rift cv1 stearing the flight sim with my logitec extreme 3d pro, rest I do with mouse control in the cockpit.I wear glasses under my rift. There is a lot of space between my glasses and the lenses of the rift .that means I have no scratches on the lenses. Follow you tube videos how to wear glasses in the hmd and how to put on the hmd on your head correctly when you wear glasses. Three green ...

  • I use these inserts and they do help. (I can't fit my glasses inside the Rift without forcing them.) My prescription is quite weak (mostly astigmatism) but there is a noticeable difference in clarity. I've certainly gained more from the inserts than I've ever done by adjusting render scale factor, which seems to do nothing for me (even on 2.0). They don't stay quite as firmly in place as I would like - but that's a minor quibble.

  • Thank you gents for the glasses advice. All being well, a new computer within two months, and the Rift shortly thereafter... I am also due for a new glasses prescription, so I will be shopping for glasses also based on how they might fit inside the rift.. Might need two pairs this time..... Now, how do I wear the Foggles inside the thing? (just kidding on that!)

    - Kenneth

  • OK. Sounds easy enough. Thanks everyone for your responses.

    Next Question: How far apart and how high up are you placing the Sensors? Is a 3rd Sensor being used by anyone? Everyone using a chair for flying?

    Regards,

    Ray

  • 2 sensors are ok, because youre only sitting ...my 2 sensors are about 1m left and 1 m right in breast hight .... between them they is also 1m ....

    but there no problem to adjust the places ...

    see my cockpit , in my link in signature

    mfg, Jens ... Flight-Sim.org

    Mein Home-Cockpit ... My Simulator Hardware

    MSI PRO Z690-P DDR4 --- SI INTEL Core i7-13700F 2.1GHz LGA1700 Tray --- Palit RTX4070 JetStream 12GB DDR6 --- 16GB DDR4 PC4400 --- SSD Patriot 1TB M.2 Viper VP4300 --- Pimax Crystal

    Alles fliegt irgendwie,
    fragt sich nur wielange

  • I watched BelGeode's Cessna flight between Marathon and Key West and was trying to figure out how he was able to turn the lights on and off, adjust the Heading, AP and such. He states that he only flies in VR. I have Saitek Cockpit gear and use the individual x52 Pro Throttle and Flight Controller when flying AFS2 airplanes now. Will I use them once the VR in installed?

    Could someone give me an overview of a flight in either the Cessna or Lear using the Rift VR? Any tips, cautions, pointers, limitations? I'm guessing you fly while seated.

    Hi Ray, sorry I missed this earlier, but you got some awesome answers above me here.

    Yes I only fly in VR, when it comes to Aerofly FS2. It's starting to become the case with all my simulators.

    In answer to your question, muscle memory, plus since I use the X-52, I have a lot of my needed switches and knobs bound to individual buttons on both throttle and stick. I try to keep the format similar to other sims I fly, so it is easier to remember what switch does what.

    I also make use of the mouse while "under the hood". It is always placed in the same location, a few inches northeast of my Saitek stick. With little real estate on my desk, I can easily find it, even when blinded by the headset on.

    Some controls I had to make compromises on... for example the heading bug. I have two switches on my hat switch (opposing directions) set to heading bug increment and decrement, and same for the course knob. I found that the "rate" if you will, when I hold down the hat switch in a given direction, makes for a nice easy turn rate. I still have to visually eyeball where to stop the bug. But thankfully, that can be done in the cockpit, with a generous helping hand from the built in HMD (which does not normally show up in my finished videos, but of course I can see it).

    And yes, always fly when seated...

  • Hi Ray, sorry I missed this earlier, but you got some awesome answers above me here.

    Yes I only fly in VR, when it comes to Aerofly FS2. It's starting to become the case with all my simulators.

    In answer to your question, muscle memory, plus since I use the X-52, I have a lot of my needed switches and knobs bound to individual buttons on both throttle and stick. I try to keep the format similar to other sims I fly, so it is easier to remember what switch does what.

    I also make use of the mouse while "under the hood". It is always placed in the same location, a few inches northeast of my Saitek stick. With little real estate on my desk, I can easily find it, even when blinded by the headset on.

    Some controls I had to make compromises on... for example the heading bug. I have two switches on my hat switch (opposing directions) set to heading bug increment and decrement, and same for the course knob. I found that the "rate" if you will, when I hold down the hat switch in a given direction, makes for a nice easy turn rate. I still have to visually eyeball where to stop the bug. But thankfully, that can be done in the cockpit, with a generous helping hand from the built in HMD (which does not normally show up in my finished videos, but of course I can see it).

    And yes, always fly when seated...

    Thanks BelGeode for the detailed reply. This is very encouraging. I will just have to see how the mouse works with the Rift. It is clear as mud right now, but fortunately I have an Instrument rating so I can fly into the fog and hope to avoid the rocks on the hillsides.

    I decided to build 2 full flight sims. I will keep my triple monitors with the full complement of Saitek panels and FIPs mounted in the desk version of the Avionics Panel with the x52 pro and pro pedals so I can ease into the VR world but still have my conventional setup.

    I am configuring my original Volair Cockpit with a single 27 IN monitor, Saitek Cessna yoke and TPM panel with Saitek Cessna Pedals. This will be powered by a new 8th gen i7 8700k with a 1080Ti card and the Oculus Rift VR. I have a couple of standalone Saitek Throttle Quadrants and the large Cessna Trim wheel someplace, but I haven’t found them yet - maybe tomorrow.

    The new setup will most likely never be graced with my 3 pre-AFS2 flight sims and all their baggage. :/

    I’m guessing that I will have to purchase a second copy of Aerofly FS2 for the 2nd PC. The last of the Alienware goodies should be here on Thursday. Maybe I will open the VR box tomorrow and do a fit check.

    Thanks everyone for your contribution to this thread. :)

    Regards,

    Ray

  • The mouse works well in VR. Keep in mind that the mouse pointer arrow also moves around in the 3D space with depth. Automatically keeping with the surfaces and recognising the switches and buttons. So everything can be clicked and scrolled with it easily.

    I'm interested to see what they do with VR controllers in the future too.

  • Ray,

    Sounds like you have been into cockpit building too. You might enjoy seeing what I did a few years back for the DH Chipmunk. (YouTube Link HERE). I wonder if AFS2 will at some stage support things like the Saitek panels, GoFlight modules, etc? Also, multi-monitor support would be essential to build a traditional cockpit in AFS2. OR, maybe all this will be totally superfluous when you and are both immersed into the VR world?

    - Kenneth

  • Some controls I had to make compromises on... for example the heading bug.

    I've sold my X52 to upgrade but one feature I loved about it was the scrol wheel at the front of the throttle. When you leave mouse cursor hovering above HDG bug or other rotary selectors, it will disappear after while but you can still turn the bug with the scroll wheel on your X52.

    btw, I'm preparing video to show you guys latest addition to my pit, including five rotary encoders. They are currently assigned to control AP and I have to say, It makes such great difference in VR that I decided to build whole radio stack too;)

    Jay

    Over and Out

    Jay