Digital learning with Aerofly FS and VR Motion

    • Official Post

    Dear Aerofly users,

    anybody interested in seeing where Aerofly FS is being used, have a look at this 3 video series from Switzerland, that shows how Martina Gassner from the Swiss TV channel SRF, learns how to fly by just using Aerofly and the VR Motion platform:

    Part 1/3 -

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    The videos are in German but you will find some English subtitles. Enjoy.

  • For the ones who would like to fly the aerodrome circling shown in the video:

    Switzerland DLC needed, airport is Speck-Fehraltorf south-east of Zurich Airport

    And here the aerodrome circuit. The lady in the video starts on rwy 30:

    There is more information: https://www.fgzo.ch/index.php?mode=piloten

    Have fun!

    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

  • Thanks Thomas.

    Recreating real world flights in the flight sim is always enjoyable. I have many thousand hours instructing primary students in a Cessna 150 very similar to the one used in the video.

    I soloed a 16 year old girl on her birthday once. She grew up riding and flying right seat with her dad in their C-210. I never commented about her reaching for the Gear Knob on climbout in the C-150. Old habits are hard to break, even for teenagers. :)

    Regards,

    Ray

  • btw, what does this mean?

    Will you put the HB-CYP safely on the piste in the bacon?


    This is Episode 3 of 3: Finally the time has come! Martina hat genug im Simulator trainiert und sitzt nun zum allerersten Mal in ein echtes Flugzeug. Martina has trained enough in the simulator and now sits for the first time in a real plane. Mach dich auf viel Gekreische gefasst! Get ready for a lot of screaming! Wird Sie die HB-CYP sicher auf der Piste in der Speck aufsetzen? Will you put the HB-CYP safely on the piste in the bacon?


    Regards,

    Ray

  • LOL. This happens when google translates. The name of the airport is Speck and the translation of the german word Speck is bacon.

    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

  • This is how it looks like when cultivated with osm data and scenproc. In the osm-file I delete the buildings of the airfield and scenery with josm so only the nicely done buildings of the scenery are shown. Pictures are taken in VR.

    Downwind

    Final

    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

  • Thank you for sharing these nice videos, despite my ears are still ringing after 3rd episode ;)

    I came to real flying from "general consumer" simulation (starting with FS 3.1 back in the 80's) and I'm by far not the only one. There's absolutely no doubt my simulation background was of significant help in my real flight instruction.

    From my experience flight simulators (whichever) are a touchy topic in airclubs. Instructors who didn't grow up with computers are generally hostile while some others feel the pedagogic potential of such tools, if used as such. I usually advise new flying students not to talk about flight sims (whatever the sim) to their instructor unless he/she comes to the topic.

    The video however clearly demonstrates that despite of a 6 dof platform (be it set optimal or not) there's something a simulator will never come close to real : in-flight sensations.

    And that's why the girl screams and goes into panic mode as the aircraft lifts-off : while she felt immediately familiar with the aircraft on the ground despite she flew a different model in AFS2 (still a Cessna) the simulator didn't prepare her for flight sensations.

    Worse, as the case may be, the moving 6 dof platform might even have mislead her to expect something different (I agree that's speculative).

    It's sure good for fun, but I don't believe in the pedagogic purpose of such moving hardware.

    There are plenty other aspects that can be taught and trained with flight simulators, like procedures, navigation, radionavigation, radio communications, global flight management, instruments reading, etc. provided that you have adequate material but, of paramount importance, adequate supervision.

    Simulator training will never replace real flight experience, but can become a fantastic educational tool if used properly.

    Current top-level "general customer" flight simulators like P3D or XPlane are extremely powerful and complete thanks to huge ranges of available add-ons in all domains, but their setup and maintenance are way to intricate and expensive IMO for most air-clubs without having a flight sim nerd available full time to keep all add-ons working together and support non-specialists.

    If basic systems (magnetos, mixture, fuel management), physics (air density, realistic piston engine, realistic NAV radio ranges) and features (weather engine, independent multiscreen, to allow separate student and instructor views, Saitek panels support) could be added, and the release frozen (i.e. no forced update that breaks the sim overnight), AFS2 could make a very good ground training tool for air-clubs, especially in Switzerland with the Swiss DLC.

    EDIT :

    What I find cool in the video is the fake panel for VR : once VR works with naked hands (not the controllers; worst case with gloved hands) and can be "linked" to such a panel in a robust and accurate enough way, it must be pretty immersive. A few cm away and the illusion is probably ruined.

    Since there is no instruments needed, but only a blank profile surface for hand touch feeling, you probably can get a very affordable panel, or even imagine get several exchangeable panels to really match the aircraft you want to fly. Well, I definitely want one now for the Robin... ;)

    Cheers

    Antoine

    Config : i7 6900K - 20MB currently set at 3.20GHz, Cooling Noctua NH-U14S, Motherboard ASUS Rampage V Extreme U3.1, RAM HyperX Savage Black Edition 16GB DDR4 3000 MHz, Graphic Card Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 8GB, Power supply Corsair RM Series 850W, Windows 10 64 bit.

    Edited 3 times, last by Trespassers (June 1, 2018 at 3:22 PM).

  • I think real flying experience prepares you better to cope with the failings of a simulator.

    Exactly ! when you're used to flying for real in small aircraft then you easily recall and imagine flight sensations in your sim, as well as you start "feeling" the controls.

    But you cannot imagine a sensation you're not familiar with...

    Same thing the first time I dogfighted clouds flying a PC7, despite 100s of hours flying mostly 2D in airclub aircraft, and despite having dogfighted for hours as a youngster in WWII fighter simulations, the real 3D dogfighting sensations were totally new to me, no simulator will ever come close to this.

    Same for aerobatics.

    Simulator was also used by A. Borschberg and B. Piccard to learn how to fly the Solar Impulse, nothing else existed to start with, even the largest gliders were way off...

    First time Bertrand took off with HB-SIA he immediately felt home, handling was just as touchy as in the sim...

    Cheers

    Antoine

    Config : i7 6900K - 20MB currently set at 3.20GHz, Cooling Noctua NH-U14S, Motherboard ASUS Rampage V Extreme U3.1, RAM HyperX Savage Black Edition 16GB DDR4 3000 MHz, Graphic Card Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 8GB, Power supply Corsair RM Series 850W, Windows 10 64 bit.

  • The video however clearly demonstrates that despite of a 6 dof platform (be it set optimal or not) there's something a simulator will never come close to real : in-flight sensations.

    And that's why the girl screams and goes into panic mode as the aircraft lifts-off : while she felt immediately familiar with the aircraft on the ground despite she flew a different model in AFS2 (still a Cessna) the simulator didn't prepare her for flight sensations.

    Funny thing is that when I watched this video I felt more sensations then when I flew in Aerofly myself using VR. When I first flew with my Rift in VR I expected certain sensations, I expected to fear the take off and specially the landing. I expected the same fear the girl clearly experienced during the first real flight. But I got none of that at all. Totally nothing. That was a great diappointment. When I watched this video though I could feel her fear! There is something in real life flying, even when only WATCHING it in a video, that flying on a computer can't match, not even in VR.

  • That woman never flew as a passenger in a small airplane like a cessna, otherwise she would have known how shaky it is.

    Many years ago I could join a former swissair pilot in his cessna. I had a lot of experience as a passenger with large aircrafts and also shaky moments but nothing felt the way as in this small cessna and it was not even especially windy. I kind felt that we hang in the air just with the wings, up and down, nothing was stable. I did then a second flight but already knew that I will never become a private pilot. Since then I only flew on the pc.

    That panic woman remembered me of my cessna experiences, although I did not panic but did not feel really comfortable.

    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