Effects of atmospheric turbulence

[Old Sport]

From the limited R/L flying I've done, bouncing through pockets of air turbulence can be quite an experience, especially on a hot afternoon at lower altitudes. As we all know, currently all flying at any altitude is rock steady in AH.

I do not suggest trying to model turbulence into the AH II atmosphere. Meteorologists haven't succeeded on humongous mainframes.

My idea is merely a random-generator mechanism on each FE that simulates the buffeting caused by air pockets. The random generator would produce a long square/sine-wave that varies in frequency and amplitude, simulating air turbulence, and that rides on the straight-line flight path.

The buffeting program interprets this random data for an aircraft according to four variables.

Altitude – At low altitudes the effect is greater, making the flight bumpier. At high altitude the effect is diminished.

Wing-loading – An aircraft with low wing loading experiences a greater effect than a plane with high wing loading.

Aircraft Mass – A small, light-weight aircraft has less inertia for the buffeting to overcome and will experience a greater effect than heavy plane, even with the same wing-loading. This effect may not be that significant though.

Speed - Increased speed can diminish altitude variation, but may make things bumpier by hitting turbulent pockets more rapidly.

For bomber formations, the buffeting data could be delayed 5 seconds for the first drone and 10 seconds for the second drone so the planes do not bob in sync.

Passing through cloud interfaces could trigger an increase in buffeting.

Trailing an aircraft at 200 yards or less could trigger increasing buffeting.

Since the buffeting data rides on a straight-line flight path, I don't think it is necessary for the FE to send the buffeting data to the Host, unless perhaps at 200 yards or closer it were to have an effect on gunnery.

Yeah, I know. Not a crucial issue at all.

But it would be a one shot-deal for all aircraft in AH, and it would add yet another aspect of immersion.

Maybe in AH III.

Best Regards

[splitatom]

i am ok with adding prop wash put i dont wand turbulance mesing up my aim so yes to prop wash and no to turbulance:aok

[wooly15]

I just don't calibrate my joystick to simulate turbulence.  

[Old Sport]

Originally posted by splitatom
i am ok with adding prop wash put i dont wand turbulance mesing up my aim so yes to prop wash and no to turbulance:aok

I don't think any turbulence other than prop wash would affect aim, and I don't think it would affect it much.

My idea is that turbulence would be felt in varying degrees at whatever altitude, but would start increasing in intensity if you are 200 yards or less behind another plane to simulate prop wash. As you get closer it gets even bumpier. But even that probably won't have that much affect on aim unless you are in a Zero or Spit 1 or 5.

For an example, watch the canopy frame or the gun sight when you are turning and stalling, or in a terminal dive. There is simulated shuddering-buffeting, but the amplitude is not enormous (or at least before you hit 550 in the dive). You do get a visual and audio representation that the plane is shuddering.

Air turbulence shudders would only occur once in a while to simulate real air. They would not occur continually, unless, again, you were very close behind another aircraft where it simulates prop wash.

Air turbulence would be indicated on the ROC and accelerometer, and if it was significant, perhaps on the alt gauge.

Originally posted by wooly15
I just don't calibrate my joystick to simulate turbulence.

Actually the reason I posted this was the new commercial with the four F4U's in formation. They still look a bit artificial to me. If you watch any film of formations of aircraft from WWII you see then bobbing a little around the flight path, sometimes more, sometimes less. I think that is the result of both turbulence, and the reaction by the pilot. Since in AH a stick at 0, 0 rest is not inputing, nor is there any simulated air turbulence, the plane flies a straight line, which is not quite like real life.

Best Regards

[Yossarian]

It's a nice idea, but in AH you get so many planes taking off and landing from the same runways at almost the same time (especially with missions and furballs) that the prop wash might be huge, and i really don't know how to describe the mental image i have of this situation ... something along the lines of planes weaving all over the runway, adding to the prop wash and flipping over etc

I just don't see how such a thing would be feasible.

[Old Sport]

Originally posted by Yossarian
It's a nice idea, but in AH you get so many planes taking off and landing from the same runways at almost the same time (especially with missions and furballs) that the prop wash might be huge, and i really don't know how to describe the mental image i have of this situation ... something along the lines of planes weaving all over the runway, adding to the prop wash and flipping over etc

I just don't see how such a thing would be feasible.

Point taken Yossarian.

But don't forget the takeoff scene of Catch 22, the movie of your namesake, where 16 real life B-25s took off together. That scene was shot four times. Maybe not the smartest stunt, but it was possible.

In real life fighter squadrons, pairs of fighters would start rolling for takeoff as soon as the preceding pair passed the halfway mark of the runway.

In any case, for multiple spawns the prop wash effect for aircraft taking off could be diminished while on or near the runway you are taking off from, and return to normal intensity after you leave the end of the runway.

No one has throttles at full military power or WEP for landing, so I don't see a prop wash problem there.

I don't see turbulence or prop wash causing planes to crash, unless a major downdraft under a thunderhead is modeled. And for that, first we need a thunderhead.

But I do think rendering the bumpiness by visual and audio would make flying feel more realistic.

All the best