Are there any RL pilots that play... And

[CAP1]

Ok guys, granted, AH is a video game and any similarities to RL are few and far between. But I wonder, how would AH stand up as a sim for those who fly UCAV's and the like? Their pilots may be hundreds or maybe thousands of miles away. How would our "game" compare to this?

Thoughts?

actually, for a time, they were recruiting radio control pilots for their UAV's. the r/c pilot would take off the pane, then the military pilot would fly it, then to land was the r/c pilot again.

i think

[LLogann]

Ohhhhh.... That makes so much more sense, Real Life Pilots.  I was thinking that Ralph Lauren had a small Airforce

I know we got quite a few real life pilots here.

[eagl]

I found that playing AH made it a bit easier to control a RL taildragger.  I have a couple thousand hrs in a few different planes but only a couple hours in taildraggers.  My first taildragger flight was not encouraging... gross overcontrolling, no anticipation, basically the usual crappy first try student errors.  My second attempt 5 years later was a LOT better, and the only experience I'd had with taildraggers in the interim was with CK/WB/AH.

It's not exactly proof, but I found that it helped a bit transitioning to a taildragger and if I ever get my taildragger endorsement I expect it to be a bit easier than it would otherwise have been.

[LaFever]

In real life orientation and target tracking much easier + a feel for speed and E state comes naturally. In cartoon world it's easier to lose track of target/orientation and E state not to mention ease in judging lag turns in particular. In cartoon world you don't have to deal w the myriad of nit-noid details that come with real planes like EGT,ROE and airspace restrictions. It sorta evens out except for the physical demands requirement. If you don't get airsick from the maneuvers 20-30 minutes of straight of pulling Gs will make you want to puke. That said, some of the guys on here will put in 100+ hours a month with near continuous ACM. Self taught or no they can get good fast. Even though the physical requirements aren't well represented in this game you are still fighting another person out there abiding by the same physics rules and flight models you are. (Hopefully )
I sometimes think about how many lives might have been saved if a sim like this were available in 1942 when pilots were checking out in Wildcats with 50 hours in-type. Will it help you become a real pilot? Not so much. Will it help you learn some ACM and have some fun too? Yup.

[Flyboy]

Didn't your flying instructor ever tell you to not trust your body instinct and feeling? Instructor fail if he didn't !

the first thing i was taught was "allways fly with your head outside, feel the plane do not monitor it"
we had flights where our instrucors put plugs on the gauges and we where required to performe 3 loops in a row.
only time you "switch" to fly by the instruments is night\ poor visibility.

i mostly agree with lefever, playing simulations will not make you a batter pilot by itself, but will make you catch things faster.

[Nutzoid]

Let me be a bit more specific folks. Is what we do in AH, sit in front of a computer and flying by "proxy", any different than the person who sits at a computer and flys a UCAV? Both pilots are isolated from the sensation of flight and must rely on compugen flight data.

And I'm curious, if there are some very fundamental differences between the two, what might they be?
Again, you all's thoughts?

[CAP1]

the first thing i was taught was "allways fly with your head outside, feel the plane do not monitor it"
we had flights where our instrucors put plugs on the gauges and we where required to performe 3 loops in a row.
only time you "switch" to fly by the instruments is night\ poor visibility.

i mostly agree with lefever, playing simulations will not make you a batter pilot by itself, but will make you catch things faster.

NIGHT, you're still best to stay outside

[CAP1]

Let me be a bit more specific folks. Is what we do in AH, sit in front of a computer and flying by "proxy", any different than the person who sits at a computer and flys a UCAV? Both pilots are isolated from the sensation of flight and must rely on compugen flight data.

And I'm curious, if there are some very fundamental differences between the two, what might they be?
Again, you all's thoughts?

biggest difference?

our airplanes= free
tjeir airplanes=multimillions

[Nutzoid]

Really Cap1? I wouldn't have guessed.     I was referring to the WAY in which the UCAV and our cartoon planes are controlled.
Both being flown from a computer in a location removed from the aircraft.  jeez

[CAP1]

Really Cap1? I wouldn't have guessed.     I was referring to the WAY in which the UCAV and our cartoon planes are controlled.
Both being flown from a computer in a location removed from the aircraft.  jeez

sorry, i couldn't resist the wise assed answer

[SD67]

Low time, Cessnas, Jabirus, a Piper Cherokee6 and a KR2S.

I find that I try to fly the game like I fly in real life and this can get you killed in the game. IMO

I've never flown in a combat situation, so I can't comment on that, but I agree 110% that most of the things we do 'in-game', without actually shooting, would get us killed. On the other hand, flying 'for real', within the limits we've learned as real pilots, will get you killed really fast in the game. I think this is the hardest part of the game for me, because I'm naturally reluctant to put my virtual airplane into a situation that I couldn't get a real one out of. It's like closing the door of your car when you know the keys are locked inside, you know what's happening but you do it anyway...

These two posts probably accurately convey the differences.

[rvflyer]

RV-6 and L-17B Navion since 1990,
J
 

JHerne wonder if I know  you, been flying my RV-6 for almost 20 years :-)

Jerry S

picture of it here: http://mysite.verizon.net/jsflyrv/Photo1rv6.JPG

[Grayeagle]

Ok.

I had been playin AirWarrior a few months before goin after my pilots license.
What it taught was approach control, site picture (you know what a bad approach looks like, vs a good one), and basic manuevering.

In the first hour in a 'real airplane' ('68 Cessna 172 affectionately known as 'Snaggletooth) I did the takeoff, S-turns, turns around a point, full 360 while holding alt-airspeed ..all the basics you have to show the instructor ..then we went into slow flight, power off stall, power on stall procedures.

No way could I have done all that in the first hour without flight sim background (er .. and years of building/flyin R/C, and .. er .. coupla years of Aerodynamics at Embry-Riddle .. perpeller beanie r me)

Solo'd in 7 hrs of dual.

Did a full aerobatic routine in Crazy Horse ..by then I was all the way up to 18 hours in my logbook of 'real plane' flyin.
We did cuban eights, loops, stalls w/10 degree flaps, clean, accelerated, power on, right, left, low level attack pattern, buzzed the Naval Weapons training center area, ..and then I landed the Mustang (kinda dicy as got hit with crosswind on final at <100' alt, I reflexively used opposite rudder to regain the line and maintain wings level as we were full flaps, gear down, engine at idle at that point. . somethin the sim taught me to do for linin up when yer dirty, low, an way slow)

AH does teach you how to fly. I knew when we did the pop up that I would top out at 3k alt or so, rolled in on the target, pulled off at 100' or so (just above the trees) ..felt entirely at home in the Mustang. Climbout at 180 indicated, ..all the numbers are very close to the 'real thing'

In real life, you dont have an engine out, with bandits in the pattern. You have time to setup your downwind, base, and final. One of the planes that amazed me was the Aeronca Champ .. it is soooo slooooowww .. I felt I could read a novel on final ..LOL.
Touched down, slowed down, tail down, got hit with crosswind, automatically slammed stick into the wind direction with enough rudder input to stay straight on the taxiway .. instructor could not believe I only had 3 hours dual then. Sims teach you what does what.

After an hour in Crazy Horse I was worn out.. 4g program, 400mph now an then, and it got warm in there when we were low, I was drenched with sweat after the low alt fun .. and at engine shut off I was purty much done for the day .. exhausted. Then again .. I had been up for 3 days straight at the AW Con

So yes .. go out to the airplane patch, pay the man 25 bucks for a demo ride and tell him you want to take the controls ..he will turn em over to you right after takeoff and have him walk you thru some of the basics ..you'll surprise him, and I would bet you wont stop smilin for weeks.

-Frank aka GE

[CapnMike]

I was just curious how realistic is this game.

As far as the technical aspects of applying Air Combat Maneuvering (ACM) and energy management knowledge in a realistic environment, I think AH does an excellent job for a desktop sim. The physics modeled in the game with regards to accelerated stalls and high-G buffet I think are pretty darn good as well. This game allows you to explore all of the facets of real flying with the exception of smells, G-force fatigue, and the breeze in your face with an open canopy (c:   

Oh, and mortality...

The skills you learn flying here will directly translate into flying real airplanes - once you adjust to the "seat of the pants" sensations a real aircraft provides. If you fly with a Track IR, it REALLY makes it even more realistic.

(Airline Transport Pilot, Multi-Engine Land; Commercial/Instrument Single-Engine Land; Just over 12,000 hours as of June (last time I updated my logbook) Cessna: 150/152/172/172XP/172RG/182/182RG/185/206/310; Piper: Cub, Super Cub, Cherokee, Cherokee Six, Warrior, Aztec, Twin Commanche, Seneca II, Cheyenne IV; Luscombe SL8; Beech: Bonanza, T-34 Mentor, Baron, King Air 200/300; Type-rated in: Embraer E120 Brasilia; Canadair CRJ 100/200/700/900; McDonald Douglas MD-88; Boeing 757/767)

Soo... do I get a cookie?

[Oldman731]

Soo... do I get a cookie?

Not until we find out where you've been.

- oldman