flight test log

[RedBeard]

I'm trying to generate / collect flight test data for each aircraft to get a definitive statement on performance.  One of the issues I'm running into is that blackout impedes my ability to read the gauges so I can collect data.  Is there a way to disable blackouts in an offline arena or to enable some kind of flight data capture?  I've looked in the forums and wiki and in the GUI and I can't see anything that would help.

Thanks,
Red Beard
CO 364th C-Hawks

[Lusche]

You can not disable blackouts, but of course you can capture the film and review it - no blackouts are shown in the film viewer.

However, I'm a bit curious what performance data you are looking for during blackout?

[FLS]

I'm trying to generate / collect flight test data for each aircraft to get a definitive statement on performance.  One of the issues I'm running into is that blackout impedes my ability to read the gauges so I can collect data.  Is there a way to disable blackouts in an offline arena or to enable some kind of flight data capture?  I've looked in the forums and wiki and in the GUI and I can't see anything that would help.

Thanks,
Red Beard
CO 364th C-Hawks

Specific performance depends on weight and altitude so I'm assuming you're more interested in relative performance differences, speed, climb rate, and turning, between aircraft.

Speeds and climb rates, climb rate is a good indicator of acceleration, are available in the hanger clipboard charts. Note the weights on the charts and compare them to the weights of the different fuel loads.

A good indicator of relative turn performance is a shallow climb at 3g, note the speed when you get the stall buffet. A steeper climb gives a less accurate result and even a shallow climb is an approximation but you'll find it's a useful way to quickly compare turn performance. The aircraft that holds 3g at a lower speed has better turn performance.

Everyone blacks out at 6g  so a Zeke and a Mustang pulling 6g at 300 mph will have the same turn rate and radius. But some aircraft reach 6g at lower speeds, again lower speed indicates better turn performance, so the Mustang can match the Zeke until the Mustang is too slow to pull 6g, then the Zeke out turns the Mustang.

[RedBeard]

Yes, I understand that different configurations cause different performance behavior.  I also understand the relationship of G and airspeeds and turn radius and turn rate and air density, etc.

There are several things I'm trying to collect information on.  The hardest at the moment seem to be structural limits and instantaneous turn rates as blackouts make it difficult to collect these.  I will try the suggested film method.

The next hurdle is getting an accurate G loading value as the G meter is not terribly accurate for interpretation.  This leaves a lot of room for error.  Adding a decimal G value to the HUD would help a lot here, but it would only be of limited help until the HUD shows in the film viewer (due blackout issues).

As for blackouts being the limiting factor, I'd rather differentiate pilot limits from aircraft limits.  This is partially due to GLOC onset having a relation to the rate of G and partially because if AH changes behavior, I don't have to start over.

As a side question, I expected an automated method of capturing the data used for the ingame performance charts.  Is that data really collected by hand or do you just use the aerodynamic coefficients and calculate it?

To answer Lusche, I'm toying with the idea of creating a Fighter Weapons School.  Part of the syllabus is understanding the performance of your aircraft and it's performance in relation to others.  That in turn is going to require homework for collecting that information, so I am testing the feasibility of being able to do that.

[FLS]

The charts are accurate for the weight. The values are from the flight model. As players we don't have that tool available.

A g meter in the HUD would be nice. 

I expect you know you can make notes on vox that will play back as you watch the g meter on your films.

Have fun with the project. 

[1ijac]

I have a pdf file that one of my squaddies made of the turning radius of all the planes in AH.  The radius was measured at both no flaps and full flaps and the planes are ranked from the smallest to largest radius with both no flaps and full flaps.  Anyone who wants it e-mailed to them, private message me your e-mail addy and I'll get it to you. 

Cheers,  one-eye

[RedBeard]

I've tried the film recorder for flight data capture and it has some issues that make this difficult.  In particular, the film viewer cockpit attitude indicator and compass are inactive.  This makes it difficult to determine whether expected bank angles are within tolerance and it makes it difficult to track degrees of turn.

I can kind of track bank angles using an external view, but the distance fog makes comparing against the horizon difficult.

Determining degrees of turn is definitely a problem as the only possible measure is 360 degrees by pointing the nose at an easily identifiable landmark.

If there are no other solutions in place, would it be possible to get the film file format so I could extract the information directly from the recording?  I have plenty of development experience, so that's not an issue.

[FLS]

I imagine you can compute the bank angle in a level turn from the accelerometer value?   

You can use the .target command to set a co-alt landmark if you need one.

[RedBeard]

The problem is I have at least one procedure where the aircraft must be maintained in a constant bank constant airspeed turn, so I can't compute bank angle from G.

[RedBeard]

To be more specific, it's a test to determine altitude loss in a constant rate gliding turn.  I have to maintain a constant bank with optimal glide speed and determine altitude loss for degrees of turn.  Measuring bank angle is hard from the film.  Measuring degrees of turn is almost impossible.

[RedBeard]

Another issue I'm running into is the dashboard ASI reads IAS and the film viewer digital speed is TAS.  TAS is great for some things, but when I'm trying to see if I'm maintaining a consistent IAS and bank in a gliding descending turn, I have to switch to internal view, zoom in on the cockpit ASI for accurate readings there, then switch to external view and reposition to check bank angle using drawing triangles and protractors pressed on the screen, advance a few seconds and do it all over again.  I suppose I could stay in external view and use alt and TAS to compute IAS, but that's just about the same amount of trouble.

For example, let's say I have an aviation calculator app.  I position the film viewer to a frame, set external view, position the external view to check bank angle, take note from the film viewer player info that the plane is 14.2K alt and 217 for Speed.  I Alt-Tab to my aviation calculator and start entering the altitude and speed info to calculate IAS.  Film viewer intercepts the key strokes and takes each char entered into the aviation calculator as a film viewer command.  Each number key is treated as a pan, but somehow, while entering the key strokes, I end up looking at grass and no amount of film viewer view switching or player selection helps me get back to a view of the plane.  So I basically have to restart film viewer, reload the film and set the current frame every time I want to check data.

[nrshida]

I'd like to see your pdf One-eye.

[FLS]

Another issue I'm running into is the dashboard ASI reads IAS and the film viewer digital speed is TAS.  TAS is great for some things, but when I'm trying to see if I'm maintaining a consistent IAS and bank in a gliding descending turn, I have to switch to internal view, zoom in on the cockpit ASI for accurate readings there, then switch to external view and reposition to check bank angle using drawing triangles and protractors pressed on the screen, advance a few seconds and do it all over again.  I suppose I could stay in external view and use alt and TAS to compute IAS, but that's just about the same amount of trouble.

For example, let's say I have an aviation calculator app.  I position the film viewer to a frame, set external view, position the external view to check bank angle, take note from the film viewer player info that the plane is 14.2K alt and 217 for Speed.  I Alt-Tab to my aviation calculator and start entering the altitude and speed info to calculate IAS.  Film viewer intercepts the key strokes and takes each char entered into the aviation calculator as a film viewer command.  Each number key is treated as a pan, but somehow, while entering the key strokes, I end up looking at grass and no amount of film viewer view switching or player selection helps me get back to a view of the plane.  So I basically have to restart film viewer, reload the film and set the current frame every time I want to check data.

Have you tried using trails with the film viewer? The cross tie that appears at 1 second intervals shows the bank angle you had at that time.

The problem with alt-tabbing out and still inputting to the film viewer is a bug and should be in the bug reports.

[1ijac]

I'd like to see your pdf One-eye.

You need to pm me your e-mail addy and I'll send it to you.  Unless you are referring to something else?       

one-eye

[nrshida]

You need to pm me your e-mail addy and I'll send it to you.

You can just cut and paste the data regarding the Ki-84. Just curious to validate it & perhaps make an important point.