Simventure 2024 is a part of a much larger legacy. Every summer since 1953, Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, WI hosts an airshow known as AirVenture. It grew to become the largest airshow in the world. During that week of celebration of everything aviation, KOSH is the busiest airport in the world, seeing over 10,000 arrivals and departures. Airplanes of all sorts–from single-engine pistons to high-speed military aircraft, gliders, helicopters, seaplanes, homebuilts, and now eVTOLs have to somehow play together in a relatively small airport. To keep everyone safe, the FAA publishes complex arrival instructions in an approximately 30-page notice. Seeing it happen in real life is exciting. The landings are rapid-fire, sometimes two airplanes landing on a single runway at the same time! The Oshkosh Airshow is a mecca, and flying this complex arrival is a bucket list item for every pilot.
For the last few years, PilotEdge, a company that provides live Air Traffic Control service to the flight simulation community, has organized a simulated experience of the Oshkosh arrival procedure called Simventure. It is held one week before the actual airshow. This sim event has also grown, now to over 2,000 participants. This year, I took a video of it, and I hope it helps, entertains, or both.
If you have ever flown the actual Fisk Arrival, how did your experience compare to this simulation? Let me know in the comments.
I’m trying something new on my YouTube channel, Flying in Cerulea. I produced a flight sim video that I’ll publish as a YouTube premiere. That will allow viewers to see the video as it airs for the first time, hopefully along with others. I’ll be watching, too, and there will be a live chat.
My channel only has 177 subscribers so far, so I have a sinking feeling that no one will be in attendance for this premiere. But it’s a start, and I plan to do other videos like this, hopefully with a growing audience. And I did learn a lot of things while producing this video.
The video is a recording of a simulated flight from Myrtle Beach, SC to Wilmington, NC that I took on June 5, 2024. I set up a webcam and made commentaries throughout the flight. I used Snagit to capture the screen, the webcam, the mic, and the cursor. Then I used iMovie for editing, and this is the first time I added a bit of music.
The premiere is on Friday, June 7, 2024, at 5 PM Eastern time. If you have a chance, stop by, check it out, and maybe subscribe to the channel. Click on the image link above for details and a notification/reminder. Hope to see you there!
This post is the sixth and last of a short series on how to develop your home flight simulator. It’s for the complete beginner, keeping things simple, not meant to be a comprehensive guide, though this final post is perhaps the most complex.
If you have done what I discussed in the previous posts in this series, then I assume you have your simulator up and running, you have some hardware flight controls (yoke or stick, throttle quadrant, rudder pedals), and maybe you added some hardware instruments to make the simulated flying experience more realistic. You know how to take off, fly around, land, and maybe you’re learning about navigating, communicating, and how to use your autopilot. The more you learn, the more questions you’ll have, and the more you’ll become aware of the myriad of enhancements and add-ons that are available for flight simulators. There are so many that I won’t even try to make a list of individual products. Instead, I’ll paint a picture in broad strokes.
Some of the airplanes included in XP12
Whatever flight simulator software you use, be it MSFS, X-Plane, or any other, it will come bundled with several airplane models that you can “fly” on your simulator. You’ll probably have a few single-engine pistons, a twin-engine piston or two, maybe a turboprop, perhaps a seaplane, small jets and large jet airliners, a fighter jet or two, a helicopter, and maybe some exotic flying machines like an ultralight, VTOL, or a spaceship. That might sound like a lot, but you almost certainly will want to have more, perhaps a specific, favorite airplane to add to your fleet of sim models. You are certainly not restricted to just the few that came packaged with your basic sim software. Do internet searches to find the major sites that sell add-on airplanes for your specific flight simulator. The typical cost for good airplane model software, expertly programmed to closely match the flight characteristics of their real-life counterparts, is about $20-50, more or less. As an example, here is the official X-Plane store: https://store.x-plane.org. Many other sites like this sell flight simulator add-ons.
x-plane.org store
I’m sure you noticed that they sell not only airplanes, but other things such as airports, scenery, and a plethora of utilities. Your basic flight sim software will already have a comprehensive representation of real-life scenery and airports, but the add-ons will have more detail and higher resolution, all to become more and more realistic. And the utilities cover every aspect of flying, from pre-flight to engine shutdown. You will find that the world of flight simulator enhancements is extensive and creative.
SimHeaven terrain areas
Of course, there are specialty shops that focus on one specific thing. Again as an example, here is a company that focuses on scenery: https://simheaven.com, though they are certainly not the only company to focus on this. There are other ways of enhancing scenery detail and resolution.
Some enhancements will open up your simulator experience to include other flight sim enthusiasts and service providers on the interwebs, such as live ATC (Air Traffic Control), with companies like PilotEdge and VATSIM.
And for those of you who use ForeFlight on an iPad, it will integrate with the flight simulator so you can use the power of this comprehensive electronic flight bag right along with the simulator, just like you would do in real life.
After decades of evolution, the world of flight simulation is now rich with options, resulting in a simulated flight experience that is coming closer and closer to real life. If you are an actual real-life student pilot or certificated pilot, we are certainly at a point where flight simulation activities can positively contribute to your education and proficiency in real-life flying.
If you are curious about flight simulation, I hope these six articles have answered some of your questions and hopefully piqued your interest.
This post is the third of a short series on how to develop your own home flight simulator. It’s for the complete beginner, keeping things simple, not meant to be a comprehensive guide.
In the previous post, I discussed how to “download and install” the X-Plane12 flight simulator (XP, XP12, sim), and that downloading and installing the Microsoft Flight Simulator is very similar.
Even though it’s possible to use keyboard commands to operate a home flight simulator, flying that way is completely unnatural and no fun. So, in this post, I’ll concentrate on the essential hardware and peripherals you will use to fly the sim and make it really fun.
Let’s take a moment to talk about computer screens.
You’ll want a good sized screen, and it has to have a fast refresh rate, 60 Hz being the bare minimum, 144 Hz better, and 240 Hz even better. The bigger the screen, the more you’ll enjoy the experience, and wider is more important than taller. A three-screen setup, like in the image above, gives you a wide-angle view which is really helpful and makes the experience more enjoyable, because a pilot often has to look far left and far right. But three screens are definitely not required to enjoy your sim. Do a search for images of flight sim screens and see the great variety of setups that people use. There’s no one best way. You’ll use what’s best for your physical space and budget.
And speaking of multiple screens, you should make sure your computer is able to handle at least 3 screens, preferably 5, to accommodate possible instrument screens in the future.
So now let’s talk about flight simulator controls. They are sold by many companies including but certainly not limited to Logitech, Thrustmaster, Honeycomb Aeronautical, CH Products, VirtualFly, Turtle Beach VelocityOne, etc, etc. On top of that, each company might have several options for the same controller, with varying quality and cost. The good news is that there are perfectly good controllers that will do the job at an affordable price. Of course, in general, the more you pay, the more you get. You might want to start economically, then gradually upgrade your setup over time. I find it enjoyable to do internet comparisons of various options from various companies at various price points.
So, where to start? How about with the main controller, the one you’ll use to climb and descend (pitch control), and to roll the plane to the left and right to help it turn (bank control.) This controller comes in two basic types–yoke and stick.
(The following images are just examples from random companies, not necessarily what I use or my recommendation.)
Yoke or Stick
Example of a yoke type of controller
Example of a stick type of controller
Depending on what type of airplane(s) you plan to fly in your simulator, you’ll choose to own a yoke, a stick, or both. Besides the primary function of contolling pitch and bank, these products tend to have numerous buttons that are easily programmable through XP settings–things like raising or lowering flaps or landing gear. In addition, some sticks also twist to control yaw and to steer the airplane while it’s on the ground, which is normally something you do with rudder pedals.
Throttle Quadrant
The simplest throttle quadrants have 3 levers to control throttle, propeller, and mixture. They are often bundled along with a yoke or stick as shown in the picture above, but they can be bought separately as well. For multi-engine airplanes, throttle quadrants are available that have more levers.
Rudder Pedals
As mentioned above, rudder pedals control yaw while in the air, and are used to steer the airplane while on the ground.
Multi-function Controllers
CH Products makes this interesting controller that has a yoke, a built-in throttle quadrant, and built-in rudder “pedals” that are really paddles you operate with your thumbs. This is actually a great way to get started in the world of flight simming, as the cost of this one product is much less than three components if you buy them separately. An additional benefit is that this unit takes up very little space, and is easy to attach to a table and detach.
Installing and Programming
You’ll be shocked at how easy it is to install these items. They almost always simply just plug into a USB port, and that’s it. They are powered through the same USB csonnection. They usually don’t require drivers or any additional software. After you first install them, you’ll go to X-Plane settings and X-Plane will walk you through a quick, intuitive calibration. While you’re in settings, you can explore a little and see how easy it is to program the buttons if you wish. Each button has a letter or number, and it can be assigned to a function from a drop-down list. Easy!
I will point out that as you add components, you can quickly run out USB ports on your computer, so you might have to use a hub to accomodate all your components and connections.
And that’s it for the essential hardware. You are ready to fly!
In a subsequent post, I’ll talk about more advanced hardware peripherals.
Your next assignment: Search the internet for flight simulator controllers, and check prices on the company websites or on Amazon. Then check your wallet. 😀
This post is the second of a short series on how to develop your own home flight simulator. It’s for the complete beginner, keeping things simple, not meant to be a comprehensive guide.
In the previous post, I discussed “big picture” items such as what simulator software I recommend, and the fact that you should have a powerful enough computer to run the simulator.
As I mentioned at the end of the last post, I will now concentrate on the X-Plane12 flight simulator (XP, XP12, sim), though much of this will apply to Microsoft Flight Simulator as well.
By now, you have probably investigated X-Plane and have an idea of what it is all about. Even before you make a final decision on buying it, you can download and install the Free Demo. You might want to download it to your normal laptop or desktop computer, even if it is not as powerful as recommended, as this will still give you a good-enough glimpse at the sim.
The Free Demo gives you all you need–airplanes and scenery. If you are asked to choose what scenery you want, keep it to a minimum. For example, if you live in the US, just download the US scenery. That will limit the size of the download (which is quite large) and the computer processors’ workload. After it’s downloaded, explore the menus and the settings, just to get an idea of what they include. You will gradually get to know these very well.
Then start a new flight. Here’s how you do it. After clicking “New Flight”, pick a simple “General Aviation” single-engine piston airplane, like a Cessna Skyhawk, though it doesn’t have to be that. Then pick an airport close to home. After you pick the airport, look at the upper right-hand corner of that window and click on “Customize”. Find the Ramp/Runway toggle and choose “Runway”. Don’t worry about the wind direction for this one, just pick any long runway. Then start the simulation. For most small single-engine piston airplanes, you can take off when the speed is about 55-60 knots, so keep it on the ground until you reach that speed. (BTW, the letter “B” on your keyboard is the brake toggle. You’ll want to take off the brakes. LOL) It might take you a few times to figure out how to maintain the centerline and how to raise the nose of the airplane to take off, but you’ll get it eventually. Keep trying, and you’ll be flying in no time. If you’re a newbie to all of this, look for the included tutorials.
If you do download the demo version to your normal laptop, you will quickly encounter some serious limitations. The first is the size of your laptop screen. Yes, you can run flight simulators this way, but your view is greatly restricted by the small size of a laptop screen. You’ll realize that you’ll want a bigger one. I’ll discuss this further in the next post.
The second is that flying an airplane with mouse, trackpad, and keyboard commands is awkward, to say the least. Yes, you can fly it that way, but it makes flying much more cumbersome, less enjoyable, and less realistic. You’ll realize that you’ll want some airplane-like controllers. I’ll also discuss this further in the next post.
The third is possibly poor visual output on the screen. If what you see on screen is pixilated or otherwise glitchy, you may not have a strong enough internet connection or (more likely) a powerful enough computer.
This is a good time to mention fps, or frames per second. Fps is a number that we use to keep an eye on the net result of the computer’s processing and final output to the screen. Any fps below 20 is not good enough. 20-30 is okay, Over 30 is best. To keep a constant eye on this, go to Settings>Data Output and click the box that corresponds to Frame Rate/Show in Cockpit. This will give you a tiny, unobtrusive green display in the upper left-hand corner of the screen showing moment-by-moment changes in fps.
If the fps is too low, you can make changes in Settings>Graphics to help your processor out. Start sliding things one notch to the left to increase your fps.
After a few demo flights, you will have a very good idea if this is something you want to keep doing. If you like it enough, you won’t mind spending money on the full version. If you do buy it, you’ll get a product key/number that you will use to activate the sim to its full version. Then follow the prompts to update the files. X-Plane makes it very simple and intuitive to do updates.
Your next assignment: make a priority list of what you want/need to make your sim experience more enjoyable.
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