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Auto-throttle functionality described February 15, 2012

Posted by admin in : Construction, Flight Simulation , add a comment

I have had auto-throttle realistically simulated for over 4 years but finally got to writing up a description for it. I have had many people ask for the details and i have written it up in as much detail as I could.

 

 

Its under the Feedback Control section of this site. This is the link.

Hope you find it helpful.

CP Jois

Switches explained January 30, 2012

Posted by admin in : Construction, Flight Simulation , comments closed

I came about this simple explanation of some the different types of switches available. No doubt there are many more types of switches. I think sim enthusiasts and new sim builders will find the explanation useful.

http://www.gaugemaster.com/instructions/switches_explained.pdf

CPJ


Simulation for Proficiency Series: #1- The round-out and flare January 14, 2012

Posted by admin in : Flight Simulation, Learning to fly better, Proficiency, Training , comments closed

As pilots, one of the important things to master is the landing. Few pilots, even those with many hours of logbook time, struggle at times to do this with consistency. Indeed while it looks easy, its by far one of the harder things to master.

Why? Because no two landings are the same. The number of parameters that come into play are many. The impacts of those parameters are many.

The ability to mentally compute, and compute quickly – is very important. Feeling your plane is very important. The following video indicates one of the common mistakes that students make while learning to fly. Its a mistake that frustrates many students for a long time. The video is meant to indicate the exact point/decision that makes for a poor landing – rounding out too early. Rounding out too early and flaring high can on the best side have a very hard landing and on the worse side have damaging consequences.

Notice the high round-out and then an early flare thereby bleeding the airspeed off way to high which then leads the plane to sink rapidly and make for a hard touchdown.

Hope you find the video useful.

CPJ


Using Simulation for Proficiency November 15, 2011

Posted by admin in : Flight Simulation, Proficiency , comments closed

For over two decades I have been a avid simulation enthusiast. Flight simulation itself has advanced from being a just another game to a serious passion for many. The models have become closer to reality. The environment engines have become realistic. Computing power has become cheaper. My research has been focused on validating whether high-fidelity simulation appliances can be achieved at reasonable costs thereby enhancing the size of population who benefits from them. On one hand, the answer is that it can be done. On the other hand, the compelling power of simulation can be leveraged in a variety of ways. One of those objectives is training and keeping training costs low. The other is gaining proficiency.

It is in the context of the gaining proficiency that we will be starting a new series titled “Simulation for Proficiency” beginning January 2012. Not sure of the frequency yet, but each episode will focus on a certain aspect/technique that student pilot will need to master.

Please visit us frequently or subscribe to the RSS feed to be notified when we make a new post.

Thanks,
Simulation Research Team


Altimeter & Temperature October 10, 2011

Posted by admin in : Learning to fly better, Proficiency, Training , add a comment

The altimeter is associated with pressure. The presence of the Kohlsmann window on the device makes it very apparent that altimetry and pressure are closely tied. However, in one of my recent studies of the subject of altitude, pressure and the altimeter i had some difficulty understanding the connection between Temperature and Altimeter readings – yes Altitude and Temperature.

Its a well known concept that the altimeter does not take in temperature as an input. However, aeronautics is rife with the connection between temperature and altitude readings on an altimeter. We also know the common saying of “high to low, look out below” – warning aviators of the connection between pressure variations and altimeter readings. Going from an area where the surface pressure is higher to one where it is lower, the altimeter will indicate a higher altitude than the plane is really at – a risk.

There is also another aspect of aviation theory that speaks to temperature affecting the altimeter reading. As much as I tried reading WHY, i got few direct answers. However there was one source where i struck upon an explanation that made it come together.

Indeed the pitot-static system does not have a direct temperature sensor. The altimeter is based on pressure readings. So somewhere the connection between altimetry and temperature is expressed as a functional relationship between pressure and temperature – and this in itself was not a revelation. While many text books speak about “pressure levels being raised on warm days”, the meaning of that statement is very much left to ones interpretation. I did find a source which explained what that meant.

The explanation lies in the fact that adiabatic lapse rates (the rate at which pressure drops with altitude) is different on warmer (or colder) days – warmer or colder than standard temperature (15 deg C). If one were to think about the atmosphere being a compressible or extensible box, on warmer days think of the atmosphere being expanded (stretched) upwards.

On days at standard temperature, pressure drops at a standard rate of 2 degrees Celsius per 1000 feet of altitude.

What this allows us to imagine is that pressure DOES NOT drop at that average rate when it warmer than standard temp. Pressure drops slower than 2 deg/1000 ft on warmer days. The adiabatic lapse rate is lower than 2 deg/1000 ft on warm days. Vice versa on colder days.

Back to the altimeter… the altimeter does not sense temperature. it is CALIBRATED to sense pressure variance. There is also set theory that dictates that a 1″ drop in pressure equals a 1000 ft. Hence via its design and calibration, if the altimeter detects a 1″ drop in pressure, it indicates a 1000 ft increase in altitude.

However, if the lapse rate is SLOWER because of a warm day, then it takes more than a 1000 feet to obtain the 1″ drop in pressure, say a 1″ drop occurs now over a 1500 feet. The altimeter is caught indicating a 1000 feet increase in altitude even though we have climbed 1500 feet.

Hence it is said that on warm days, the airplane will be found a higher altitude than what the altimeter is indicating. Vice versa on colder than standard temp days.

Thanks,

Speech Recognition & RCv4 May 4, 2011

Posted by admin in : Uncategorized , 2comments

Not sure how many of you have already built a speech recognition client to interface with FS or Radar Contact. I thought it would be worth sharing the success.

Late last year i began this work on writing a client that could interpret natural language inputs and relay it to Radar Contact. That work got completed last weekend.

The speech client is built on top of basic Windows speech recognition, accepts a pre-defined vocabulary and relays all commands to Radar Contact.

The client works either on the same PC that Radar Contact is running on or any other WideFS connected PC.

Further, the client is able to accept a button press on the yoke and use it to switch speech recognition on (emulate PTT), recognize speech and send a keypress to the RC.

A combination of a small .NET program, trapping key presses on the PC running the speech client and finally FSUIPC KeySend capability lies behind the working of this speech client.

NTHUSIM and CPFlight FS_COM Connector Glitch March 27, 2011

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There seems to be a small glitch using CPFlight’s fs_com connector with NTHUSIM. After installing the MCP/EFIS back into its place, started up FS9.
NTHUSIM requires full screen mode to work. However, if fs_com is started up prior to setting up FS9 into full screen mode, then FS9 exits when it is switched to FULL_SCREEN.

Solution for this is to FULL_SCRREN FS9 first. Then ALT-TAB out of FS. Start fs_com. Wait for it to startup. Once it does startup, ALT_TAB again in to FS.

firstinflight.


Choosing the right paint for Projection Screens March 24, 2011

Posted by admin in : Flight Simulation, Visuals , comments closed

When building out a projection screen, it is as important to choose the right paint as it is to identify the right wood material to stretch across the screen. This becomes even more important when building out curved screens. Fortunately there is much material available on the internet in making this choice. The article published on projectorcentral.com is by far the best one that I came across.

The link is provided below those interested.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/paint_perfect_screen_$100.htm

I tried a couple of the paint finishes proposed in the article and found both to be very effective. The Sherwin-Williams Duration Satin Extra White turned out real nice. However the SW ProClassic Enamel Satin Finish came out better. I ended up using the latter. The whites come out well and the dark blacks are really enhanced.


Protected: Visitor Book March 20, 2011

Posted by admin in : Communications, Construction, Control Hardware, Flight Model, Flight Simulation, Scenery, Visuals , add a comment

This post is password protected. You must visit the website and enter the password to continue reading.


Image Warping – Update 2 March 5, 2011

Posted by admin in : Flight Simulation, Scenery, Visuals , comments closed   The replacement of the TripleHead2Go device with a digital device finally allowed for NTHUSIM to provide accurate image warping. The three projectors were now able to project a 3 part image onto the 14′ wide screen. Look up the Visuals page for more details on the calculations and conversions that are needed to arrive at an accurate design. SimulationResearch