Airplane Landing Questions -- How can the pilot see the ground?

[seazal]

I have flown for many years in sims with 3D cockpits using the TrackIR head tracker device that will allow you to move your real head around to control the in-game camera. It makes operating the buttons so much easier and it is perfect for looking outside under VFR flights. For instance, during a landing pattern its just easy as in real life to lean forward and quickly look left over your should to see the airstrip before turning base. Or when looking left and right during taxi.

Going full VR could pose a problem if you have to operate physical devices like yokes, sticks, buttons and keyboard. With TrackIR there is no such problem. :)

I may get the TrackIR for more immersive landing experiences. But where can I get very wide monitor like this? And is it expensive? What's the measurements to enjoy it?

I saw this news today:
https://www.msn.com/en-ph/news/tech...lby-atmos-speakers/ar-BBRYq30?ocid=spartanntp

But this "world's most cinematic tv" is not as wide as the above.

 

[Filip Larsen]

I may get the TrackIR for more immersive landing experiences. But where can I get very wide monitor like this?

I just use mine with standard 16:9 monitors which is immersive enough for me. I have two monitors normally, but for flying I use one for the 3D cockpit view and the other for checklists, flightplans, special avionic display (e.g. FMS), and similar.

I know others that let the cockpit view fill 3 monitors (without TrackIR) and set the side monitors tilted to kind of look out the side window of the plane (search for "flight simulator triple monitors" to see what I mean). This setup is nice especially for IFR flights as it does not require as high FPS as with a head tracker (or full VR for that matter). You can even get multihead adapters that connect to multiple monitors and registers as a single monitor on the computer (I recall the name Matrox Triple Head - think they are still active). I recall some of them even allow the virtual view to be "hidden" behind the gap between the monitors :)

I have on occasion used a 21:9 monitor for work only, but I would imagine that it would also be useful for flying. However, most PC games and simulators are usually better preconfigured to fit 16:9 so using a very special screen may require some reconfiguration or tinkering. For general PC use I find that I will rather have two 16:9 than a single 21:9 monitor (everything else being equal).

 

[george_michael]

For a pilots-eye view of landing an Airbus A380, see:
https://www.youtube.com//watch?v=ENe89j89tBA

Great share, I was looking for something like this. Searched on youtube myself though, I do not know how did I miss this.

 

[russ_watters]

Apropos:

How pilots land when they can't see the runway
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/autoland-pilots-runway/index.html

 

[russ_watters]

I have flown for many years in sims with 3D cockpits using the TrackIR head tracker device that will allow you to move your real head around to control the in-game camera. It makes operating the buttons so much easier and it is perfect for looking outside under VFR flights. For instance, during a landing pattern its just easy as in real life to lean forward and quickly look left over your should to see the airstrip before turning base. Or when looking left and right during taxi.

Hmm...I may have to get one of those, thanks!

So I did buy one and it's great in concept, but is some taking some getting used to. The movement is weird and the deadband seems necessary but is also distracting and hard to account for. Any tips?

 

[Tiran]

Apropos:

How pilots land when they can't see the runway
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/autoland-pilots-runway/index.html

Just to be clear (though it is in the article), no one lands without seeing the runway. Pilots approach and need to be able to see something as they hit whatever minimum approach altitude - the lowest being 100 feet for the best approach systems. If they can't make out the runway environment they abort the approach and landing.

 

[Filip Larsen]

So I did buy one and it's great in concept, but is some taking some getting used to. The movement is weird and the deadband seems necessary but is also distracting and hard to account for. Any tips?

Congratulations! :)

The TrackIR application allow you to create and adjust different profiles and associate each with a particular game too. I usually like to have a (nearly) flat response in pitch and yaw and have rates set so I can tilt my head to see all relevant for the simulation without my reflector thingy getting hidden from the camera (I use the old one you attach to a cap). For VFR flying where I have look left and right over the wings and be able to lean down and see cockpit switches below the control column, but also would like a "steady" front view, I set low flat curve near zero and let it rise smoothly to higher sensitivity far from zero. I find if the curves are smooth enough I quickly adapt to moving my head just right.

There is also a sensitivity toggle hot-key you can use, but I almost never use that. The reset button, however, is something I use all the time so it is typical also bound to a joystick button or similar. Often I also use this reset to quickly "raise" my cockpit seat up or down a bit by moving my head a bit in the opposite direction from where my normal sitting position is and then press reset. When I then return to normal sitting the cockpit view is different.

It may also take to experimentation to get the right distance to the screen/camera and proper angle. I have had good success with having my screens on an arm for that.

And also important, due to the visual feedback you may experience motion sickness if the simulator runs at too low FPS. For cockpit views I would say around 30-50 FPS is needed, but more is of course better.