[simpits-tech] Building large Warbird Sims?

[Rob Hommel]

Yes Jonas,

Any aircraft with the software such as FS2002/Xplane/CFS and others
containing the correct hooks you could build a sim for. It would help if
they model the station in the software. It would be possible to do this. The
expense to create each of the stations would make this very expensive.
Creating the cockpit alone list members spend a fair amount of their hard
earned cash. Now for each station you wish to have available you would need
to consider the expense involved in the creation of that station.

The final result would be impressive and quite large depending upon the
effect you wish to create. For each gunner station you would need to decide
upon if the stations position static or mobile as a gun turret would be
mobile. For a static station such as a door gunner you would need to devise
the gun control and how it interacts with the software. That would be very
similar to the way it currently does (with a pointing device of some sort to
be worked out). How do the arcade games perform this task? I think I know,
anyone care to take a guess. Put the dot on the aircraft you wish to shoot
as in CFS. For the turret, the best approach would be to make the turret
stationary and move the field of view. This is where theatre comes into
play. Fool the eye and the mind does the rest, it will place you into the
action and the more realistic your surroundings the more your mind will
accept that it is you moving.

The Radio Operators station is interior to the aircraft so you will need
only to model the station, this is a real challenge to create the illusion
and carry it off. The radios etc are straight forward to construct many of
the folks here have challenged themselves on how to get dials to perform the
task they would in the real world and work with the software. The forward
view for the person operating this station would be that station only, just
don't look over your shoulder.

The biggest challenges I see to doing a large sim is the space and cost. It
is a do-able task just take a stab at the positions that you would most like
to simulate first. I would take the cockpit first then do a gunner station
those seem at first glance the easiest to do as they are similar to things
that have been done before. Radio operator and radar operator seem straight
forward as well. That is mostly build a box stuff after all.

I wonder if buying the airplane would be a cheaper alternative to doing
this. The number of projectors and monitors the size of the structure to
house the sim and the creation of each of the stations. The number of items
you would need to model and get to interact with the software alone wobbles
the mind. Then again it sounds like a wonderful challenge go for it.

Determine the number of computers you really want to work with, that could
be another determining factor as well.

Keep 'em Flying
Rob Hommel
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jonas Frazier" <spitpilot40@hotmail.com>

>
> Hi:
> With just looking at the B-25 ad on, I was wondering if there is a way to
> make a sim for a large warbird, such as a B-17, B-24, B-29. Is there a way
> to build all the "stations" and then network them into a single sim.
> For example in the B-29, there is the Bombardier Aircraft Commander/Pilot,
> Co-Pilot(pilot officialy), navigator, flight engineer, and radio operator
in
> the nose, while there was the Left gunner, Right Gunner, Fire Central
> Commander (he's the guy on the barbershop type chair that controls the
> different turrets for those gunners) and the radar operator(on late WW2
> B-29s) and then the tail gunner in a compartment by him self.
> How would a B-29 for example be built so that all the stations work
> simultaniously with the flying aspect of the sim? I think that this would
be
> an interesting project to figure out how to do, and build.
> I'm only picking the B-29 for example because my grandfather's brother was
> killed in '45 over Tokyo in a 29.
> Sorry for the long post.
> Jonas
> P.S is there any sim for the -29, or can something like CFS2002, or FS2002
> be used with a -29 ad on?
>



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