Simulators

[Danny Fenton]

I purchased two simultors, both by RealityCraft, the PlaneMaster and the FlightMaster. I have a USB interface from my JR PCM into both and find them very good. My question is this:
I have not flown a model for several years, however after spending several hours with the simulators I am able to fly most of the models consistently, land take off, do circuits. I can fly inverted all day and can just about manage a rather scrappy looking rolling circle. How good an indication of my actual skills does this indicate? I used to fly Fun Fighters, scale models and the odd pattern ship in my youth (25 years ago)so I don't think of myself as a total muppet, just rusty.
Cheers
Danny

[David Ashby - Moderator]

I haven't flown those two Danny but I tried several others and they're all pretty realistic these days.
Make sure you fly in simulated wind - there's scarcely a day when wind isn't a factor at a real site.
Sim's do help sharpen you up when the winter weather is making the field a no-go area.

[Danny Fenton]

Thanks David, My local model shop said something similar, it can teach you to become instinctive as to left and right at any attitude, but will not really simulate some of the sudden flight attitude changes you can get with english weather. With any luck I will fly for the first time in 25 years today, if any Mode II flyers are at the site that is, and then I will know. Fingers crossed I wont be re-kitting my Wot4

[winchweight]

Good Luck mate. I have used Reflex and Preflight, but found them a little too easy. However as a means of developing instinctive skills, they are very good. I spend most of my time doing deadstick recoveries from unusual attitudes.

[Danny Fenton]

Hi Shaun thats exactly what worries me, Is it too easy. I guess the only way I will know for sure is to get to the field and see.

[Steve Hailes]

I find this most interesting as I have been looking at an advert for the Planemaster by RealityCraft for only £19.99 and wonder how come its so realitively cheap. Is it any good? how come some other sims are £200..??

[Danny Fenton]

I think it is really good Steve, I was slightly annoyed as I bought PlaneMaster just before they started using there own controller rather than the Powers unit. My unit came to about £50. I am not sure about the new controller but the Powers one has additonal buttons/switches for retracts, flaps engine cut etc. I spent an extra £29 to buy the JR/Futaba USB converter and it means I can use my own Tx, as I think it is important (but what do I know LOL) to get used to where your own trim levers, flap controls etc.
The club I have joined (Greenacres)is having a sim night next Wednesday, i will be taking along two laptops one with the JR Tx and the FlightMaster the other with PlanMaster and the Powers Tx, I don't suppose you are anywhere near Aldridge in the Midlands?? You would be more than welcome to give my kit a bash.

[Steve Hailes]

Thanks for the offer Danny but I'm in Eastbourne! I think I'll just go ahead and get one as after leaving my first post I went out and crashed my Ultrafly SU27 Again....getting hard to see where the epoxy ends and the foam starts!

[Danny Fenton]

Oh No, sorry to hear about the SU27. I just got back from the field. Didn't get to fly, it seems nobody in my club flys mode II (throttle left) And as I use JR (they all use Futaba) I cannot even buddy box my Mode II from their Mode I. Anybody know if you can buddy a JR PCM with a Futaba?
Ho Hum what Joy..... maybe I should try one of these schools people keep mentioning, just to get me certified?

[Danny Fenton]

Oh just thought Steve, If you get the Planemaster based on the advert on the back page of one of the mags, it has some errors, the planes you get are incorrect, you do not get the Hurricane with PlaneMaster, but you do with FlightMaster. I must confess to liking PlaneMaster more despite the fewer models. Also make sure your confuser has a 3d Video card, (nearly all do nowadays) I had to update the driver to get it to work, any probs give me a shout. You can download a free trial version by the way. Realitycraft.com
Ought to be om commision LOL

[Steve Hailes]

Thanks I'll bear that in mind sorry to hear you didnt get to fly. Im having trouble finding anyone with the realitycraft in stock....

[Danny Fenton]

I got mine from Sussex Model Centre, mind you now it is £20 no wonder they are all sold out...

[GrumpyGnome]

Hi Guys

I too bought PlaneMaster as I have a relatively old PC and I can find better things to spend £100 notes on than Reflex/AFPD etc. etc..

It's good value - currently teaching my 7 year old to use it with a view to letting him loose on a real plane in the summer.

It's good fun but obviously rather limited compared to the higher spec sims. There was a review in one of the mags which, in essense said "... good for learning basics...". Spot on I'd say.

Oops sorry, to get to the point of the thread ................... on the sims I've used, 'real life' is harder. That's PlaneMaster, The old Ikarus one, FMS, Real Flight. Can't really comment about the current top end ones.

GG

[Bravedan]

Re: SIMS, After trying Reflex in my LMS, I later tried out Phoenix, again on their counter, and bought it. I think it's excellent.

I'm a very VERY rusty RC aviator, with an even bigger gap, since 1976 in fact!!!

Have just got into Heli's via Twister Bell and now a Twister CP, and now building a fixed wing via the Yak slow flyer indoor route.

Flew solo outdoor the other week, with an RTF Electrofun bought for the purpose ..........no instruction, no buddy, nobody else present, well away from people, etc, on private land with a secure perimeter inc a three sided cliff and tall trees the plane wasn't going past!!

AND........with just a few hours on the Sim to remind...........two flights and two greaser landings later.............

I'd say the SIM worked fine !!!!!!

[Danny Fenton]

Excellent well done, I know everyone keeps saying don't do it alone, But I can't find an instructor that flies my mode in my area. I am still to find out whether it is accurate or not though I think I will be fine. I costed up a cheap brushless park flyer to do just what you have and I could n't see it costing less than £150 How much was the electrofun, it sounds perfect?
Danny

[Danny Fenton]

Just found the Electra Fun for £71.99 Sussex Model Centre. Looks like its rudder elevator throttle. Really wanted something with ailerons, but I guess if it got you airbourne thats great! Its certainly worth considering. Anybody know of any other cheap park flyers?

Thanks for the info :)

[Dave Bran]

Bear in mind the Electrofun is 3 Channel but the TX with it is 2 Channel plus all or nothing throttle switch...the ESC IS full proportional, so I got the LMS to swap the receiver (I installed it) for a cheap 35MHz........and I used a 6EX Futaba TX.......and just to suit myself, I run it with Rudder on the Aileron stick, so you do have to waggle the right hand stick in both planes.......don't flinch, works for me.. ;-)

Point I was making was that if you "fly" everything in the Sim, the differences on a real model will not seems any issue.

Good Luck......


Dave

[Luke Stevens]

hi,

i realise that this response is quite late after your last post but I've only just signed up to the forums and am trying to catch up :)

anyway, in regard to the simulator question, I taught myself to fly on one! I'm 19 and a full time student so dont have the time (or money) to go and crash the real deal. It worked perfectly, I can competently fly most of the aircraft on the sim and have progressed and flown for real using a parkzone spitfire which is still in one piece.

In regards to the parkfliers, I am obviously biased towards my current pride and joy and will say the spitfire (or one of parkzones other warbirds) however I recently started to teach my younger brother to fly using an aerobird which uses v-tail and is quite nice to fly as its nice and docile.

Luke

[Terry Pike]

I too got a reality craft £20 outfit from sussex MC. As a beginner it has shown me I'm not ready to fly just yet!I cant say how close it is to the real thing as I've yet to fly any but a slope soarer with 2 channels for half an hour. Finding a club has proved a problem (Portsmouth area)so I'll probably teach myself, having joined the BMFA and got insurance first. Any advice on a 4 channel trainer ARTF or simple build would be welcome
All the best to my flying chums
Terry

[John McGuinness]

Hi All,

I have a problem with ClearView or to be more precise with a PPM USB interface twixt USB and Futaba T10CG 2.4 GHz Transmitter. Prob is that the tranny will not calibrate in fact it wont do anything sim wise that it should. The pc , a Windows 7 high spec machine recognises the PPM and loads the PnP drivers without error or complaint. Then the fun, or should I say lack of it starts. I go to control panel to calibrate select the only PPM device installed towit the one I plugged  in. It will not calibrate in fact it appears that it is not installed. However I do not get any error messages . I have changed lots of settings in the Transmitter in fact every setting that could possibly effect the trainer output plug. I have contacted ClearView the Sim people and Futaba, ClearView give me senseless advice and so far Futaba do not answer as yet. One small and maybe irrelevant piece of information is that when the PnP drivers are loaded the Game controller info panel shows the Interface as PPM followed by an arrow pointing to the right. My problem could be the interface lead but I am loath to buy another until I can eliminate most or all other causes of this problem. Any suggestions even wrong ones gratefully accepted.

 

Regards and Happy Landings

[Kelly]

Real flight G-3 and onwards is a good sim if not a tad expensive .

 

You can add wind, turbulance,engine/ servo failures etc, quite realistic .

 

I find flying power models at a slope soaring location very good for turbulance and wind sheer . 

 

Kelvin.