soaring sim with bald eagle ridge terrain?

[Frank]

Anyone know of a soaring sim (besides X-plane) with bald eagle ridge
terrain included?

I would like to use something to gain some additional terrain
familiarity before the sports nats this year.

TIA,

Frank

[Ray Lovinggood]

Frank,

I don't know of a soaring sim, but have you considered
Google Earth?

You can 'fly' along the ridges, and pretty much anywhere
else on Earth.

It is also possible to upload igc files to Google Earth.
Find the url on one of the discussion groups on gliderforum.com


Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, North Carolina
USA

At 03:54 23 January 2006, Frank wrote:
>Anyone know of a soaring sim (besides X-plane) with
>bald eagle ridge
>terrain included?
>
>I would like to use something to gain some additional
>terrain
>familiarity before the sports nats this year.
>
>TIA,
>
>Frank
>
>

[toad]

Download all the IGC files that you can find of contest flights in the
area from the soaring server (http://soaring.aerobatics.ws/SOARING) or
OLC and play them in Seeyou 3d.

Of course, the most fun way is to come a few weeks early !

Todd
3S

[chipsoars]

Frank,

The 2005 Region 2 igc files are available, zipped up from the Winscore
site. This is easy to access from the SRA website, menu left side,
contest results. I could email you the files I retained, of those who
did much better than me so I could learn something.

http://sailplane-racing.org/

BTW, support the SRA.

Chip F.

[[email protected]]

Can't offer more than the others, Google Earth has good images... and
I'm guessing you'd prefer the simulator to respond in some way to the
terrain?

I've often wished that one of the 'Irregulars' would voice narrate the
playback of a long flight in SeeYou 3D. That way we get the 'why' as
well as the 'where' he flew, and a description of wind conditions en
route. When recorded as a DVD or other video medium it would be a great
way to learn the ridges before taking your first flights.

There might even be a small market for a video taped ridge
familiarization run.

None of this replaces the need to have someone show you the ropes first
hand when you get there.

But what a great confidence builder a tape or DVD would be. Do any
exist already?

Bob

[TTaylor at cc.usu.edu]

I wish one of the computer experts on the list would come up with a way
to replay IGC files in 3D on Google Earth similar to the 3d replay in
SeeYou or allow my to sit in a virtual cockpit and look around while
following the trace, and also build a flight simulation interface so I
can fly a plane or glider through it with three axis control. So far
for flight planning Google Earth is the best I have found for really
looking at terrain and evaluating the potential of ridge flights.

Good old MS Flight Sim is useful but not as good as Google Earth.

Tim

[Doug Hoffman]

TTaylor at cc.usu.edu wrote:
> I wish one of the computer experts on the list would come up with a way
> to replay IGC files in 3D on Google Earth similar to the 3d replay in
> SeeYou or allow my to sit in a virtual cockpit and look around while
> following the trace, and also build a flight simulation interface so I
> can fly a plane or glider through it with three axis control. So far
> for flight planning Google Earth is the best I have found for really
> looking at terrain and evaluating the potential of ridge flights.

It looks like the pieces of what you want are falling into place.

Condor, the competition soaring simulator, already has your virtual
cockpit, 3-axis control, and is programmed to work very nicely with a
small head tracking device (TrackIR) that enables a surprisingly
natural-feeling way to "look around", side-to-side and up/down. The
Condor developers are working now on a scenery toolkit that should
allow you to re-create the virtual 3-D soaring location of anywhere you
wish. Release date of the latter TBD. The former is available now and
is a real kick.

Regards,

-Doug

[Mike]

As a Bald Eagle ridge novice (first decent flight last fall) I, too,
wish there was a flight sim w/the ridge terrain and complexities it
offers as the wind changes. "Flying" Google Earth is O.K. but the
resolution below 5000' isn't that great, at least on my machine. It's
much more useful after you seen the ridges for real. My advice woud be
to read Tom's book "Soaring the Bald Eagle Ridge" a few times, get
yourself out there, get a check ride w/Tom or one of his instructors
(req'd), eavesdrop on other pilots and ask questions. No egos that I've
encountered. If you plan on staying in the bunk house bring earplugs!
Apparently, one of the criteria to become an "Irregular" is the ability
drown out, with snoring, the sound of freight trains that pass very
nearby.

Mike

[[email protected]]

I'd also have a look at the Silent Wings simulator. It's got all the
features you mention (TrackIR, nmea output for PDAs, etc etc), and there's
a 2 week demo you can try out. Really brilliant, I bought it a couple of
months back.

There is already a huge Minden-based scenery included (also in the demo
version), and I've heard there is a Appalachian ridge scenery in the
works.. Maybe you can ask on the forum on the website! (www.silentwings.no)

Cheers,
pg


Doug Hoffman wrote:

>
> TTaylor at cc.usu.edu wrote:
>> I wish one of the computer experts on the list would come up with a way
>> to replay IGC files in 3D on Google Earth similar to the 3d replay in
>> SeeYou or allow my to sit in a virtual cockpit and look around while
>> following the trace, and also build a flight simulation interface so I
>> can fly a plane or glider through it with three axis control. So far
>> for flight planning Google Earth is the best I have found for really
>> looking at terrain and evaluating the potential of ridge flights.
>
> It looks like the pieces of what you want are falling into place.
>
> Condor, the competition soaring simulator, already has your virtual
> cockpit, 3-axis control, and is programmed to work very nicely with a
> small head tracking device (TrackIR) that enables a surprisingly
> natural-feeling way to "look around", side-to-side and up/down. The
> Condor developers are working now on a scenery toolkit that should
> allow you to re-create the virtual 3-D soaring location of anywhere you
> wish. Release date of the latter TBD. The former is available now and
> is a real kick.
>
> Regards,
>
> -Doug

[Doug Hoffman]

wrote:
> I'd also have a look at the Silent Wings simulator. It's got all the
> features you mention (TrackIR, nmea output for PDAs, etc etc), and there's
> a 2 week demo you can try out. Really brilliant, I bought it a couple of
> months back.
>
> There is already a huge Minden-based scenery included (also in the demo
> version), and I've heard there is a Appalachian ridge scenery in the
> works.. Maybe you can ask on the forum on the website! (www.silentwings.no)

I've heard good things about Silent Wings, but have never tried it. If
it accurately replicates the desired terrain then it could be that all
of the pieces are in place now.

The really nice thing about the accurate NMEA output is you can load
your own PDA with the turnpoints and actually fly some "tasks" to get
used to the area and what it looks like. It's also good practice for
interacting with your PDA and its software while under the duress of
flying your virtual glider.

Thanks.

-Doug

[[email protected]]

Google Earth would be a good option, but apparently someone asked them
to censor high-res satellite imagery over most of Pennsylvania.

[Veli-Matti Karppinen]

Doug Hoffman wrote:
....
>
> The really nice thing about the accurate NMEA output is you can load
> your own PDA with the turnpoints and actually fly some "tasks" to get
> used to the area and what it looks like. It's also good practice for
> interacting with your PDA and its software while under the duress of
> flying your virtual glider.
>
> Thanks.
>
> -Doug
>

Well, that's exactly what I've done with SilentWings. Unfortunately I
don't have my "own area", but it's also nice to see how it looks like in
Sisteron or Minden. I strongly suggest you give the demo a try...

With the newest version you can also fly with others: there are several
common tasks for Mnden and Alps on servers and people are also having
competitions there.

BR Veli-Matti

[Christoph]

igc File conversion into GoogleEarth kml File:

http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/map?form=google
http://qfu.free.fr/igc2kml.php

regards

Christoph