Thanks! It was one of the best feelings ever. And it wasn’t even real! I can’t even imagine how I’d feel if I flew an actual plane. I bet it was magical :)
@@Tech2Papa Modern sims such as these are pretty faithful to the flying dynamics of the real thing. The similarities definitely outweigh the differences.
Well i'm a simulator engineer working on these machines so maybe i can help you just a little with the spec's question. Reason why you don't get an answer is that its hard to explain what computer is running this. It is actually lots of computers. Every system has its own computer (like motion, controls, weather radar, sound, audio,......) . And they can be different on every simulator. They are mainly all server computers all speaking to a main simulation host computer. They are also configured differently according the system they need to simulate ( like graphic computers that run the EFIS screens all have big graphic cards) ...... The visual also has a seperate host comuter and several channel computers (also they can be different to another simulator) . They are mostly top spec server computers that are available at the time the simulator is build. So you cannot just say what computer spec is running this simulator. Its a complete network ;-)
Maybe it was mentioned somewhere in the comments but I would like to give my 2 cents as well, as a person designing and building the visual world the simulator flies through (on the defense and security side of the company). The visual background design holds accuracy to a higher standard than how nice it looks (1 example: materials. You'd notice different behavior in the sim between asphalt or concrete, going over oil slicks and the like). This has changed recently with the CAE Prodigy introduction where the visuals can finally be up to par with games but still retain the level of accuracy needed for in depth simulation of all systems and emergencies that pilots need to train for.
Great video. Just a small tip, if thrust reduction and acceleration altitude are the same, its a good practice to lower the nose before reducing the thrust to prevent any unnecessary speed decay. It's not explicitly written in the manuals to do that but there is a note that in manual flight, flight crew must anticipate the pitch attitude.
What a nice experience, thank you for uploading, I wasn't allowed to record anything/publish it. I flew an a320 in a Lufthansa simulator. I remember taking off and just having to laugh out of joy because it felt so real. My instructor let me do a lot of hand flying and stuff I have never done before like raw data ILS without any Flight Directors and then getting positive feedback at the end of the session was the cherry on top. Eventho I was new to flight sims back then and I feel like I'm still pretty new nowadays (not even 300hrs in MSFS), but I still want to go back (when I have the money 😅)
Watched the video again and I have to agree that the sound is not as good as IRL, I love the roar of the iae v2500 and the cfm56 and it clearly didnt sound anything like those engines while take off. So it's not only a a330 simulator problem.
Had to giggle when you said you were a veteran simmer going back to FSX. I started on Microsoft's first sim in 1982 (you know, long before you were even born) where you had to load the entire program off a cassette tape each time you wanted to "fly" it. I have owned and flown sim planes on every iteration of MS Flight Sim going back to the first one, along with just about every combat sim ever made, too. I've burned through a lot of computers in that time. LOL
Dang! Must have been fascinating to witness the evolution of flight sims (and technology in general) firsthand. Hope you’re still enjoying them today :)
@@Tech2Papa Still a total FS junkie today with more than 400 hrs on FS 2020 since its release. lol I, too, got a chance to pilot a full motion military simulator for a C-130 that was on par with your experience. I was a C-130 flight engineer and we had to undergo two weeks, 5 hrs a day of full motion sim training every year. I have about 250 hrs of real C-130 left seat piloting time too. I'm a licensed IFR single engine pilot as well. You enjoyed a wonderful opportunity that few get to have. Well done, and your video was very fun to watch. Way to go buddy! Those full motion, real cockpit sims are "scary" real.
@@RastaPilot737 Hahaha. When girls are around they are always the better option than any gaming. I'm at 632 hrs on FS 2020 currently. I suppose I'd have less time on it if I had girls coming around more frequently. LOL
For sure. The only thing a full motion simulator really brings to the table is the ability to simulate (to a limited extent) disorientation in IMC, but of course, only real flight can fully expose you to that. Other than that a $5k MS FS home setup with all assists off is pretty much all you need to learn to fly an aircraft. Learning to be a pilot (which is mostly about knowing how to make good decisions) is another matter entirely and that requires a human instructor.
@@homomorphic I absolutely disagree. Maybe a decent home simulator setup can help you operating an aircraft. But it will certainly not teach you how to fly it. There is a reason why airline pilot students start their training on small SEP aircraft. There is a reason why initial and recurrent trainings as well as checks are flown in a Level D sim. This is not only because of possible spatial disorientation, but mainly because flying (even in a big airliner) is still done with considerable amounts of seat of the pants. Even a multi million dollar Level D Sim will not behave exactly as the real airplane, it all feels somehow „simulated“ and „computed“. However, it is still an enormous gain of realism, just because you actually feel most of the forces. Nevertheless, flying in reality feels in my point of view still much more dynamic than in the sim. Nothing a home simulator setup could realistically display - and we are not even talking about non normal situations yet.
@@airflo_muc i have 800 hours and passed my commercial flight test. I can guarantee it will teach you to fly the airplane, but of course, you still need to fly a real aircraft for many reasons three of which are: 1. Flying in IMC in sim does not induce disorientation as it does IRL 2. The magnitude of an error is not at the same level (while you may be able to fly the aircraft properly in sim the magnitude of rhe responsibility when sitting in a real cockpit can degrade ones performance significantly). 3. ATC is not properly simulated but there are other tools like planetalk for that. FS2020 does currently have a physics issue with yaw/rudder, and for sure with MSFS there will always be some deficiencies in the sim unlike a class D) but if you spend 100 hours on the 172 with no assists and go through all the proper procedures in MSFS, you could (psychological impediments notwithstanding) hop in a 172 (VFR) and do proper circuits first time, and (if you had random engine failures enabled in sim) likely do a much better job than a student taught strictly on real aircraft if there was an engine failure on takeoff (again psychological factors excepted)
@@homomorphic this should not be about comparing who has how many hours. I have spent considerable amounts of time with flight simulation before I started flight training, and I can absolutely tell that flight simulation at home is nothing more than a procedure trainer. No control forces, no force feedback (okay, not a factor in an Airbus though), no movements, no spatial orientation, no muscle memory, completely different eye scanning distances, … the list is endless. I am not saying that flight simulation does not help in operating the airplane, understanding its systems or training procedures. Actually, this video proves that for a flight simulation enthusiast, it‘s possible to fly a level d simulator on an impressive level of professionality. However, this still neither compares to the real airplane, nor does it make you a good pilot. MSFS is anything but near to actual handling characteristics of the C172 you mentioned - and that is perfectly fine, because it is still a 100 dollar entertainment product, and not a multi million dollar training device. Bring a student pilot with some home simulator time in a full developed spin and see how he reacts. Let him fly his first flight completely on his own and see how he manages pitch, power and flare. I assure you from personal experience, your back will hurt afterwards … I‘d really be interested in the type of aircraft you fly if you disagree with this.
My good Sir, you were born for this. Please become a pilot, then start your own training facility, get rich and all the chicks. you deserve it, thank you for sharing!
well done tech 2 papa, very well presented and produced, i liked your debrief and thoughts about the differences btwn home sims and the full size one you flew. you also have excellent procedural knowledge for a sim guy and i hope you will consider it as a career path, you would find success im sure. well done dude.......watching from australia btw.
Last time I went into the systems of the sim the computer that runs the visual system of the CAE sim has NVIDIA gtx1080 GPU’s and intel Xeon E5 cpu.Projectors are Barco FL35.
You did a great job for a first time flight in a class D sim ... thank you for sharing. I fly and maintain our fleet MD80 class D sim for a living and it is a hoot to fly ... and live to come back for more even when I crash it ...
@@Tech2Papa right now I'm doing a full scale upgrade to the visuals (4K UHD) and the IOS system, adding Bluetooth connection into the cockpit for the iPad use on Foreflight software for the pilots training, and GPS tracking via the Bluetooth from the real world positioning into the simulator database. Also adding more airport databases ...
I spent many years with a home flight-sim. I had cockpit hardware including rudder pedals (on which are toe-brakes). Eventually, I started training for my PPL and on one of my first lessons, I was taxiing out and my instructor told me to brake. I tried to brake. Again, he said, “Brake !”... “BRAKE !!!” “Ooops.”, I said, as I realised what I was doing and grabbed the hand-operated brake on the throttle, “We don’t have toe-brakes !” My instructor, knowing that I was ab-initio (no previous flight training), was puzzled and asked, “What have you flown that has toe-brakes?” I replied, “Urm... My sim !” Yes. Flying a home sim can help develop muscle-memory and habits, even if they do end up being inappropriate for the real-world.
Just earnt another sub! In my college work experience (something we do in the UK, idk if you do it where you are), I did a similar thing at LGW airport in the 737, 757, a320/330 and 737classic sim! This was so cool!!!
Thanks! I don’t know the unit price as companies tend to order in bulk and have discounts, but according to this article (www.shephardmedia.com/news/digital-battlespace/cae-sells-four-of-its-7000-d-full-flight/), 4 of these were sold for C$60M. That would mean that each of these would cost approximately C$15M or 12M USD. Yikes!
Great video. I own a 737 sim and I’m struggling with a camera that works well in low light. Do you mind sharing what cam you use and if you can live stream from it? Thanks.
This was filmed on a Sony AS100v strapped to the right side of my head. Unfortunately I haven’t tried livestreaming from it so I can’t say if it works for that.
Normally HK Airlines doesn’t allow you to use their simulators. But when this was filmed (in the pandemic), almost no one was using their training simulators so they rented them out for public use. They charge 10000HKD for two hours for their Level D A330 sim, and a bit more for their A350 sim.
I know I'm late to the party, but holy s*^&% this video is great! Absolutely A+ studio editing and quality. I would've loved to be a pilot but I sadly cannot. Keep up the good work! (just watched your Tesla video and it's excellent if I do say so!) Getting subscribers and hitting the algorithm takes time, but once you do it right, you will be thriving. My advice would to always be following along current trends, and making a video or two about them, as that can attract new subscribers based on that metric alone. Good luck, and I can't wait to watch more!
Wow, your procedural knowledge is top notch. How did you learn all off the correct call out responses etc? I fly the Longitude in MSFS so there's not so much instrumentation to worry about. I try to sim as accurately as possible though. Really enjoyed this video. Thanks.
Thanks! I learned the procedures and callouts by reading the aircraft manual (there’s one from Cathay for their A330/A340 hosted publicly online but I forgot where), and by watching tons of cockpit videos and sim guides.
Hi there, nice video , I'm going for a full simulator this week for the first time. I want to record it also, may I ask where you put your action camera? On your head or...?
Thanks! I put my camera at the side of my head with a headstrap. I used a Sony HDR-AS100V to capture this, which is longer than it is wide, so it’s much easier to position at the side of my head. Enjoy the simulator! I’d strongly recommend becoming familiar with the procedures of the aircraft you’ll be flying, so you can focus on enjoying the plane rather than trying to learn it, as I have done.
Hi @Tech2Papa :) Great vid n thanks for sharing! However, I still don't get about the collimated display. I tried watching a cockpit video indirectly using a mirror and can't seem to find any difference. Any ideas on how I could experiment with this collimated display thingy at home?
Thanks! Basically, what a collimated display does is make the original image from the projector appear much farther, so that two pilots sitting next to each other view the same thing. If you’ve ever been in a moving car and looked outside at a distant object, like the moon or a mountain, you’ll feel like they barely move even if you’ve travelled kilometers. Using the same logic, we can make pilots sitting next to each other see the same thing by making the image appear much farther than it actually is. So instead of projecting to a screen right in front of a pilots, the image is projected to a screen just above the front windshield, which is then reflected back to the pilots with a large spherical mirror. Now to understand this spherical mirror, we need to know a little physics. Normally for any object, light rays reflected off them diverge in every direction. Our eyes can see a clear image of the object because it focuses on the convergent point of all these light rays (the point which the rays diverge from). The further the object is, the more parallel the light rays from the object entering your eye are. The spherical mirror is necessary for the image to look distant, because if a projector screen is placed close to the mirror (like it is in a collimated display), the mirror can reflect light rays from the screen such that they emerge approximately parallel, which to our eyes, looks far away. Much farther than it actually is. So to successfully make a collimated display, you’ll need a large spherical mirror. Hope this helps!
@@Tech2Papa Oh my God bro you rock!! Dream explanation come true. Now hopefully my experimental project comes true as well with this helpful insight. Thank you so much!!👏🎉🙏
30:02 How it felt to fly was partly untrue. As no current Airline flight simulator (even Level D) produces any G-force! The only flight simulators with kind of G-force are certain military flight simulators. That requires the pilot to wear a special suit that gets compressed and expanded. To mimic G-force from a real plane.
Good point! Though these simulators can fake lateral Gs by pitching up/down/left/right, they can’t fake upward and downward Gs (except briefly when touching down). Though, given the only “extreme” Gs you’ll normally feel in an airliner is the touchdown since movements are generally pretty gentle, I’d say the illusion was very convincing. It _roughly_ matches the Gs you’ll feel in a normal airline flight anyway.
Hey I have a question. How much would I have to spend to use one of these things?? Also your videos are very high quality you deserve more subs my guy😁👍👍
Thank you! To answer your question, different airlines/training centers have different prices so your mileage may vary. HKA’s price was around 5K HKD (650USD) per hour for the A330 (and a bit more for the A350), though these aren’t normally available for public use. It’s just that with the current state of the airline industry, almost no one is using these simulators so they wanted to rent them out to make extra money. Lufthansa and British Airways normally offer public access though. BA only has their 747-400 and 777-200 for similar rates as HKA, while Lufthansa has their entire fleet available (though these are almost double the hourly rates of HKA and BA). Hope this helps :)
It's bespoke, written for the simulator itself. Cost around $20 million US. The realism is absolutely sensational. Full OTW visuals, focused at infinity. Very different from looking at a screen.
It's not a PC. It's a full commercial flight simulator. Cost around $20 million US. The realism is absolutely sensational. Full OTW visuals, focused at infinity. Very different from looking at a screen.
CAE uses their own simulation software, but unfortunately I’m not sure about the hardware of the computer than runs it. That sounds like a nice setup though :)
@@sTammoi Cost around $20 million US. The realism is absolutely sensational. Full OTW visuals, focused at infinity. Very different from looking at a screen.
As for the “specs” of the computer running the simulator, it’s probably all custom. Custom computer, custom this custom that. Id be surprised if the sim was running off consumer PC hardware
@@Tech2Papa Just checked with FAA ratings. Any certified flight sim must be a hardware/software certified bundle. So I think they could get away with using consumer hardware, but they would have to certify it with software. But I'd think they'd use custom hardware cuz it could be more reliable/compatible
@@Tech2Papa Don't read too much into it. Sim tech here. It depends on the manufacturer, but the majority of the components are no more "powerful" than consumer grade components, they just shove more into the server towers. Generally these units are broken down into Master/Visual/Slave Pcs, with a PC dedicated for sound, hardware controllers, etc all packed into server racks. Depending on the manufacturer your generally have 6-10 units per tower, not accounting for contingencies. All that said, they do probably have it all standardized in these CAE versions. Level 6/7 simulators (think 800k-1.5 millions range cost wise) generally get away with consumer parts on any level. Most of the cost you're seeing for a level D (5 million-20 million on average pending models/visuals etc) are baked into the cockpit/hydraulic/and especially the visual system. Not to mention the cost of pulling all of the flight data for that aircraft initially in the construction phase.
is this an instructor????? he is telling everything the pilot flying what to do........very boring, he needs to implement the expierience of the captain in stead of telling him all what to do nice pictures thaught
@@yazdankhodayar It's the visuals that really stand out. The realism is absolutely sensational. Full OTW visuals, focused at infinity. Very different from looking at a screen.
Your channel and content is absolutely amazing, I am surprised you don't have more subscribers. I am sure it will come with time as the RU-vid algorithm learns of your content. : ) I am just now starting my journey on youtube with flight simulation content. I hope you make some more flight sim content as this was an extremely interesting and well-made video.
Wow what a great video! Thanks! Always wanted to try a real commercial simulator. This is the golden age of home flight simulation though and I’m thrilled with my home setup!
Level d simulators are just not built to look or even sound good. In fact, during most parts of the training we are actually in IMC and there wouldn‘t be any benefit of landscape scenery, autogen or similiar things. Even if simulator time is waaay less expensive than actual flying time, it’s not exactly cheap and the main purpose of training in the level d sim is still handling of non normal situations. Almost no landing we do during our recurrent training in the sim is with a normal configuration. Nevertheless, great job flying wise! Hope you enjoyed it
Thanks! Means a lot coming from a pilot! That makes sense. You wouldn’t want to waste valuable sim time on situations you normally encounter with real flying. One question though. How does the handling of the Level D sim you use compare to the real aircraft? Is it accurate?
@@Tech2Papa it differs from sim to sim. Some are better, some are a bit off. In general, I would say that in the sim sometimes everything feels a bit computed and just „simulated“, it‘s not as dynamic as in reality. Control inputs are almost the same, maybe a little less „instant“ or „direct“ as in the real plane. But overall, it gives a very good and accurate impression of flying the airplane.
