Head position in turns

[Dethmagnetic]

When I learned to fly fixed-wing aircraft, we were always taught that we should keep our head vertical relative to the airplane (not to the horizon). In the default view in Black Shark, the camera doesn't follow the aircraft's bank, it turns a little bit but stays mostly level with the horizon (so that it looks like the cockpit is turning on the screen instead of the horizon). Relative to my real life experience and to other flight sims I've played, this feels incredibly weird, and I was just wondering if this is something that's different between flying helicopters and fixed wing aircraft, or is it just a quirk of Black Shark?

 

I know you can turn it off with LWin-F1, I just thought it was weird that the default view was to have a head position that is obviously "wrong" according to what I was taught (unless, like I said, it's different for helicopters than for fixed wing aircraft, in which case I need to stop turning it off :D).

[Kroll]

Huh,

 

I have never heard this and I have been flyng for years. I'm not tryng to make you wrong. Just get an IR track and I think you problems will be solved. Keep in mind this is a game it will never be like sitting in a real aircraft.

[EinsteinEP]

Although I like to keep my head vert, too, Dethmagnetic, lots of sim pilots don't. I know of several who prefer the default head tilt.

 

For me, I'm just glad it's an option and I don't have to tilt my monitor! ;)

[Dethmagnetic]

Huh,

 

I have never heard this and I have been flyng for years. I'm not tryng to make you wrong. Just get an IR track and I think you problems will be solved. Keep in mind this is a game it will never be like sitting in a real aircraft.

 

Well, here's an example - http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aircraft/airplane_handbook/media/faa-h-8083-3a-2of7.pdf - there's a diagram on pg. 3-11 that shows the "right" and "wrong" way to do it, but again, that's for a fixed wing aircraft. I guess it's probably more of a personal preference type thing (especially in a computer game :D). And yeah, once I save enough for my TrackIR it won't be a problem any more :D

[Boulund]

Well, here's an example - http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aircraft/airplane_handbook/media/faa-h-8083-3a-2of7.pdf - there's a diagram on pg. 3-11 that shows the "right" and "wrong" way to do it, but again, that's for a fixed wing aircraft. I guess it's probably more of a personal preference type thing (especially in a computer game :D). And yeah, once I save enough for my TrackIR it won't be a problem any more :D

 

Not to be like that but from the imagery and the text it seems more like you're not supposed to change your posture to remain upright but stay with your spinal axis in the planes vertical axis.

Looking at the pictures on the same page about parallax error the head is actually tilted to keep horisontal. ?

 

I've noticed this tendancy in me as well when playing with headtracking. It's not always that I like to keep my head aligned with the horisont but only sometimes. Never really thought about why ...

Edited September 29, 2009 by Boulund

[Maximus_G]

Meanwhile, if you want to turn head rolls off:

Go Ka-50\Config\View\View.lua

Find head_roll_shaking = true

Change it to head_roll_shaking = false

[ARM505]

Trying to keep your head level in relation to the horizon IRL, be it in a helo or a fixed wing, is asking to get motion sickness. The forces in flight are pushing you into your seat (assuming everythings co-ordinated), so twisting your head around in the cockpit feels wierd, and if you're prone to motion sickness, that's a fast track method to speed the problem up. The previous post is a great fix, and one of the 1st changes I made to this sim.

[Dethmagnetic]

Meanwhile, if you want to turn head rolls off:

Go Ka-50\Config\View\View.lua

Find head_roll_shaking = true

Change it to head_roll_shaking = false

 

Thanks, was looking for that option.

[Frazer]

Flying gliders, I also was taught not to tilt my head. I think the reason for this would be that your hand-eye coordination changes.

I got it turned off through view.lua because when you fly loops your head behaves very strange (like it thinks you are in a turn).

 

I think for non-trackir users the head tilt can be interesting, though when you use trackir this is really pointless to have on.

[J3ff]

Also found a heli manual there:)

http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aircraft/media/faa-h-8083-21.pdf

[Maximus_G]

There's one particular case where an option like that would be useful. Head slides and rolls could point out the gravitational vector length and direction.

 

3 facts:

- When flying airplane, pilot feels the G load, a force pushing him somewhere. This feeling can be useful as it gives the pilot an additional information channel helping him understand his aircraft attitude at maneuvers.

- Virtual pilots don't have this ability.

- The head is prone to G load, which causes its motion.

 

So, when aircraft is in coordinated turn, G vector is just the same as it is in level flight. It feels just the same. But if the turn is uncoordinated, and the aircraft is in slide or slip, the virtual head could roll just like this ball:

[MBot]

When watching aviation videos, I was surprised how many fighter pilots tilt their head upright when banking (but not pulling Gs). I guess it is just a natural reaction, even if not desired.

 

Another thing that might be worth considering is that the pupils roll in our eyes to a certain degree to stay level with gravity/g-vector. Tilting your head 45° will not really change the picture you see, your pupils keep their orientation. But turning your head upside down also turns your view of the world upside down.