On The Glideslope

Here’s a quick primer on the main differences between Class B (Bravo), Class C (Charlie), and Class D (Delta) airports / airspace for flight simulation.

I use this terminology in the live streams as common parlance, but I thought an explainer would be helpful. This video breaks down the key differences between these airspace types, what equipment and permissions you need to enter each one, and how to read them on sectional charts. We look at real examples from the Tampa and Los Angeles areas to see how these “upside-down wedding cakes” work in practice, including transition routes through complex Bravo airspace. Whether you’re new to aviation or just want a refresher on airspace regulations, this covers the essentials you need to know for VFR operations. I don’t go through all the regulations for the three and their differences, but I cover the basics, and hope it’s helpful.

Resources:
🔗 FAA Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publi…
🔗 FAA Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) section on controlled airspace https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publi…
📍 SkyVector – Free sectional charts https://skyvector.com/
✈️ Pilot Institute – Airspace visualization guides https://pilotinstitute.com/
📚 FAA Airspace Guide – Official documentation https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/techn…
🎓 AOPA Airspace Resources – Additional training materials https://www.aopa.org/training-and-saf…

Tags:
#airspace #aviation #flightsimulation #xplane12 #pilottraining #vfr #atc #flighttraining #homecockpit #pilotedge #bravoairspace #charlieairspace #deltaairspace #sectionalcharts #aviationeducation

When I was flying I created custom notes pages to use on my kneeboard for notes when in the air. I’d print them double sided and cut them down the middle, getting four pages for every 8 1/2×11 sheet of paper. I use them in the sim, too, and here they are in case they’re of use to others. The first is IFR, and the second, VFR. They have places for radio frequencies, fuel, weather, etc. Enjoy.

I get asked quite often what PC I have in the sim. I have two now, and here are the specs.

The newest PC runs the right and front monitors, all the streaming software, etc. It’s the main PC. It’s new, and it’s a Cobratype Venom Gaming PC – Ryzen 7 9800X3D, RTX 5070 Ti, 360mm AIO Liquid Cooler, 32 GB DDR5 RAM, 2 TB NVMe, Windows 11.

The older PC runs the left monitor and only serves as a “slave” machine running X-Plane for visuals directed by the main “master” machine (X-Plane 12 does this natively, and it’s great). It is a Computer Upgrade King CUK MPG Velox Gaming Desktop, Intel 16-Core i9-12900F Processor, 64GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD + 3TB HDD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 10GB, Windows 11.

The front monitor is a 65-inch 4k display, and the sides are the original 27-inch 1080p TVs from when I built the sim 9 years ago.

I usually get between 50 and 80 FPS on the master, and nearly 100 fps on the slave, with nearly-maxed settings. Different aircraft and graphic setups (TorqueSim SR-22, ORBX scenery, etc.) can reduce those. But I lock the frames on the master at 30 FPS and the slave at 60 FPS. This syncs well with the refresh rates of the monitors (60 hertz) and the streaming software and webcam (60 FPS). This makes for a very smooth streaming performance. For the front display I use the Lossless Scaling app to double the FPS from 30 to 60, and it’s smooth as silk.

Since I built the simulator (nearly five years ago) I’ve used a 100-inch projection screen and an ultra-short-throw 1080p LCD projector for the front display. I went with the beamer because at the time LCD / LED flat panel TVs large enough to provide a full field of view for both the left and right seats were many thousands of dollars. While the ultra-short-throw projector wasn’t inexpensive, it did the job and fit in the space in which the simulator sits.

A lot has changed in the past four years , though, including the quality of X-Plane (and now FS 2020) images and the price of flat panel displays. I have increasingly been less than pleased with the “screen-door” effect of the projector (being able to easily see individual pixels) and was longing for an image as crisp as those on the side window displays. Last week I finally saw a 75-inch flat panel TV at a price point I was willing to accept. It arrived two days ago

For those interested in the technical details, I picked a 75-inch display because I want to be able to see only the sim image and not the borders of the TV from both the left and right seats. The screen sits about six inches from the front of the cabin, and tilts slightly forward. It works, but a 70-inch display would be too small for my setup. For my cabin 75 inches is the smallest I’d go.

After yesterday’s settings tests I was excited to try the sim in VR today. I loaded up at Palm Springs , which with my “daytime” settings yesterday was giving me about 50 FPS on the ramp and about 30-35 FPS at takeoff in the non-VR home cockpit.

Today in VR I was getting 70 (!!) FPS in the Oculus Rift with those same settings. I increased the objects to max

Unbelievable. Total game-changer for VR in Vulkan, at least for me.