Comparing flying FPV r/c models with MSFS VR of the same plane

[HugeMercury163]

I recently bought the DC Designs Boeing PT-17 Stearman for MSFS, as I have flown an electric powered r/c model of this plane for a number of years, including with a head tracking video camera mounted in the rear seat, beaming down sound and video to my Fatshark FPV goggles.

So it was interesting to compare the experience of flying a model in real life and the same plane in VR. I must say the experience was very similar, although definitely with less stress in a simulator, lol. I even flew the VR version out to my RC field, landed on the main strip then took off and zoomed around the area I know so well from the air. The video quality was startlingly similar, as was the view, with the exception that VR has 3D. The headtracking on both was basically identical, except I can’t stand up in the cockpit of the rc model.

The biggest difference of course was that I could climb much higher and travel way further out in VR. My rc planes can get out about 2 kilometres before I lose video feed and RC control, although not at the club, as that is illegal here (line of sight only). We are also limited to 400ft AGL, especially as we are near an international airport and are under a flight path.

So yeah, VR really is very close to flying drones and rc fixed wing planes and just as enjoyable (especially on windy days like today when I am grounded).

Of course after flying at my rc club I then selected somewhere new to fly and tootled around the Peloponnese in Greece. The Stearman is a delight to fly in VR and handles pretty much like my scale model.

Oh, the only thing I must add is that my FPV goggles don’t fog up like my G2 headset sometime does, because Fatshark include a tiny fan on the face shield to prevent that. A similar fan would be a good idea on VR headsets.

My Stearman rc model

Fatshark FPV goggles with small fan on face shield. Note also corrective lenses which I no longer need after cataract surgery.

[G7RTA]

Thanks for sharing. Great post!
Interesting about the little fan. I have 3 vr headsets at the moment.. G2, Quest and Quest 2 (& I used to have a Rift Cv1) and they all fog up. Not too much in summer but certainly in the colder months.
Many people suggest having a fan blowing in your face, but a little one like that would be perfect.

Regards
Steve

[JBvox]

nice to hear.
I have sort of the same feeling as I’m so lucky to have a friend piloting a cirrus sr 22 gts and I can go flying with him. The view in MSFS in the cirrus 22 is so comparable with the real life plane, I sometimes take the right seat because thats where I sit in the real one (VR with original rift)
the terrain is not always exactly the same (Bing maps at the Belgian coast is not very recent) but close enough to have a enjoyable experience. (just have to solve CTD’s since SU5, but I hope this will be resolved in the future.)