Leaderboard

We started beta-testing of the XP12 version of the aircraft through our Discord (https://torques.im/discord) this weekend

It is, the units used are based on where the aircraft is parked at. You have to do the math yourself.

Kirk, Some of this will be difficult minus a brief video or stream - which I hope to get to soon. The combination of HUD symbology that is located near the center of the ADI offers a lot of information in a small space. Flight Path Vector Symbol Acceleration Cue Speed Error Tape During approach you will also add the Glideslope Reference Line to this mix. With this combination, with a very tight 'scan' you can ascertain the jet's energy state - your deviation from your set speed, where the jet is actually pointed, and if the FPV is on top of the glideslope reference line (typically 3 degrees) and both of those are on top of the runway threshold behind it - life is good. If this isn't the case - all of the info to fix it is right there. Your eyes do not have to scan between the outside world and the PFD. (Especially beneficial if you need reading glasses or cheaters - because the PFD is often in that zone beyond which cheaters are effective, but not far away enough that it's not a little difficult. The HUD is set to optical infinity, so it's as if the symbology is a part of the outside world - once you're accustomed to it) Some folks have a hard time 'seeing' through the HUD IRL and getting accustomed to it - I used to be one of those folks. I likened it to someone holding their outstretched hand in front of my face. I could either focus on the hand or what was behind it - but not both - so I dismissed the HUD as a distraction. Then I spent some time as a flight sim enthusiast (100 hours or so) flying the VRS Superbug on FSX and the Falcon in Falcon BMS. I was able to learn the value of the FPV and, on those aircraft, the AOA "E Bracket". The Challenger is not an F/A-18 of course, and we aren't landing it on a carrier - but the bulleted combination I listed above, provides similar information in the same small space. Seeing through the HUD takes persistence and practice. It took some time to fight the urge to spin the HUD brightness to zero around 100ft above touchdown so I 'could see' and land well again. Yes, as I learned how to look through the HUD the landings were occasionally firm. Situations which I specifically enjoy / leverage the HUD: Visual approach vertical awareness: The glideslope reference line (GRL) at the typical 3 degree position within the pitch ladder....you can practically extend this in your mind off the HUD's edge to get an idea before lineup is complete if you are high or low. If the threshold is below the GRL, you're high, and if the threshold is above the GRL, you're low. It doesn't take much to interpolate and get an idea of the approach angle you're actually on. For example, if the -5 degree pitch ladder line is superimposed over the threshold.....you're really high! Imagine flying a 5 degree PAPI and how steep that would be. That is exactly what that would mean - you're on a 5 degree path to the threshold. Adding to this - not every runway is served by VGSI equipment (VASI, PAPI, etc). Having the HUD with that GRL gives you vertical path awareness. (Terrain/obstruction clearance, however - is on you, meaning that although the HUD tells you the angular path you're on to the runway......that is ALL it's telling you.) Weather deviations: The FPV answers the important question of 'will we be in THAT buildup?'. Even before I learned to appreciate the HUD - I used it for that purpose, almost like a submarine captain reaching for the periscope. I'd pull the HUD down to answer 'that' important question. And - you can easily tell how far left or right you'll need to deviate because the heading scale is right there. Not only left or right - but will we be over that stuff? AOA Limit awareness / Stall recovery: In the big sim you can tell the difference between a HUD pilot and a PFD pilot during the stall recovery series. The HUD will display an AOA limit cue as the jet hits .70 units AOA. The FPV touching the AOA limit cue will be when the shaker fires. As you go through your stall recovery memory items - the HUD shines in answering that question of 'how much do I lower the nose / reduce the AOA' It's easy - get the FPV under the cue - and keep it there. The recovery back to normal flight is also greatly aided and accelerated because if you pull too hard (accelerated stall) you will see that AOA limit cue plummet back at your FPV. The pilots using the HUD properly are very smooth with their stall recoveries - and they don't arbitrarily dump the nose and unload excessively because they have INFO! (The cue vanishes at .65 units during the recovery) Windshear Recovery: Same as the AOA Limit awareness. You can firewall the jet and raise the nose to the AOA limit - and have a nice reference to efficiently maintain an appropriate recovery attitude. Without the HUD we'd be told to get that nose up to the shaker and just keep it out of shaker. That was a little difficult to do without actually 'finding the shaker' and reducing a little. Windshear recoveries in the big sim are often this rapid pitch upwards with sporadic encounters with the shaker - and sometimes depending how un-smooth the captain is - some encounters with pusher. Watching the sim from the outside observation platform is entertaining when they're doing stall recovery series and windshear encounters. The HUD makes it not-so-entertaining for the cheap seats. CFIT recovery: The FPV doesn't lie. If the FPV is pointed at granite - you're going to die. Move the FPV elsewhere. Normal boring level offs and turns: The FPV symbol has gull wings on it. Those aren't because they want you to feel like an F4U Corsair pilot. The angled portion of the gull wing is 30 degrees. You can keep your eyes in the center of that scan with all the stuff I listed above - and achieve a beautiful 30 degree standard bank - just like Uncle George the autopilot - by simply rolling until the gull wings are parallel with the horizon line. No need to move your eyes up to the roll pointer. That would require more pay! The FPV is a thing of beauty for level offs as well. When the FPV is on the horizon - you aren't climbing or descending. It takes the mystery out of the level off in regards to 'how hard do I need to push, or am I pushing too much.... Air work in the sim: When we first get to the schoolhouse and big sim we still have to do steep turns. It gets the blood flowing and gets us used to the sim, but let's be honest - we spend most of our time in the jet on the AP. Some more than others. Our scans get rusty. Having the list of symbology I mentioned up top along with the FPV means that when the ATS and FD get turned off (required) the HUD pilots barely deviate from any parameter. You can balance a marble on the glareshield if the pilot knows how to use the HUD to his or her advantage. Takeoff Vspeed awareness: With the HUD you can look down the runway and see the Vspeeds the PM is calling out - as they pass. It's a great cross check and the situational awareness on takeoff is amazing. In summary - it takes time and effort to get used to. If you don't leverage it correctly and you get overwhelmed by all that green symbology that really isn't adding value to your day, then unfortunately it will be as if someone is holding their hand in front of your face. The moment you realize you can manage the lateral, vertical, and energy states of the jet by looking at an area the size of a dime or quarter - is a big moment. We'll save EVS for another day.