3 ms·

> First off, thanks to this intensive, minimum-sleep, once-in-a-lifetime week, we now have an F-4 flight model that is accurate enough to be used for actual F-4

> First off, thanks to this intensive, minimum-sleep, once-in-a-lifetime week, we now have an F-4 flight model that is accurate enough to be used for actual F-4 flight instruction... Given the F-4 is obsolete, and it looks like it's been retired by everyone except Iran and South Korea, I wonder how practical it would have been to get an actually flight simulator for one, and reverse engineer the flight model from its software. It probably would be super-difficult computer history project, but probably pretty interesting. Might not even be worth it either, since given the technology of the time it wouldn't surprise me if the simulation actually wasn't as accurate as desired here. Interesting links found while writing this comment: https://www.digitalcheck.com/f-4-phantom-flight-simulator/ https://www.digitalcheck.com/f-4-phantom-flight-simulator/ (The F-4 Phantom: Building a Flight Simulator That Ran on Film) https://www.flightmuseum.com/explore/link-f-4-simulator/ https://www.flightmuseum.com/explore/link-f-4-simulator/ (Link F-4D "Phantom II" Simulator) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMc1qqxWCeM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMc1qqxWCeM ("a partial teardown of a CPK91/A24G Flight Data Computer from AireSearch - an analog electromechanical computer from the late 1960s, use to control the inner workings of the F4.")

kqr 4y ago
While interesting as a project for many reasons, I don't think it would have been practical for X-Plane. X-Plane is different from all other simulators in that it doesn't have a "flight model" programmed in for each aircraft. Instead it simulates the actual airflow around the body of the aircraft, based on the 3D model being rendered. So any existing simulator would likely have been fairly unhelpful: it would have an inaccurate physical model and no hints whatsoever as to how air actually flows around the plane, only shortcuts giving off hints as to what effects it has on flight dynamics. What old simulators could have been used for, I suppose, is for automating discrepancy detection: throw random scenarios with random control inputs into both the old simulator and X-Plane, then see if the aircraft response diverges. Based on that, investigate. That said, it sounds like this was exactly the instructor's job (except maybe they simulated in their head) which was probably the cheaper way to go about it in the end anyway.
- Stevvo 4y ago
  X-Plane does not simulate airflow based on the 3d model.

kqr 4y ago

While interesting as a project for many reasons, I don't think it would have been practical for X-Plane. X-Plane is different from all other simulators in that it doesn't have a "flight model" programmed in for each aircraft. Instead it simulates the actual airflow around the body of the aircraft, based on the 3D model being rendered. So any existing simulator would likely have been fairly unhelpful: it would have an inaccurate physical model and no hints whatsoever as to how air actually flows around the plane, only shortcuts giving off hints as to what effects it has on flight dynamics. What old simulators could have been used for, I suppose, is for automating discrepancy detection: throw random scenarios with random control inputs into both the old simulator and X-Plane, then see if the aircraft response diverges. Based on that, investigate. That said, it sounds like this was exactly the instructor's job (except maybe they simulated in their head) which was probably the cheaper way to go about it in the end anyway.

Stevvo 4y ago
X-Plane does not simulate airflow based on the 3d model.