Ultralight, Hanglider, Trike, Paraplane, Motion Sims

[PilotoX]

Anyone know where I can purchase one or maybe where to get parts to build one? I have searched the internet but have not found many motion sims that mimics these particular types of aircraft.

I don't want the big box motion platforms supported by actuators, motors, that typically mimic fully enclosed aircraft. I want something with a lot more freedom that can give me the illusion I am flying like a bird, I want to feel the wind! so maybe I can rig a fan in front or my monitor, but I also want the motion.

Thanks.

[PilotoX]

Does anyone here discriminate against hangliders or open cockpit motion sims?

[QF6228]

It sounds like a great idea to me, i'm just not to sure if many people have actually thought of building one.

Damien

[BlackWidow]

maybe nobody knows where you can purchase one but im sure you could build one. i just did a google search and found this http://rotomotos.com/hangsim.aspx i did not look very long but have you done a search for this type of sim?

there is alot of stuff on this in google i even found video's of full scale hanglider sims on youtube

[magicaldr]

You got to try Soarin in Disney, it was great. I suggest you have a nose on ebay, there are often pods going past. I have even considered one myself, but they are out of my price range.

My biggest turn off for this sort of sim (which I think is a great idea BTW) is how you would sort the external visuals. If you do a suspended hang glider I can see that being rather hard, as you would need the screens below. Although a pod trike sim could be interesting with a 3 projector setup and as much surround as you could get.

Thinking and typing another idea that would work would be to try the VR goggles that are out there, now that with you hung from a custom gantry could get pretty real I would expect.

Wish you luck with it, do post how you get on

[PilotoX]

Actually, I rode Disney's Soarin a few times , when I went with my family to Cal, I loved the feel of that ride so much that it's probably the reason why I wanted a simple open cockpit motion platform, exactly the feel I'm looking for, but in a personal motion sim.

I've also spent a great deal of time searching the internet and have not come across what I want, so I designed one and have finally built it. It works on the control principles of a typical trike, but it can be easily converted to work as regular plane, like a cessna or piper or even a helicopter.

I recently tested my mechanical design, in front of an 8ft x4ft projection screen with MS FS X running in cockpit view mode, but without the cockpit visuals, feels promissing. With motion software qued from FS X and running multi-axial motion control servos should be a blast!.

[wannabeaflyer]

Hi Pilot X went to a a flight sim exhibition last year at Birmingham NEC and there was also an Leisure Pilot show on at the same time, i saw just the thing you are looking at there and will post the pictures when i can find them. think the work was done by a Polytechnic and looked easy to implement given the space . Basically a Paraglider harness rigged up with Feed back Pots which were linked to FS2004 i believe using VR glasses, took some close ups so maybe threre is something there you could use

[wannabeaflyer]

Try this link http://www.northern-paragliding.com/...is-born-2.html

[PilotoX]

Thanks for the links guys, wannnabeaflyer, interesting link, I have to smile , because just before I built my motion sim, I was looking at baby swings, and your link for the paraglider sim is basically a scaled up baby swing, see pics. My motion sim is same idea, which I believe is the result of more logical, as opposed to creative thinking, the thing is that without having a 2" OD pipe bender, to build a neat A/L shape clean structure, like the baby swing, I had to resort to a structure built from Electrical C Channel, and related hardware, which turned out more like a structure built from a large erector set, but same idea.

Now that I am looking to motorize it, I plan on using 12 to 24V DC servo motors.

I am an 185 Lb man but with the additional seat and hardware suspended, it is close to 225 lbs that needs to be moved with a high degree of safety. So I have implemented a series of springs and pulleys with addition safety mechanisms in case a spring or pulley should fail from extreme maneuvers, and to minimize the load on the control servos. My structure is pretty solid so no worry there.

In essence, the servos will only see a torque of 25-30 lbs each, at the most, this is dynamic weight, in order to effect control imputs with a good degree of accuracy. This means that the servos do not need to be bulky.

Something that has pushed me away from the more commercially available servo systems, which are are driven by AC motors, is the bulk and cost of such.

Another thing is the FS to motion control software and the electronics required to translate such to the servos, is still expensive, so I am experimenting with an interesting option, that if it works, it might offer a very cost effective setup for personal motion sims. At the very least it will allow me and my son to have some fun with.

[wannabeaflyer]

Hi Pilot X Glad you found the link still trying to figure out where i buried the exhibition phots but they will surface soon when you say your going to do motion sim with a hang glider...head scratching time but i thought as you would be suspended by a cnetral point a la real hang glider most of the physical movement input would come from the pilot pushing,pulling or weight shifting left and right so you biggest motion effect would come from your veiw of the vr world ie FSX without the instrument panels visable and maybe something like Track ir or Those VR glasses Which nowadayw dont sem to cost an arm or a leg LOL just a general question the guys here know im always fishing for ways to skin a cat and apply differnt ideas to my own motion platform project. A few of us are using simmconnect and Visual basic ,Visual C# and othe languages to achieve decent feedback control of our actuators so maybe theres something here you can use , and best of all the systems proposed are easily within joe publics bank balances ..