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BobKK47

Perception of speed on takeoff

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I put together a new system and did a full reinstall of FSX along with all my scenery add-ons, utilities, etc.I have noticed something unusual which, to my recollection, I first observed when I originally installed FSX on my old system back in 2006 (and eventually came up with a solution).When cleared for takeoff by ATC and when I'm in the stock Learjet 45 (which is my usual plane to fly in FSX), I begin my takeoff roll and accelerate down the runway. The "problem" is that the visible perception of speed, looking out the front window in cockpit view is that my aircraft is moving slowly while my airspeed indicator gradually goes up to about 100kts to begin takeoff roll. There is no effect on the actual speed of the plane and I can lift off at my nominal speed of 100-110 kts (with 8deg flaps) in the normal manner. But at 100kts, it seems that I'm only traveling at 30, or maybe 40 kts. When looking at the side view, the perception of speed seems to be in sync with the speed on the airspeed indicator. It's only the front view that (visually) seems much too slow. I think this was an issue when FSX first came out. In any event, does anyone have any comment, or fix? Thanks.

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If you are too zoomed-in the perception of speed will be diminished. Select a different zoom setting.The above mostly applies to 2D panels, if you are in VC then you should automatically get correct zoom and proportions.Another point - you may have misconception about what real sensation of speed is in an airliner through the front windows. It is probably less than what you are imagining.I don't think there was ever an issue with FSX that has to do with speed perception.

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It's quite logical, I guess. In real life you can look foward and still see what's happening beside you: a monitor however is flat and has a small field of view. The fact that things look okay when you look sideways proves that nothing is wrong with FSX. Your eyes are simply not getting all the information you need to get the right sense of speed. :( Only solution I can think of is getting two extra monitors at each side of your current one that will offer a view on what's happening beside you! :(EDITOr what michal said: zoom out more: that will give you a wider field of view and a better sense of speed. I got used to what FSX offers me, but I do remember from my first flights in older version, back in the nineties, that things seemed to move slower than I expected. But the speeds in FSX are okay: it's all about the narrow field of view a monitor gives you imho.

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I put together a new system and did a full reinstall of FSX along with all my scenery add-ons, utilities, etc.I have noticed something unusual which, to my recollection, I first observed when I originally installed FSX on my old system back in 2006 (and eventually came up with a solution).When cleared for takeoff by ATC and when I'm in the stock Learjet 45 (which is my usual plane to fly in FSX), I begin my takeoff roll and accelerate down the runway. The "problem" is that the visible perception of speed, looking out the front window in cockpit view is that my aircraft is moving slowly while my airspeed indicator gradually goes up to about 100kts to begin takeoff roll. There is no effect on the actual speed of the plane and I can lift off at my nominal speed of 100-110 kts (with 8deg flaps) in the normal manner. But at 100kts, it seems that I'm only traveling at 30, or maybe 40 kts. When looking at the side view, the perception of speed seems to be in sync with the speed on the airspeed indicator. It's only the front view that (visually) seems much too slow. I think this was an issue when FSX first came out. In any event, does anyone have any comment, or fix? Thanks.
I agree with you but even in a car looking out the side window seems faster than looking out the front as an object going past you always will look faster than an object comming at you. If you zoom out a bit it will look much faster for you.OOOOOOOOhhhhhhh.... post number 666

Jim Wenham

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Guest 413X3

In big airplanes you sometimes don't get the same sense of speed. A cockpit video of a 747, when they call out 80 knots, it doesn't look like they are going as fast

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Some of it is to do with where your eyepoint is, some of it is to do with parallax and your peripheral vision. In a car you are usually much lower to the ground than you are in an aircraft cockpit, so the perception of speed is enhanced in a car, especially when in a small, low down sports car, where the proximity of the road flashing past you is what conveys a lot of the feeling of speed. Your peripheral vision in real life is more sensitive to movement, whereas the central part of your eye is more sensitive to detail (this is an evolutionary thing from our ancestors, intended to make you more easily spot danger from wild animals creeping up on you and such). So in a sim on a single monitor, the part of your eye which is used to sensing movement is deprived of any feedback and you don't gain a sense of speed, whereas in a car, you can see things flashing past in your peripheral vision, and so you gain a sense of speed.If you ever go for a flight in a glider, where you are almost lying on your back in the reclined seat, you will notice that even on a take off roll at sixty knots before it flies off the deck, it seems like you are going incredibly fast, but if you go up front in a 747 (hard to do these days if you are not a crew member sadly), then you'd see that the impression of speed is somewhat underwhelming because you are a long way from the ground and don't see it flashing past you quite so much.If you add a couple of monitors with side views, you would find that even whilst not looking directly at them, your peripheral vision would pick up the movement and convey it to you. Watch one of those world air routes cockpit videos of a take off roll shot straight out of the front window, and that too will look very slow, because it will be essentially presenting you with the same view you get when looking straight ahead in FSX.Al


Alan Bradbury

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I put together a new system and did a full reinstall of FSX along with all my scenery add-ons, utilities, etc.I have noticed something unusual which, to my recollection, I first observed when I originally installed FSX on my old system back in 2006 (and eventually came up with a solution).When cleared for takeoff by ATC and when I'm in the stock Learjet 45 (which is my usual plane to fly in FSX), I begin my takeoff roll and accelerate down the runway. The "problem" is that the visible perception of speed, looking out the front window in cockpit view is that my aircraft is moving slowly while my airspeed indicator gradually goes up to about 100kts to begin takeoff roll. There is no effect on the actual speed of the plane and I can lift off at my nominal speed of 100-110 kts (with 8deg flaps) in the normal manner. But at 100kts, it seems that I'm only traveling at 30, or maybe 40 kts. When looking at the side view, the perception of speed seems to be in sync with the speed on the airspeed indicator. It's only the front view that (visually) seems much too slow. I think this was an issue when FSX first came out. In any event, does anyone have any comment, or fix? Thanks.
Sense of speed comes from what you see out of the corners of your eyes- lateral vision. We humans with normal vision, have a field of view of about 180

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Thanks for the info on perception. I use a 47inch LG pretty close so I get a wraparound effect. Anyway, the Epic Victory does look, feel (ButteKicker), and sound like a rocket on takeoff.jja


Jim Allen
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Thanks for the info on perception. I use a 47inch LG pretty close so I get a wraparound effect. Anyway, the Epic Victory does look, feel (ButteKicker), and sound like a rocket on takeoff.jja
jj- with a 47" LCD you really should try triple views- espec since you sit close. Wrap around is an essential part of perception, but it needs to be coupled with a corresponding wide simulator viewHere is a screenshot showing Triple Views on a single display- LFwd,Fwd,RFwd. (An experiment on an 18" CRT to see the potential of a large monitor.) Note the Lower EICAS & Sw panel along with the CDU added, to fill out the wide format. And it DOES fly- giving a 135

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One may also add that 3D greatly enhances your overall perception of reality. I was once flying a real full-scale simulator with a huge cockpit and outside visuals projected onto concave mirrors and with the right optics so you focus your eyes at infinity. Believe me this is completely different kind of flying than with any flat screen stuff, no matter how big and wrap-around. I was able to achieve this (albeit on much smaller scale) putting a Fresnel lens in front of my CRT, it is a small step but at least in the right direction.

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Guest napamule

Bought 3 monitors, and now I get great side views. Zoom is set to 1x (or, ZERO ZOOM, for those skeptics out there) and I still don't get that 'sense of speed' that I used to get. I guess it must be due to only being able to get 12 fps that is causing this 'speed perception' problem? Perhaps, you think? (Dah).CBNapamule

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Guest firehawk44

I just wanted to add that one of the features of FSX is that you can repeat the takeoff and landing by running the video recorder and then going into various views you couldn't use during the takeoff and landing. For instance, with the PMDG 747, I like taking off and getting it to altitude with gear up and flaps up and then activating the autopilot, and then after a few minutes, I can pull up Options and the flight recorder and view the takeoff as a passenger or maybe sitting in the pilot or copilot's seat and looking out the window to the left or right. It gives you more of a perspective of the actual speed and actually makes things look very realistic. Best regards,Jim

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Bought 3 monitors, and now I get great side views. Zoom is set to 1x (or, ZERO ZOOM, for those skeptics out there) and I still don't get that 'sense of speed' that I used to get. I guess it must be due to only being able to get 12 fps that is causing this 'speed perception' problem? Perhaps, you think? (Dah).CBNapamule
Are your side views actually View Left Forward & View Right Forward? If you are using TH2Go, I believe it provides only a single View Fwd- stretched across three monitors. So while the monitors may wrap around, the view itself is still only 45

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