Aerodynamics for Sailplanes

[PxlLoewe 1]

Hello,

I have been a member of our local gliding club for some time. After the MFS2020 / FSI was announced, I'm looking forward to testing some gliders and weather events such as updrafts and thermals. Unfortunately, I have not yet been invited to test the Alpha. So, I have a little question for the Alpha participants or the Asobo studio itself:
Is it possible to fly a glider and how well is the thermal simulated?

I'm looking forward to some answers

Johannes

[Dominique_K 10,156]

Hi Johannes and welcome

Bad news : Asobo has stated early on that the sim will not have a glider at release. No indication that they have changed their mind.

Good news: they have been working on modeling the air dynamics over slopes and ridges. Have you seen their  videos on their  Youtube channel ?

[PxlLoewe 1]

Hi Dominique,

sure I have, but mybe I ve not seen it ore there are no indications for simmulated thermals. Anyway, Thank you!

[Usvart 19]

Gliders would be great, maybe as an add-on someday in the future.

[Dominique_K 10,156]

 

10 minutes ago, PxlLoewe said:

Hi Dominique,

sure I have, but mybe I ve not seen it ore there are no indications for simmulated thermals. Anyway, Thank you!

see here for instance at the 10’15’’mark if it answers your question

 

[PxlLoewe 1]

Yea, this was the clip I just found as well.

[ual763 361]

48 minutes ago, Dominique_K said:

Hi Johannes and welcome

Bad news : Asobo has stated early on that the sim will not have a glider at release. No indication that they have changed their mind.

Good news: they have been working on modeling the air dynamics over slopes and ridges. Have you seen their  videos on their  Youtube channel ?

Just out of curiosity, when did they say that?  I don’t remember them saying that.  I do, however, remember them stating helicopters most likely won’t be in at release.

[Dominique_K 10,156]

7 minutes ago, ual763 said:

Just out of curiosity, when did they say that?  I don’t remember them saying that.  I do, however, remember them stating helicopters most likely won’t be in at release.

I don’t remember really... Not a good asobologist I am. But look at the list of the aircraft they announced.

Now, a good surprise is always possible ! Look at the snow.

Edited April 18, 2020 by Dominique_K

[ual763 361]

6 minutes ago, Dominique_K said:

I don’t remember really... Not a good asobologist I am. But look at the list of the aircraft they announced.

Now, a good surprise is always possible ! Look at the snow.

I think/hope we will have lots of surprises!

[Quasimodo 505]

As you undoubtedly Glider flight in FSX was possible. Even the Vanilla FSX had a glider and thermals. For a real glider pilots it was pretty lame but I would have said that for anyone who never experience climbing in a real thermal is was a fairly good representation of the the experience. Of course than the is Peter Luerken's CumulusX addon and the Aerosoft DiscusX which really improved things. And ASN which brought what I though was fairly realistic ridge lift or at least seemed to be to me with my limited ridge soaring expereince. Given everything Assobo has said about the way the atmosphere is modelled in MSFS I would imagine there are definitely thermals, ridge lift and perhaps even wave. I doubt it there will be polar vortices thought 🤣. I would also expect to find thermals in the right place i.e. under cumulus clouds. That on its own along with the atmosphere that Asobo desribes should be sufficient to provide everything a properly modelled sailplane would need. Although, if there is no sailplane in in the Vanilla MSFS that would concern me. It might indicate that the program is not suitable for sailplanes why else would they exclude an aircraft that has visual appeal be relatively easy to develop and offers an interesting curiosity?

[Dominique_K 10,156]

24 minutes ago, Quasimodo said:

As you undoubtedly Glider flight in FSX was possible .

Although, if there is no sailplane in in the Vanilla MSFS that would concern me. It might indicate that the program is not suitable for sailplanes why else would they exclude an aircraft that has visual appeal be relatively easy to develop and offers an interesting curiosity?

The difference is, as I understand it, that in FSX there were thermals only in a few located places when in FS20 the flow of air over the relief would create them everywhere on the planet with the proper conditions. 

On the second point, I'd say that Asobo is designing everything anew and they don't have the time, within their contractual calendar obligations,  to learn, program and tune gliding for the release.. A good DLC if any.

 

[Quasimodo 505]

6 minutes ago, Dominique_K said:

The difference is, as I understand it, that in FSX there were thermals only in a few located places when in FS20 the flow of air over the relief would create them everywhere on the planet with the proper conditions. 

Don't think so. Do this day there is a setting even in P3D V5 for Thermal visualization. None, Natural, or (I think its called) Schematic. That goes back at least to FSX if not FS2004. Relief does effect thermals but it doesn't case them. Lift caused by relief it orographic. There was no orographic lift in FSX until ASN came along. (I vaguely remember that it might have been possible in CumulusX but was very cumbersome for me at least to set it up.)

[jcomm 6,095]

I wouldn't have big expectations on that.

Weather for Soaring is very specific, and I doubt MFS will go into that detail.

What it will be great is to get familiar with the area you usually fly IRL, and even get prepared for some longer distance adventures 🙂

Meanwhile, only serious alternatives for soaring simulation are still Condor and SilentWings.

 

[PxlLoewe 1]

1 hour ago, jcomm said:

I wouldn't have big expectations on that.

Weather for Soaring is very specific, and I doubt MFS will go into that detail.

I don´t think so, just because Asobo studio but that high quality weather simulation into the sim. It wouldn't make sence If they stop that close ahead of the finishing line.

[ca_metal 2,090]

1 hour ago, jcomm said:

I wouldn't have big expectations on that.

Weather for Soaring is very specific, and I doubt MFS will go into that detail.

What it will be great is to get familiar with the area you usually fly IRL, and even get prepared for some longer distance adventures 🙂

Meanwhile, only serious alternatives for soaring simulation are still Condor and SilentWings.

 

On the contrary, from my perspective, the complexity they've put on the enviroment (winds and aircrafts reacting to buildings, mountains and every other element) + the complexity of the built-in weather makes the sim perfect to fly those aircrafts. If well implemented, the aircraft would act as close to real life as possible.