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In this video, podcast and blog post I discuss why you shouldn’t fly in VR… Sounds weird coming from VR Flight World, however it is true… for some people. And for the rest of us, Virtual Reality makes a ton of good sense. Watch the video to find out more.
Podcast / Video Links
Rod Machado’s Ebook, physical book and Audio Book (Ad Links, as mentioned in podcast/Video)
https://rodmachado.com/products/rod-machado-s-how-to-fly-an-airplane-handbook-ehandbook?aff=377
So, you might be surprised that VR Flight World is even talking about flying without VR… Well, the truth is that VR flight is amazing, however there are times when it’s better not to use VR. In this video I will go over some of the reasons why you shouldn’t fly VR, however at the end I want to tell you a few of the reasons why you should fly VR.
Why do you Want VR?
So, the first thing you have to think about why you want to fly in VR. Are you going to be doing lots of VFR flying or are you planning to do more IFR flights?
IFR can be Tricky
If you plan to do only IFR flights, then VR might be tricky for you. VR is absolutely amazing for VFR, however it has many drawbacks when it comes to IFR. For example, one drawback can be the fact that you can’t see your hands, which makes it very difficult to keep track of the information being provided by ATC. Of course there are a few work arounds that can make this easier, but nothing beats having a piece of paper to write on.
Can be Frustrating
So if you are new to flight simulation and are just looking to get into this, then flying in VR might be a big step for you. Using VR adds an amazing level of depth to your flight sim experience, however this comes with a lot of frustration and headaches. Flying in VR is a fairly new concept and as a VR Flight Sim enthusiast, you are constantly having to tweak things and adjust things in order to get the best experience possible. If you like this kind of thing, then VR is a great choice. Personally I like the challenge that comes with VR, however I don’t think everyone does.
Computer Requirements Can be High
The third reason also relates to brand new flight simmers. Usually when you are new to a flight sim, you may have an average computer. Maybe you are a gamer and have a decent computer, however when you fly in VR, you will usually need a beast of a computer.
VR flight, especially in it’s current state, requires a solid Graphics Card and a good CPU. Much more than you need to run the average flight sim with a monitor. For me, in the past I have run my sim with a GTI 1060 and now use the 1080Ti. The 1060 is a good solid graphics card but this was borderline for running VR Flight sim. Now flying a flight sim without VR is much more forgiving and you can usually fly with a more average computer, depending on how picky you are on the visuals.
It Can be Expensive
It is also expensive. Not only do you need to buy a VR headset, which usually runs at a minimum of a few hundred dollars, but you need that beefy computer with the powerful graphics card. For a computer of this power, usually it will run you around $2000 or more.
Alright, so I am not trying to scare you out of flying in VR, as VR has some incredible upsides that just can’t be beat. We will get to that near the end of the video.
Screen Clarity
My next reason is the clarity. This is an area that is constantly improving, however you are not going to get the same crisp clarity of a 4K monitor. It’s just not going to happen at this point in time. The Oculus Rift that I use makes it difficult to read text. But the newer VR headsets have worked hard on this to make large improvements in this area.
Now, I would say those are the big reasons not to get into VR Flight sim. A few others could be if you have big problems with motion sickness or just hate the thought of having something strapped to your head while flying.
Also, having to buy some controls is not something you necessarily need, however I highly recommend having controls like a yoke and rudder pedals. In the description I have my pedals and yoke, which are the ones I would recommend if you are getting started.
On the flip side, there are many reasons to go into VR. The Biggest and best reason is that you want to fly VFR. This is going to be the closest thing you will get to real world stick and rudder flight. Having that freedom of movement and being able to see things in 3D is incredible. I believe that this also has a lot of real world applications for new flight students. The only thing you are missing is the actual feeling of the plane movement. But other than this, it gives you an incredibly realistic feeling of flight.
VR gives you the feeling that you are actually sitting inside the plane. There are videos out there of people doing some pretty funny things in VR because they are standing on the edge of a building or are about to crash. I’ve even had family members try the flight sim and almost pull the yoke off the desk because they were in a stall about to hit the ground.
Real World Training
A quick side note on this. I just got the audio version of Rod Machado’s book, where he talks about this natural tendency for new pilots and flight sim pilots to have this very reaction when trying to come out of a stall. It’s a funny reaction when watching someone fly a flight sim, however not so funny in a real plane. Also, with this side note, I wanted to give this book a quick plug because it has been an incredible read and listen. I bought both versions of the book. If you are new to flying, in real life or flight sim, I highly recommend this book. Very entertaining and extremely informative. Plus he understands flight simulation since he was the instructor on Microsoft Flight Simulator…. Oh and he has been flying planes for nearly 50 years. If you are interested in this book, I’ll leave a link in the description for it. It is an affiliate link, which means I earn a small commission if you use my link. This helps us to bring you more content, so I really appreciate the support. I only recommend stuff I believe in and his book is one of them.
Total Immersion
Back to VR. so this reaction on the flight yoke leads me into my next reason to fly VR. The immersion of VR allows you to practice the basics of flight without the unrealistic restrictions of a monitor. It gives you the ability to do your scans before your stall practice and cross check your instruments while keeping your eyes outside your plane. It helps to prevent the common problems that instructors see with flight students, where they tend to watch the instruments instead of watching outside the plane. Like I said above, the only thing it is lacking is the feeling of the movement of your plane. Other than that, it is incredible.
Of course there are some good reasons not to fly in VR, however I truly believe that the reasons to fly in VR easily outweigh the downside.
Thanks for reading, and keep flying!
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