Wall of text warning… (links below - it works) Next launch window opens Nov. 2.
There are multiple efforts to bring real world air traffic broadcasting ADS-B signals into flight simulators with varying levels of success. Microsoft Flight Simulator has a facility built in that uses FlightAware’s Firehose data to populate the skies but it’s filtered, delayed (not really important) and works well mostly.
There’s one MSFS add-on (Enhanced Live Traffic available at flightsim.to) that reads data from a different tracking aggregator that works fairly well in the air but on the ground the tracking is bad with rubber-banding and other artifacts.
Anyway, what these do is read ADS-B data and inject aircraft. There’s model matching that even matches liveries so if you have liveries for specific aircraft, you can see them in the sim in proper colors. It’s not perfect but it works amazingly well. Ultimately I want to modify ELT to read data direct from my local ADS-B receiver since I have good coverage in my area and some interesting local airports. That would get me the best tracking on the ground and smoother/better tracking in the air.
One interesting airport is 9NM9 - the New Mexico Spaceport with Virgin Galactic suborbital flights. They don’t fly often but this summer finally started the more regular revenue flights. With the sparse flights it’s been a long troubleshooting period to get the model matching right. I’m using 3D models that are intended more for scenery designers to use to populate their scenery. As luck would have it, there’s a person who built scenery for 9NM9 and uses the mother ship and space ship models for static display. (https://flightsim.to/product/spaceport-america)
On their last flight I missed good footage of the ascent and spaceship launch. Part of the problem is they launch at 46k and the chase plane I used in the sim wasn’t the best choice for high but slow flight. The other problem was my initial model matching had errors so they looked like Airbus A320s (the default for unknown aircraft). Both ships are broadcasting ADS-B through the flight and there’s not a good way to switch models from mated to separate so they look more like they are flying in formation on ascent.
I stalled and spun just as they were about to launch the spaceship but once I get model matching working correctly it should be amazing to see. I missed the money shot but they looked like Airbuses anyway. I managed to get the model matching working on the mother ship and did capture video of it on descent. It’s just a teaser, though. I stalled again right where this video fades. They fly fairly slow and I was still using the same inappropriate plane. But this gives an idea what is possible.
Again, just a tease. I lost a lot of time getting the model matching working and after spinning at the end of this video (edited out), I was trying to get the Spaceship matched proper since I can only see them to test when they fly. And the reason there are two images is I fly in the sim in VR so those are a stereo pair. I see everything full size and with full depth perception. Unfortunately there’s distortion in the images because of that but you’ll get the idea. And you’re stuck with my head movements.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA9FcLSUhWk
A few weeks ago the EAA Ford Trimotor was in town and after going for a ride, I went home and got model matching working on it to be able to fly along with them too. Their tracking wasn’t as good and ELT quit tracking the Trimotor altitude properly but it still worked well enough.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwKysDPB_D0
Hopefully I’ve got model matching right for the next Spaceport flight. I’ve definitely got a plane more suited to the way they fly so should be able to stay with them through the launch. In the Spaceship the signal goes nuts shortly after launch and I don’t have anything that could keep up anyway, but watching the launch up close should be fascinating even without all the flames from the rocket motor.
Didn’t know if this would be of interest to you guys but thought it might. Really amazed how smooth the mother ship was. There’s not good ADS-B coverage at the Spaceport unfortunately so we don’t see the Virgin planes until about 5000’ AGL so until that changes we can’t see takeoffs/landings or ground ops. And it’s tricky to find them at first, but very much looking forward to the next flights to refine more.