Display wind vectors

[Wayne Conrad 989233]

Is there a key, configuration item or plugin in X-Plane that will draw vectors showing the ground-level winds? I could swear I saw a picture, taken from X-Plane, showing the wind being deflected by a hill, but I can't find it now.

[Peter Nolin 954217]

I have never seen any option like that and never heard of any plugin that does it either. Maybe it was another sim?

Condor soaringsimulator have this feature. http://www.condorsoaring.com/

 

I highly doubt that X-Plane simulates winds like that, like hilldeflections and similar. Feel free to correct me but recent discussions on the .org says that X-Plane isn't suitable for soaring at all because of the windsimulation being flawed.

[Wayne Conrad 989233]

Thanks, Peter. It must have been something else I saw.

[Keith Smith]

Peter,

 

You're incorrect, X-plane does model slope lift (albeit very simply).

 

Wayne, you were not just seeing things, I did indeed post a picture with wind vectors. Press the slash key two or three times (first time will show basic parts of the flight model, second time will show more, and third time toggles wind vectors, if memory serves).

 

If the winds are gusty or turbulent, you will see the vectors changing. If you fly close to the upwind side of a hill, you'll see the lift, if you fly on the leeward side, you'll see the vectors pushing you down. Most impressively (and I'm yet to try this, but have seen screenshots), if you are flying offline and have xplane's AI aircraft turned on, you'll see the wake turbulence generated by their flight model. There was a relatively recent change in x-plane where the flight model was computed for AI aircraft instead of having them fly around in relatively simple patterns.

 

Keith

[Keith Smith]

Actually, based on a little research, if you fly using the peer-to-peer multiplayer in x-plane, wake turbulence is modelled for the other planes. See this video:

http://vodpod.com/pod/show_video/5588

 

It's a shame he didn't turn on wind vectors, he would've seen it

[Keith Smith]

Here's the release note about flight modeling for AI aircraft:

http://home.earthlink.net/~x-plane/FAQ-History-850.html

[Peter Nolin 954217]

You learn something everyday. But I have never been able to actually *see* groundlevel winds (as the question was). The 3-way toggle you are talking about only shows the airflow / lift around the plane itself, or does MY memory serve me wrong? And this means that if he would like to see groundlevel winds he has to fly at ground level which kinda makes it pointless.

 

As I said anyone was free to correct me about the hill/upwind thing but as I understand, if he was interessted in vectors like that he was about to soar.

And THAT is not very good in X-Plane according to sailplanelovers.

[Wayne Conrad 989233]

Thanks, Keith.

 

The slash key works. Press it once and it shows the airplane's thrust vectors. Press it again and it shows the wind near the airplane. Very near the airplane; if you're looking out the front it's easy to miss the green wind lines through all of the prop's white lines.

 

You do have to be close to the ground to see the ground level winds, but that's alright. I was helping a buddy to fly slips and he wondered if there was a way for him to see the wind. Since slips are best practiced close to the ground, that's fine for what we need.