
RcSim - A Model Flight Simulator - eggy
http://picolisp.com/wiki/?rcsim
======
atourgates
Only tangentially related to the article, but if you're planning to get
started with RC, a RC flight sim is a great option, and can save you $100s or
$1,000s on crashed planes.

One of the biggest early obsticles in RC flying is training your brain to know
which way to push the stick when your plane is in various positions relative
to you. E.g., "My plane is coming back at me. I want it to go to my left,
which way do I pull the stick?" Obviously easy to figure out given a few
seconds, but often you don't have a few seconds to figure it out. You have to
train your brain to intuit it.

RealFlight[1] is the 500lb gorilla in the RC flight sim space, and a good
piece of software. But they also have a history of expensive and frequent
upgrades, and charging for new models. I prefer Phoenix[2], which so far only
has free (and frequent) updates, includes models from my favorite RC
manufacturers and lets you download new models for free. Absolute RC[3] is the
only current RC flight sim that runs in OSX, but I still prefer Phoenix in
Parallels or Bootcamp.

You're going to spend $100-$200 on a simulator and controller, but it's well
worth it for being able to practice in a pretty realistic setting before you
start flying real planes.

1\. [http://www.realflight.com/](http://www.realflight.com/) 2\.
[http://www.phoenix-sim.com/](http://www.phoenix-sim.com/) 3\.
[https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/absolute-rc-plane-
sim/id5349...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/absolute-rc-plane-
sim/id534915930?mt=8)

~~~
Roboprog
Having something that works with a proportional joystick controller (e.g. -
Logitech clone of Sony style game controller), if not an actual RC controller,
is essential as well. Keyboard controls are horrible for practicing flying. (I
believe the packages you mention come with an RC controller mockup, as well as
usually supporting a PC-to-transmitter patch cable)

Alas, the big boys are Windows-only software :-(

There is at least one inexpensive RC simulator out there that runs on Android
(and has pretty good glider simulation), which lets you use a PC USB
controller for the sticks. You need a USB "On The Go" (OTG) adapter cable to
plug the full size "PC end" of the controller into the micro USB socket.

I had a free simulator that worked on Mac, but I forgot its name after it
stopped working.

~~~
atourgates
I actually learned on an Xbox 360 controller originally, not nearly as good as
a real transmitter, but much better than a keyboard.

Both Phoenix and RealFlight come in packages either with a controller, or a
cable to plug in your RC controller.

~~~
Roboprog
Interesting. Isn't the XBox controller "asymmetrical", in that the left
joystick is above the D-pad, further up and to the side than the right
joystick is? (much like a Nintendo Gamecube controller)

transmitter vs controller images:

[http://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/280927693588-0-1/s-l1000.jpg](http://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/280927693588-0-1/s-l1000.jpg)

[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/PlayStat...](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/PlayStation3-Sixaxis.jpg)

[http://gaming.logitech.com/assets/47832/f310-gaming-
gamepad-...](http://gaming.logitech.com/assets/47832/f310-gaming-gamepad-
images.png)

[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Xbox-360...](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Xbox-360-S-Controller.png)

[http://www.gamechoiceclub.com/image/gc_controller_black.gif](http://www.gamechoiceclub.com/image/gc_controller_black.gif)

------
fit2rule
This is a fantastic example of Lisp, I'm really enjoying learning the details
of flightsim as a Lisp'er would do it - a true bit of heritage software..
Thanks!

~~~
eggy
Yes, I am not an RC hobbyist. I was interested in the programming aspect of
it. I have been playing with PilOS, which is PicoLisp made bootable on
hardware, or Qemu or KVM. Alex Burger has been developing and using PicoLisp
for decades. It has built-in Prolog, database and other amenities. The Rosetta
code examples are telling of the language. I love PicoLisp, since I can tackle
learning everything from the ground up. It's also very small, and very
embeddable.

