The Shape of Things to Come

[BillD22]

 

Well,  with AI  apps rapidly becoming mainstream it was only a matter of time.  Building on earlier less capable versions that first appeared in X-Plane in the past few years here's a fully articulated and conversant Copilot under development for MSFS.  

 

 

 

 

[Nels_Anderson]

Well that raises things to a new level...

 

The animated co-pilot is a bit robotic but I imagine that can be improved over time. Otherwise it seemed pretty realistic.

 

I wonder, how many flightsimmers would want to use this on a regular basis? To me it seems like a fun novelty that I'd try once or twice but mostly when I get into the plane I want to get going and fly. What do others think?

[PhrogPhlyer]

For the many simmers who try to replicate airline/corporate/military crew aircraft to exacting detail, this adds another layer to the procedural process and detail I think an AI flight examiner or flight instructor would be interesting.

But for many who want to "stretch their wings and fly", it would be interesting but not needed.

[BillD22]

25 minutes ago, Nels_Anderson said:

Well that raises things to a new level...

 

The animated co-pilot is a bit robotic but I imagine that can be improved over time. Otherwise it seemed pretty realistic.

 

I wonder, how many flightsimmers would want to use this on a regular basis? To me it seems like a fun novelty that I'd try once or twice but mostly when I get into the plane I want to get going and fly. What do others think?

 

I agree with Phrog - many interested in real-world procedures will jump on this.  Over time, I expect the voice and motion characteristics will be improved to the level you see on current video game consoles.

 

It would be interesting to know the split for most simmers between procedural flying and "hop in and go."  In my own case, it's about 75% hop-in-and-go and 25% procedure depending on the available time - a factor which is often determined by the interval between "Honey do's" 

 

All that said, I expect I'll be a user when this comes out.

[PhrogPhlyer]

12 minutes ago, BillD22 said:

75% hop-in-and-go and 25% procedure

Bill, it's approximately the same for me. I thoroughly enjoy the procedural side with older system heavy aircraft such as the AN-12. 

Looking to the future, an aircraft such as the AN-12 could have an AI First Officer, AI Navigator, an AI Flight Engineer, and an AI Crew-master (maybe for '60s and '70s reality, and AI political officer also) . That aircraft was a typical older Soviet design that ensured extreme difficulty to "defect.'" None of the functions of one crewmember were replicated in the other crew stations. Pilots often did not even know how to start their own aircraft.

 

[jgf]

I tend to be the "hop in and fly" type also, which works well since my favorite flights are low-and-slow VFR;  from "cold and dark" I'm taxiing in five minutes.

 

But I also have a few high tech aircraft;  appear in cockpit, open pdf manual, open this window, open that window, throw this switch, throw that switch, open another window, turn this knob, when this gauge reads so-and-so close that switch, close windows, open another window, throw these switches, press that button, wait ten seconds, close window, do this, do that, tote that barge, lift that bale ....in then minutes I have one engine running.  Another ten minutes and, if i've not accidentally shut down the first engine, I have both engines running.  Then I get to play with the MFDs and other cockpit paraphernalia.  Thirty minutes after appearing in the plane I'm ready to taxi.  I can see where many would enjoy this, and I might if actually sitting in a cockpit, but at a computer screen opening and closing popup windows and pdf manuals it is dreary.  My first time in the Citation X I was wishing for an "idiot switch", throw that and both engines are running and all cockpit items are ready ...an electronic copilot.  I see myself as the command pilot (oh, those poor passengers), my copilot does all this drudge work while I sit in the lounge finishing a cup of tea and make a last minute restroom run.

[Nels_Anderson]

There's no doubt this will appeal greatly to some, and not to others.

 

Having many years as a real pilot, I've often seen one of the advantages of flight simming to be that you can skip the tedious stuff if you want and get right to the flying. In the real world, going flying meant driving to the airport, clearing the plane (in the winter this could mean an hour shoveling snow or scraping ice), removing tie-downs and covers, doing a preflight ... and only then do you actually get to go fly. Versus the sim, set starting position at the end of the runway with engine running and the fun begins immediately.

[avallillo]

For the first part of the video, "Linda" sounds like her real name should be Svetlana!  An Aeroflot copilot. 

[BillD22]

2 hours ago, Nels_Anderson said:

 

 

Having many years as a real pilot, I've often seen one of the advantages of flight simming to be that you can skip the tedious stuff if you want and get right to the flying. 

Probably the greatest advantage of simming is not running the risk of killing yourself if you don't do the often tedious - but absolutely necessary - planning, preflight, systems setup, and adherence to checklists and procedures involved in RW flying!!!

[jgf]

I'm not at all against modelling the real world start up procedures, but i'm not good at memorization.  If the manuals went into more detail about what you are doing and why, I would learn what to do and not rely on memorizing a list, thus it would be more interesting.

 

But all sims are the same in this respect, whether you want to race a car or go bass fishing the sim removes the drudge work.  Years ago i read that one reason card games were so popular on computers was they removed the dreary process of shuffling and dealing.

 

"Probably the greatest advantage of simming is not running the risk of killing yourself ..."

The argument I've long used in the sim racing community when someone brags of beating a world record.  The lap time is impressive, but it was done in a comfortable chair in the living room, with an air conditioner running, maybe music playing, and a glass of tea or can of beer nearby;  make a mistake and the worst that happens is you reset and try again.  The real world record was set by someone strapped into a 700hp car in 120deg heat with the knowledge the least mistake means they could be scraped up in a dustpan.

[ftldave]

13 hours ago, avallillo said:

For the first part of the video, "Linda" sounds like her real name should be Svetlana!  An Aeroflot copilot. 

 

She would be a rare bird. Less than 2% of Aeroflot pilots are female. I used to fly on Aeroflot often, back before the troubles. Never-ever saw a lady Aeroflot pilot.

 

I've always considered and said it before, our great flight simulators aren't very good human simulators. The Max Headroom-like pilot figures are never to my liking. Simulate the other guy's procedures but I don't want the too often creepy-looking humanoid in the planes that I fly.

[BillD22]

5 hours ago, ftldave said:

I've always considered and said it before, our great flight simulators aren't very good human simulators. The Max Headroom-like pilot figures are never to my liking. Simulate the other guy's procedures but I don't want the too often creepy-looking humanoid in the planes that I fly.

Well, as Nels said, "There's no doubt this will appeal greatly to some, and not to others."  To each their own.  What I personally find creepy in sims is looking around and seeing  beautifully modelled but 100% empty cockpit seats in a multi-crew airplane!

[jgf]

Quite a conundrum.  Flying a C-5 across the Atlantic, a plane large enough to carry another plane, you look around and you're the only person on board.  Or look around a bizjet and see what appears to be a bunch of lo-res mannequins you're ferrying to a dept. store.

[Nels_Anderson]

It's true, the realism of people in the sim, whether in the plane or the ground personal, seems to be a generation behind the realism in other areas. I guess this just shows that we've yet to achieve the ultimate sim so we still have better things to look forward to

[BillD22]

 

20 minutes ago, Nels_Anderson said:

It's true, the realism of people in the sim, whether in the plane or the ground personal, seems to be a generation behind the realism in other areas. I guess this just shows that we've yet to achieve the ultimate sim so we still have better things to look forward to

 

Agree - the sim world is at least 3 or 4 years behind console video game depiction of people and actions.  In addition to more realistic people, the coming revolution will be the integration of AI with human figures.  As you point out, some will like it and some won't,  but I think it's pretty much inevitable although probably won't be realized until the next generation of sims - another 3+ years in the future.