Simviation Forums

...spectators, to be precise.  Im sure most of you have heard of the recorder module and its advanced tower view.  If you havent, basically advanced tower view allows you to create a new tower view that can be manually panned (meaning it doesnt follow the aircraft) and moved around using the keypad.  So what does this have to do with airshows?  Well when we have an airshow, evey spectator normally parks an aircraft (typically the schweizer) near the runway.  This is fine, but all those aircraft can cause performance issues and if you have powered planes sometimes problems arise where people engines are on and it gets annying.  So heres my idea:

At the start of the show, everyone starts at the show airport in whatever plane.  Then you create a new tower view.  Once this view is established, move the plane (using slew) to either a nearby airport or even just a field off of the airport so that its not in sight.  Then you can put 'yourself' wherever you want using the tower view.  Because the tower view is invisible, you can put it on the middle of the runway or any other wild place to watch.  

Just think about it

I like the idea but when i'm flying i like to perform to an audience i can see. Plus theres the factor that some people (me) havn't quite got the hang of that recorder thingy yet.

I like the idea but when i'm flying i like to perform to an audience i can see.

Very true. I like to have an actual crowdline that I can use as reference. The length of the crowdline often influences how my displays are flown.

I still think we should find a very low poly model (preferably a cube, or flat surface, if one could be made) for spectating...

Yah, good idea but I dont think it works.  For my cobra maneuver, (oops just gave away part of my display) Im going to go nose up right at show center where everyone is sitting.   And also many other of the maneuvers will be based on that central point of show center.

As has been said, a nice idea in theory but not having a visible crowdline would make using the correct datum point in display very difficult...

Okay okay bad idea.  It was just because of the problems people have had in the past regarding frame rates.  I never said you had to do it, just suggested it

Okay okay bad idea.  It was just because of the problems people have had in the past regarding frame rates.  I never said you had to do it, just suggested it

Don't it make you feel really depressed, when you wake up in the middle of the night with a fantastic new idea....

...you suggest it here, and then everyone tells you it is a really naff idea...

Buggar... ...!

Never mind, Jake, you have my deepest sympathies. It can happen to anyone... ...!
Here is a chocolate cookie for you...
LOL... ...!

Paul...(What is a Recorder Module?).... ...!

Why don't you guys just make a special "Airshow Spectator Aircraft" that's just a cube or something extremely simple.  That way it would be extremely easy on frames, and you could have an unobstructed VC view of what's going on.

I've said it before - there's no reason why somebody can't just make a cube or even a flat polygon, and paint it to look like a crowd.  Each spectator could appear as a block of 20-30 people and only use 2 polygons!  Or give it a bit of depth and use 100 polygons apiece, big deal.  The whole audience would still use less than the polygons on one Cessna.

If I wasn't going on holiday this weekend, I'd do it myself.  And if nobody else does it by the time I get back, I'll have a go anyway.

Gryshnak

I've said it before - there's no reason why somebody can't just make a cube or even a flat polygon, and paint it to look like a crowd.  Each spectator could appear as a block of 20-30 people and only use 2 polygons!  Or give it a bit of depth and use 100 polygons apiece, big deal.  The whole audience would still use less than the polygons on one Cessna.

If I wasn't going on holiday this weekend, I'd do it myself.  And if nobody else does it by the time I get back, I'll have a go anyway.

Gryshnak

Excellent, sorry I stole your idea, I'd be more than happy to try and do it, but I have absolutely no idea how.

It does seem like a nice idea. So long as there is something to use as a reference point. If im watching though id still probably just watch from the plane instead of using a tower view cause the crowdline is still the point of display.