FPV Dogfight with Head-tracker in a Spitfire... a Journey to get there

[FPVAirCombat]

No more dancing around doing aerobatics or formation. Time to truly put the head-tracker and smooth, precise-tracking pan & tilt gimbal to test in jet dogfight, DCS style:

 

[FPVAirCombat]

And "keeping up foreign relations" - birdwatching - cuase he was inverted

 

[FPVAirCombat]

Another aerobatics video, this time in calm wind at dusk, with low rates to really smooth out the flight. Enjoy!

I find having instrument panel in view to gauge attitude against horizon is very useful especially with head-tracker. Some people position head-tracking camera at the nose of plane without any obstruction in view; it could be hard to tell where the nose is pointed exactly and could contribute to motion-sickness without the fixed reference.

 

[FlamingRCAirplanes]

Another aerobatics video, this time in calm wind at dusk, with low rates to really smooth out the flight. Enjoy!

I find having instrument panel in view to gauge attitude against horizon is very useful especially with head-tracker. Some people position head-tracking camera at the nose of plane without any obstruction in view; it could be hard to tell where the nose is pointed exactly and could contribute to motion-sickness without the fixed reference.

Sweet! I am thinking about mine: servo for the pan system didn’t have enough range, so I will be using a very small stepper for the next version, and I hope to get my hands on an MPU9250 IMU to track my head…

 

[FPVAirCombat]

Better late then never! Motionsic BAG (BadAss Gimbal) now comes with a plate adapter to accommodate cameras with single screw mounting hole per side, like most DJI FPV compatible cameras. Now any camera 19~20 mm wide can be easily mounted with the pan & tilt!

Simply place plate adapter on the side of camera and fasten the tilt gear with included long screws with lock washer. As easy as fastening the BAG onto the original DJI Air Unit camera with two mounting screw holes per side.

https://fpvdogfight.com/

Imagine the fun that you will be having with these in the cockpit! We certainly are having lots.

 

[FPVAirCombat]

Thanks to Cliff (dlktdr) and collaborators for the open source head-tracker build! I am really enjoying the wireless feature not worrying about tugging the trainer chord. I move my head a lot in flight. Smooth, fast, and precise tracking meaning not having to recenter HT at all during flight is great. I forget HT is there and just feel I am one with the plane. Dare I say, I feel like a fighter pilot

 

[FPVAirCombat]

Playing follow the leader using the wireless head-tracker, it's hard for lead to shake off the pursuit. He tried jinxing left, right and even pulling a U-turn, I was still able to track him easily. Only when he gets in the sun then I would lose sight temporarily until he moves out. I get to experience first hand why real fighter pilots use the sun to their advantage in a dogfight! What a fun flight!

 

[FlyingMonkey]

I just saw a video where the Blackstar FPV Team (are you associated with them?) was flying formation with the Flex Innovation RV-8 60E planes.

Any details on those setups? They looked great.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

Darn you!

 

[FPVAirCombat]

I just saw a video where the Blackstar FPV Team (are you associated with them?) was flying formation with the Flex Innovation RV-8 60E planes.

Any details on those setups? They looked great.

I was part of the team flying E-flite Viper 90 last year, but not any more. I did have a chance to fly their RV-8 60E setup. They have figured out how to make optically clear canopies and that airframe with included gyro is very stable and can be flown safely at very slow speeds. That coupled with it's large presence makes the RV-8 an excellent platform for formation practice: big, slow and predictable. But it can also perform when need be, like unlimited vertical or hover.

The pilot shaped gimbal is pretty interesting, too. But judging from the video, looks to be a little shaky over grass and they did not show the onboard footage during taxi for a reason

By the way thanks for your support FlyingMonkey, your order was shipped the same day! Let me know if you need any help setting it up.

I am still enjoying flying the Viper immensely. Here's a recent flight at a new field for me. Enjoy!

 

[FPVAirCombat]

And a refresher on why a reflector sight is needed for dogfight/ strafing fun! Imagine that popular FliteTest A-10 vs Tank airsoft tracer video with the reflector sight installed. The video would have reached legendary status

 

[FlyingMonkey]

The pilot shaped gimbal is pretty interesting, too. But judging from the video, looks to be a little shaky over grass and they did not show the onboard footage during taxi for a reason

By the way thanks for your support FlyingMonkey, your order was shipped the same day! Let me know if you need any help setting it up.

My "Sic Bag" arrived today! Super fast shipping. Wasn't expecting it until tomorrow.

Hopefully I'll get it set up tomorrow and get to take it flying on Thursday.

 

[FPVAirCombat]

Checking in after a couple months hiatus...

Here' is my latest foray into highly contested air space over Taiwan in a Zero. Haha, kidding. Just visiting a new RC field there near Taipei, Taiwan. Notice the proper reflector sight which corrects for parallax in aiming when camera is not perfectly centered (essential with HT application). In addition to being an excellent munitions aiming aid, the sight doubles as accurate attitude indicator. When it's properly calibrated, the reticle lines up with horizon to indicate level flight. Very precise at indicating climb and descend, very useful at low attitudes to keep from hitting ground. Enjoy!

 

[FPVAirCombat]

It takes two to tango, and it’s good to find mates that are up for a challenge. I motion for FPV to stand for Fighter Pilot View. It’s so much fun to fly dogfights with head-tracking and reflector sight. Time to install laser tag next!

 

[FPVAirCombat]

Checking in again, this time with a T-28, with canopy back on for added realism. The canopy frame and distortions really make formation flying and dogfights much more challenging, hiding the wingman/bandit at times. But the trade off in immersiveness and realism is worth it, I think.

 

[FPVAirCombat]

Finally getting back to flying the Spitfire, actually this is a different one than the OG post, bigger and easier to ground handle. I can land this Flightline 1.6m Spitfire without issues at all. The Avios Spitfire on OG post always drags a wingtip on the ground upon landing.
Exploring tactics to follow a much slower aerial target: 1.2M T-28(4S)

 

[FPVAirCombat]

Oldie but still a goodie. I love flying the Spitfire, low level flights and aerobatics in this video.