Flying the Pipistrel Virus SW 121 in VR with Oculus Rift S
One of the aircraft included in the Premium Deluxe Edition of Microsoft Flight Simulator, the Pipistrel Virus SW 121 really shines when you opt for flying it in Virtual Reality using a headset like the Oculus Rift S. It’s a treat!
I’ve spent the days since VR for Microsoft Flight Simulator was launched flying different aircraft, while trying to tame the diamond needing polish represented by the VR option in the sim. True, it is not perfect but, as I expected, it’s the immersion that makes one want to stick with it… unless you belong to any of the religious sects that populate the flight simulation universe.
You need a good machine to run VR in Microsoft Flight Simulator but that should not come as a surprise for anyone. And yes, it’s never going — at least not any time soon — to look like your 4K monitor or other high-end display option, but which other way do you get the feeling of really being there, in the cockpit? As many have discovered, it becomes easier to fly, simply because you get the right proportions for your aircraft view and the world around you. Suddenly the runway is no longer a flat line in front of you but a real runway with dimensions that reflect the real world.
There are many other advantages in VR, some of which I mentioned in my previous article, Microsoft Flight Simulator, the Divine Proportion, and Virtual Reality, and there is another aspect that makes moving to VR a joy: the discovery of a 3D world that represents very much the one we live in. I’ve been flying the Pipistrel Virus SW 121 in VR along some of the areas in the sim, only to discover it is a fantastic sightseeing platform that VR helped me to discover. The experience led me to grow a special interest for an aircraft that on a flat screen did not feel as exciting.
As I noted above, Microsoft Flight Simulator still needs some work for its VR to work flawlessly, but it’s a good start for Asobo, despite what many say, because those screaming about how bad the sim is either don’t know what they are talking about or, as I’ve written somewhere else, about another sim experience, can be included in a special group of people. The article I refer too is titled “Virtual Skies are Full of Real Idiots”. It continues to be true now.
The HP Reverb G2 failed me
I found that, as with so many other sims, you need to pick your flights according to the computer you have. Those old enough to remember the original Flight Simulator from Microsoft know that the specs needed to run the program were always above the PCs many had and even the high spec computers one could buy would hardly deliver the sim at its best. In that sense, the new Microsoft Flight Simulator continues the tradition, with the added barrier of VR, which requires much more power than a normal flat screen experience.
I upgraded my machine on purpose for Microsoft Flight Simulator in VR, by replacing my RTX 2070 for a RTX 3080. My specs are: Intel i9–9700K running at 4.9GHz, 32GB 3200MHz RAM, SATA SSD and NVMe SSDs for the sim and external files (Orbx scenery and planes). For VR I keep using an Oculus Rift S as, unfortunately, HP failed to deliver in time the two HP Reverb G2 headsets I pre-ordered on August 5, 2020. HP’s promise that the two headsets would arrive in October, then November, followed by complete silence. Very unprofessional and a reason not to trust that HP is a reliable company. With so many negative comments about the headsets and the action of the company, I don’t see how HP will repair its image… but that’s another story altogether.
I mention my specs here because they may help some people to define their own needs in terms of a computer build to run Microsoft Flight Simulator. There are new CPUs available, so your choice may differ, but my PC continues to be a viable solution to run most of the new apps in VR, be it Project Cars 2 — running with everything maxed and with super sampling at 2X… just to show it’s possible — or Elite Dangerous with all the eye candy one can get.
Asobo deserves to be congratulated
In Microsoft Flight Simulator that’s not possible, because the base app is already very demanding, and the VR version still needs to be optimized. Still, Asobo deserves to be congratulated for delivering, in such a short period of time, such an immersive experience. It’s not perfect, but there is so much there that shows the team looked forward in terms of building a sim for the future… as the original Flight Simulator, from 25 years ago, was!
The new Microsoft Flight Simulator is the base for an exciting future in terms of flight simulation, but it is, even now, as it departs the gate, a show of little things that, while different from what we’ve been used to in other sims, reveal the DNA of a better GUI experience. From the taskbar that appears on top, in VR, when needed, to the solution found to zoom into instruments and adjust them, just with the mouse, Asobo is creating new rules for interfacing in VR.
The option to place the different panels inside the cockpit as you want, the ability, to a certain extent, to resize them, all these are things that make for a more integrated VR experience, as you don’t need to go back to the flatscreen to adjust most of the features. In fact, even the configuration panels for the sim can be accessed from within VR. And you can jump from VR to a flat screen at any moment, with the combo CTRL+TAB. Great!
Mouse is tamed, we need a virtual keyboard
One thing that seems to worry many people is the jumping mouse icon inside the cockpit. I also felt it looked strange, and uncontrollable, until I pressed the middle mouse button/wheel on my mouse, and the jumping icon vanished. Just like X-Plane 11, where you can make the mouse icon appear and disappear as needed, so you can in Microsoft Flight Simulator. One more thing: once the mouse is gone, if you want to get it back to control an instrument, just look at the instrument and press the middle mouse button again: the mouse appears exactly at the place you’re looking at. Click again after the operation is done, and it’s gone! It’s another example of the attention to detail Asobo put into building the VR experience. Now we just need a virtual keyboard as X-Plane 11 has, so VR pilots never need to leave the virtual cockpit.
I could go on with other examples of how these little things make for a good cockpit experience, but I urge you to explore. The Virtual Reality section at the Microsoft Flight Simulator forums has most of the answers you need to set up your system, but nothing beats you setting up your sim the way your machine allows — with some guidance from the forums — and going from there. Remember, the sim needs a lot of computing power, because everything from the gauges to the atmospheric conditions represent “little games” inside the simulations that eat cycles of even the most powerful computers. And it never stops.
Setting the Oculus Rift S for the sim
Setting the Oculus Rift S is a breeze… You need to move to the Beta version of the Oculus software, install it and then make sure your computer knows the location of the OpenXR runtime to use. The best way is to go to the Registry and change a parameter there. The steps needed are clearly explained in the VR Known Issues & Workarounds at the Microsoft Flight Simulator forums, and they’ve been there since the very first day. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be ready to fly. Forget about all the other confusing suggestions about OpenXR.
Some people will also use the Oculus Debug Tool to adjust other parameters but the step above was all I did and it’s working fine. I am using OTT (Oculus Tray Tool) — which I use for many other VR apps — to define some aspects of the way VR runs, but apparently the ASW function is not working as it should, I suspect because Microsoft does not allow one to directly interact with the executable for the sim. That’s a pity and something that I hope to see solved soon. But everything will only get better as Asobo returns to work and problems become solved.
Still, despite the problems, I’ve managed to fly — and fly and fly and fly — since the release of the sim. Because I tend to fly in less populated areas — as I do in other sims -, it’s easier for me to find a balance between frames and detail and have a smooth ride. It’s not perfect, yet, but the mix of ground detail and the atmospheric conditions make for some amazing flights, which are a clear invitation to fly low and slow. I’ve tried sunrise, sunsets, storms, and it’s… there are really no words to explain it! Try a situation with the sound of rain on the cockpit, with the vision of water droplets running on the windshield, and you’ll understand me.
Falling in love with the Pipistrel Virus SW 121
Through all those experiences I tried different aircraft, from the Aermacchi MB-339 from IndiaFoxtEcho to the Cessna 208 B Grand Caravan, 152 or 172, Daher TBM 930 or the Diamond DA42. I also picked the Pipistrel Virus SW 121, available in the Premium Deluxe Edition of Microsoft Flight Simulator. I had tried it previously, with a flat screen, and was not much convinced, but the VR experience made me fall in love. It’s a new addition to my hangar and a good sightseeing platform for all those who want a plane that is ideal as a trainer or personal travel airplane.
The shape of the Pipistrel Virus SW 121 is somehow familiar to me as, many years ago, working as the executive editor — and photographer — for Sirius, a magazine for professional pilots, I followed the adventure of a pilot that brought a Pipistrel Sinus from the factory to Portugal, and saw the aircraft at various events after that. The Sinus is a motorglider which can take-off and land on very short runways, fly long distance cross-country and have fun gliding with a 27:1 gliding ratio. The Pipistrel Virus SW 121, although different, follows the same glider philosophy in terms of construction.
Capable of glider towing, night VFR, with intentional spinning approvals and capable of advanced UPRT training, the SW 121 is the most advanced and affordable 2-seat EASA Type-certified airplane in its category, says the company behind the aircraft. With its comfortable interior (that you really discover in VR), dual-screen glass cockpit, CS propeller, airbrakes and autopilot, the SW 121 cruises at 2 NM per minute, climbs at 1000 fpm, is complex and full of automation.
Is the Pipistrel Alpha Electro coming to the sim?
Pipistrel says that due to its advantages, excellent characteristics, low running costs and affordability the SW 121 is just made to train future commercial pilots. Robust performance and field-proven experience — this is the official trainer of Indian Airforce, Navy and NCC — make the aircraft, which is the result of over 20 years of experience in designing energy-efficient motor-planes ideal for different learning purposes. Pipistrel notes that due to the fact that the Virus SW 121 is packed with state-of-the-art navigation and communication equipment, it can be used for “en-route IFR” training in several countries.
According to the company, the Virus SW 121 the only 2-seat aircraft in the market which enables training from the simplest beginnings to the difficulty of a twin-engine aircraft for obtaining higher pilot licenses. Also, the SW 121 is the first small aircraft in history to be type certified with 3D printed parts.
One more curiosity: the aircraft folder in the sim was for a while named “Pipistrel Alpha Electro”, which suggests another version, the revolutionary airplane capable of flying with 1 EUR energy cost per hour. No engine rumble in the cockpit, no need for headsets, no annoyance to the neighborhood. Was it a sign of things to come for Microsoft Flight Simulator? Will Asobo introduce the Alpha Electro, the first world’s first 2-seat electric trainer, presented as the greenest way of learning to fly? That’s an interesting idea for a sim that is looking towards the future.
