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I'm a general aviation pilot that is trying to use FS2004 and TrackIR as a practical home flight simulator.

I've tried TrackIR in the VR mode for FS2004, but I'm having trouble performing simple tasks like tuning the radios. I'll be looking right at the radio knob, and clicking at it with the mouse trying to make the knob turn, but it's way too cumbersome.

I'd like to eliminate the use of the mouse (and keyboard) as much as possible since I never have these in real airplanes anyway.

Would an IR Hand Tracker be the solution?

The user would still use TrackIR for head movement, but also use "Hand Tracker" for movement of the right hand. The user's left hand would be on the yoke, and the right hand would be available to tune radios in VR mode. The right hand could click or twist anything in the cockpit that would otherwise be available for mouse-click.

In addition, as I view things in VR mode, I personally would prefer seeing an animated VR hand move the knob as opposed to a mouse pointer. That's more of a software issue, than a hardware issue, but that's what I would prefer.

Matt:

I am with you on this one. Unfortunantly, everything that is going on here is a Microsoft issue. Too bad they do not listen to their customers more often!!!

I would like to find a way to remove the keyboard from the equation as well. I have a "fighterstick" HOTAS combo and not a yoke so I have tons of extra buttons and things I can assign the radio commands too.

But that is not being realistic!

Well, I guess I'm just looking at this as a consumer. In other words, I don't care how the product is developed, if someone would just offer it, I would buy it.

I'm just looking for a different option than the high dollar radio stacks that look great, but cost $2000 to $3000. The bad thing about these physical radio stacks is they never change after you buy them...you can't just add a GPS to an existing stack like you can if the radios exist within the VR environment.

There's got to be a better way to interact with the VR cockpit environment.

When I'm in a real airplane and I want to turn a knob, I just do it. In the flight sim, I click at it with a mouse pointer and say "Come on, dammit, TURN!"

[ November 21, 2003, 11:28 AM: Message edited by: Matt Thomas ]

I know exactly what you mean.