Sun, Jul 31, 2011
Acrobatic Planes Fly Head-To-Head On Digitally-Generated
Course
By David Juwel
Sky Challenge International, a company from New Zealand, has
developed a new air racing venture. They forecast that it will
change the way we watch the sport. Basically, two aerobatic
aircraft fly against each other in a head to head race through a
digitally generated interactive course.
The race course has digital gates that the planes must navigate
through. The pilot sees these virtual targets in a cockpit monitor,
or through a helmet that generates optical images. The public sees
the race course images on a large wide screen, on their cell phone,
or a laptop. They can even fly the course on their TV at home prior
to the race.
The race is not a timed event. The two planes race head to head
and whoever crosses the finish line first is the winner. When a
pilot makes a mistake, it is shown on the screen and an instant
penalty occurs. The pilot always sees two targets in advance so
that he can plan his next move.
Because the two pilots are wholly focused on the target, one
would think that there might be a risk of mid-air collision.
However, there are four anti-collision systems in place to prevent
that from happening. For instance, if the computer senses the
opportunity for a mid-air collision, the images instantly disappear
and the pilots are required to make opposing turns.
The race is intended to be a free show hosted by a city,
preferably with a river, beach or harbor near the city center. The
images generated can all be sponsor oriented. For instance, the
planes can be made to fly through a beverage can or a tire with the
sponsors name on it. SKYchallenge will handle all the multi-media
set-ups for the spectators, as well as the design of the corporate
sponsor images.
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