SAFA Skysailor Magazine

16 SKY SAILOR September | October 2024 Meet CanGlide’s new Australian-built rotating paragliding simulator – SkySailor 1 Virtual Reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs 3D near-eye displays and tracking to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. VR paragliding enhances the learning experience of those who take up par- agliding and has significant safety and other benefits for them. It also offers solutions to barriers for those who might otherwise not be able or capable to experience real paragliding. This article describes our experience in the ACT with VR paragliding simulation and further explores its benefits by examining the use of VR simulation in other domains. The SkySailor rotating para- gliding simulator The current simulator, SkySailor, was ‘dis- covered’ as an arcade simulator in use at Zero Latency in Southport in early 2023. Since then, CanGlide has been working with the Australian developer of SkySailor, Dr Mal Osborne, to make it more realistic and turn it into a tool that can complement a paragliding pilot’s flying experience. VR offers an incredibly realistic visual expe- rience, making it perfect for flight simulation. Using a high-resolution headset with a wide field of view further enhances this realism. However, as the visuals become more immer- sive, your brain becomes increasingly sensitive to any mismatch between what you see and what your body feels. This sensory conflict can lead to discomfort or even nausea. Mal has eliminated nausea and deepened the immersive experience by using a motion rig and matching every virtual rotation with a corresponding movement in the real world, a principle employed in other high-end VR applications Mal previously flew hang gliders, but stopped about 20 years ago to focus on family and other priorities. However, earlier this year Mal put his money where his mouth is and obtained his paraglider licence, lending him Virtual Reality Paragliding Simulation by CanGlide (Alex Boiko, Michael Claringbould, Nick Lemon, Shippers Shipley), SkySailor 1 Simulator (Dr Mal Osborne), SkySurf Paragliding (Rafael Esquillaro, Chief Flight Instructor (CFI)), ACTHPA President (Rene Sedlmaier) 1 The simulator has the same name as this magazine, but this is purely coincidental