Top Gun Goes Digital
Inside the World of Virtual Fighter Pilots
Do you feel the need? The need for speed? Then picture this: You’re strapped into the cockpit of an American F-14 Tomcat, soaring through virtual skies at supersonic speeds. Your mission? Defend your aircraft carrier from incoming enemy fighters. As you engage in a high-stakes dogfight, every decision could mean the difference between victory and defeat. This isn’t just a video game — it’s the world of hardcore combat flight simulation, where enthusiasts dedicate hundreds of hours to mastering the intricacies of modern air combat.
Our research team at University of Maryland and Aarhus University recently had the unique opportunity to embed with a virtual fighter squadron in the popular combat flight simulator DCS World. What we discovered was a community of passionate pilots who take their digital flying very seriously. These aren’t casual gamers — they’re dedicated enthusiasts who invest significant time and money into recreating the experience of being a real fighter pilot as accurately as possible.
The virtual squadron we joined, known as VF-1 Wolfpack (callsign “Wichita”), flies the iconic F-14A Tomcat made famous by the movie Top Gun. Their commitment to realism is impressive. Pilots use specialized flight sticks, throttles, and pedals to control their aircraft. Many even use VR headsets or head tracking to look around the meticulously recreated 3D cockpit.
But what really sets these virtual pilots apart is their dedication to post-mission analysis and debriefing. After every training flight or combat engagement, the squadron gathers to review their performance using sophisticated data visualization tools. They pore over every maneuver, communication, and decision to learn from mistakes and improve their tactics.
This is where our research comes in. We developed a new web-based tool called TacReel to help virtual squadrons like VF-1 better analyze and visualize their flight data. TacReel takes the massive amount of telemetry data generated during a mission — things like aircraft position, speed, weapons fired, etc. — and transforms it into an interactive 3D replay.
Pilots can zoom in on key moments, track specific aircraft, and even create cinematic highlight reels to share with teammates. The tool automatically detects important events like takeoffs, landings, and weapons launches. It’s like giving virtual pilots their own personal instant replay system and analytics department rolled into one.
What fascinated us was how seriously these virtual pilots take their debriefings. There’s no trash talk or ego — just an earnest desire to learn and improve. As one pilot told us, “In a real fighter squadron, you have to check your ego at the door during debriefs. We try to emulate that mentality.”
This dedication to data-driven improvement isn’t unique to flight sims. We found that many of the VF-1 pilots also play other competitive games like Counter-Strike or Dota 2. The lessons learned from analyzing combat flight data could potentially be applied to help players improve in all kinds of multiplayer games.
Our research highlights how video games are becoming increasingly complex, pushing players to develop sophisticated skills. Tools like TacReel show the potential for data visualization and analytics to enhance both competitive gameplay and spectator experiences across many genres. And who knows? The data analysis techniques being pioneered by hardcore flight simmers today could end up influencing how real pilots train tomorrow. In the world of combat flight simulation, the sky’s the limit.
Citation
- Mane, S. V., & Elmqvist, N. (2024). “Wichita 1–1, Fox Three” — The Role of 3D Telemetry Analysis in Combat Flight Simulation. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 8(CHI PLAY), to appear. [PDF]
