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About Flight Simulators
Flight Simulators for Pilot Training
Both military air forces and civil airline operators use flight simulators for training. The degree of realism varies with military air forces usually employing special aircraft types dedicated to the training role. Modern flight simulators provide such high levels of realism that licensing authorities allow them to be used for the renewal of a pilot's instrument rating certificate.
Combat aircraft pilots can fly a complete sortie in a flight simulator. This not only replicates all the controls and instruments, as well as communication and weapons systems, its simulation of the external scene can include ground features and targets as well as hostile aircraft. Two pilots can fly their simulators against each other in bloodless combat with each seeing the other's aircraft projected on the visual scene.
History of the Flight Simulator
The use of simulated cockpits has been a time and cost saving training method since the earliest years of flight. In the early days, the majority of flight simulators were simple mechanical systems used to demonstrate the action of the primary controls and to teach hand, eye and sensory co-ordination. Later came reaction teachers using a system of light patterns to which the pupil had to respond.
The most important improvement in flight simulators came with the Link trainer in 1929. Built by Edwin Link, the Link trainer was the first real flight simulator with an enclosed cockpit equipped with instruments and controls. The Link trainer was able to simulate roll, pitch and turning and the instructor could even select turbulence to add to the pupil's problems of endeavoring to fly procedural patterns, interceptions of radio range, Lorenz and ILS beams.
Part of the Link trainer's success stemmed from the simple construction which encouraged production, particularly during the Second World War when thousands were built for the American, British and Commonwealth air forces.
Using the Link as a starting point and applying electronics, the flight simulator was elaborated and its quality of simulation vastly improved. The instruction of digital computers and wide screen colour television provided a realistic view ahead. Pilots could now train in a simulator which replicated to a high degree a real aircraft and a real world seen through the flight deck windows. Over the years simulators also progressed to incorporate very realistic roll, pitch, bank and heave motions.
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