Motion versus non-Motion in flight simulator

Author: Peter John Davison, B.Sc., Ph.D. Vice President Aviation Focus

A summary of studies conducted on the effect of motion in flight simulator pilot training by the U.S Department of Transport (DOT), VOLPE, and American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Aviation Focus vice president Peter John Davison, B.Sc., Ph.D., summarises the most relevant studies related to the effectiveness of full motion flight simulators in pilot training. click to download article "A Summary of Studies on the Effect of Motion in Flight Simulators Pilot Training".

Evolution of motion in flight simulators

Author: Peter John Davison, B.Sc., Ph.D. Vice President Aviation Focus

Advances in simulator design have led to a range of devices that can be tailored to various phases of flight training. This article looks at the balance between visual and motion simulation as applied to flight simulation and how each contributes to the motion dynamic and the Total Simulation Experience (TSE).
click to download article “Motion in Flight Simulators. A story of Evolution".

Effect of simulator motion cues on initial training of Airline pilots

Authors: Judith Bürki-Cohen USDOT/RITA/Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Cambridge & Tiauw H. Go Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.

Two earlier studies conducted in the framework of the Federal Aviation Administration/Volpe Flight Simulator Human Factors Program examining the effect of simulator motion on recurrent training and evaluation of airline pilots have found that in the presence of a state-of-the-art visual systems, motion provided by a six-degree-of-freedom platform-motion system only minimally affected evaluation, and did not benefit training, of pilots that were familiar with the airplane. This paper gives preliminary results of a study on the effect of simulator platform motion on initial training of airline pilots that have never flown the simulated airplane.
click to download article “Effects of Simulator Motion Cues on Initial Training of Airline Pilots".

Training value of a fixed base flight simulator with a dynamic seat

Authors: Judith Bürki-Cohen and Andrea L. Sparko USDOT/RITA/Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Cambridge & Tiauw H. Go Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

This paper first explains that pilots experience airplane motion via multiple perceptual systems, which makes motion a candidate for simulation via stimulation of only a subset of these systems. Next, it discusses the relative merit of vestibular cues when piloting an airplane. This is followed by a comparison of the vestibular cues received in the airplane and those possible, or practicable, in an airline-pilot training simulator, considering also the history of flight-simulator motion and alternative technologies.
click to download article “Training value of a fixed base flight simulator with a dynamic seat".

Transfer of Training from a Full-Flight Simulator vs. a High Level Flight Training Device with a Dynamic Seat

Authors: Andrea L. Sparko and Judith Bürki-Cohen USDOT/RITA/Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Cambridge & Tiauw H. Go Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

For many smaller airlines, access to qualified simulators is limited due to the availability of simulators for certain airplanes and the costs of equipment acquisition, leasing, personnel travel, operation, and maintenance. The FAA/Volpe Center Flight Simulator Fidelity Requirements Program has endeavored to address this situation for more than a decade, first examining the most costly aspects of flight simulation in subject-matter-expert workshops and then conducting a series of empirical investigations of the effect of simulator hexapod-platform motion on training effectiveness
click to download article “Transfer of Training from a Full-Flight Simulator vs. a High
Level Flight Training Device with a Dynamic Seat"

The effects of enhanced hexapod motion on airline pilot recurrent training and evaluation

Authors: Tiauw H. Go Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Judith Bürki-Cohen DOT/Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts, et al.

A quasi-transfer experiment tested the effect of simulator motion on recurrent evaluation and training of airline pilots. Two groups of twenty B747-400 pilots were randomly assigned to a flight simulator with or without platform motion. In three phases, they flew four maneuvers designed to reveal differences due to motion.
click to download article “The effects of enhanced hexapod motion on airline pilot recurrent training and evaluation"

Simulator fidelity considerations for training and evaluation of today's airline pilots

Authors: Thomas Longridge, Federal Aviation Administration, Advanced Qualification Program AFS-230 Washington, DC, Judith Bürki-Cohen, DOT/Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, et al.

Regulatory changes in response to today’s airline pilot training and evaluation needs push the twin issues of effectiveness and affordability of flight simulators for use by U.S. airlines to the forefront. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is sponsoring two research programs with high pay-off potential in this area, namely, platform motion and realistic radio communications. This paper describes the rationale and the initial results of this work.
click to download article “Simulator fidelity considerations for training and evaluation of today's airline pilots"

EASA Licences - Modular or Integrated?

EASA lists requirements for all current professional licences obtained in either Modular or Integrated courses. In essence "modular" means that the student may obtain the licence in "bites" each of which remain valid for a given time. This approach is ultimately more costly but the student may spread the cost over a longer period of time. The sum of the requirements to obtain a licence over the "modular route" is greater than in the "Integrated" route...
Click to read article: EASA Licences - Modular or Integrated?

MPS Questions & Answers

A short list of our most frequently asked questions. Get clear on MPS FBS certification, upgrades, hardware, maintenance, warranty, and more.
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