Dan Frith, Flight Simulator Support & Sales Director at component solutions experts Artemis Aerospace, takes us inside the world of aircraft simulator creation
Since simulators were first used to assist pilots with mastering simple aircraft manoeuvres in the early 1900s, they have evolved into the fully equipped and highly technical pieces of kit that are used worldwide.
Their use in modern aircraft training is now crucial for pilots and airlines. When incidents in the air occur, it’s largely the actions of the pilot that determine whether a flight lands safely or becomes a fatal situation. Simulators allow pilots to safely train for every possible eventuality, including engine failures, tyre blowouts, difficult weather conditions and bird strikes.
Flight simulators can also assist investigators, helping them to make sense of accidents after they occur while providing evidence that pilots were not at fault and did their utmost to protect passengers and crew.
Most recently, this was demonstrated following the famously flawless landing of US Airways Flight 1549 by Captain Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger, and first officer Jeffrey Skiles. Sully and Skiles ditched their aircraft in New York’s Hudson River, saving all 155 people on board, after a freak bird strike took out both engines. In the months that followed, investigators used simulator re-enactments that helped to eventually prove the pilots had made the correct decision to land on water rather than attempt to return to a nearby airport. This shows how invaluable simulator training is for pilots and how essential it is to investigating incidents in the sky.
Early simulators were basic. One of the best-known devices was the Link Trainer, produced by Edwin Link in the US in 1927. This comprised a basic metal frame painted in blue with a pneumatic motion platform driven by inflatable bellows to provide pitch and roll cues.