Who invented flight simulator

As aircrafts became faster in the air and as the demand quickened for pilots in World War II, the need for adequate training became imperative. The Hawarden Trainer , made from the center section of a Spitfire fuselage, allowed pilots to jointly train the various procedures of a complete operational flight.

The device could house several airmen and allowed for navigation based on either sky or ground references, as seen in the synthetic night sky above, or as projected below on a white screen. The s also brought in a new developer of simulators, Rediffusion or later Redifon , which created the C DF and Navigational Trainer , both of which were Crew Procedures Trainers. Many of these CPTs came equipped with sound effects and epidiascopes machines that project images onto a screen.

The two largest problems that militaries, commercial airlines, and even some rather enthusiastic individuals have faced in flight training and when dealing with flight simulators are how to train pilots effectively and efficiently. Effective training means designing and developing the best-quality, least time-consuming methods to get new pilots ready to get into a cockpit and flying solo.

And in order to have effective training, the pilots must be training in realistic environments , experiencing situations , conditions and scenarios which will nearly match what they will experience once they are the ones in the cockpit.

The other problem that these same stakeholders face is efficiency. While in the early years of flight simulation the devices were quite primitive and therefore fairly low-cost, the same cannot be said for later models, including the CNT, which was Often due to space constraints and budgets constraints , the number of simulators is greatly outnumbered by the number of pilots who need to be training on a daily basis.

This means that militaries and airlines are training at suboptimal capacity , only adding to the timeline in which they can fully train a pilot. These are two of the most important issues facing the industry now and where there is the greatest room for growth and improvement. In Part two of our three-part series on the evolution of flight simulation, we will look at how the use of computers and image displays added to the increased effectiveness of pilot training.

Follow us on our Instagram , Facebook , and LinkedIn. This aircraft, the bane of the Imperial Japanese Navy, was one of the first aircrafts to feature a revolutionary wing-folding mechanism to maximize the storage capacity.

The bulk of this training was performed at Lauderdale's "Link Trainer Building 8" which had a compliment of Link Trainer Flight Simulators throughout the war. Ensigns would undergo a grueling training schedule in flight controls and navigation depending on their later role on these simulators. Interestingly George H. Bush Sn. Former U. President was instructed on these machines before being assigned to the ill-fated crew of the lost Flight After the war, Link would continue to develop his trainers' by adding advanced gunnery and navigation to the mix.

These upgraded trainers would ultimately lead to the development of the first jet bomber simulators in the s. Each Link Trainer was mounted to a base that allowed the main body often in the shape of miniature aircraft to turn, tilt and even 'bounce' under the direction of a nearby instructor.

The instructor, who sat at a desk adjacent to the trainer, was able to control the simulator to create situations like extreme 'turbulence' and other simulated instrument flight conditions. The same instructor also transmitted radio signals into the pilot's earphones.

To maximize trainee immersion each trainer came with an opaque canopy to focus their attention on their instruments. Each trainee pilot was put through a series of scenarios whilst strapped into the trainer. The pilot "flew" the Link Trainer through various turns, climbs, and descents, and the link's "course" was traced in red ink by the remote "bug" on a map on the table.

This hard-copy record of their performance was then studied by the instructor and trainee who could visually see a plotted red-line course of their last exercise. This proved to be a very useful way of identifying their competencies and areas in need of improvement. It should be noted that each Link Trainer lacked air conditioning. Although not necessarily a problem in cooler climates, in hot U. States, like Texas, they got pretty hot insid e. Many a young trainee almost 'crashed and burned' - not from lack of flying skills, but from the heat!

The Link Trainer's simulated movement was created using a series of vacuum operated bellows in the base. These were controlled by a series of valves that were, in turn, connected to the simulators control wheel or stick and rudder pedals in the 'cockpit'. By using their instruments and radio signals received from the instructor, each trainee was required to fly through a navigational course that was being plotted as we have seen. Long before the invention of realistic computer simulators or even virtual reality training , flight simulation involved experimental machines tested by trial and error.

Due to limited resources at flying schools , many students received just a few hours of solo flight time and were often unprepared for combat. The resulting accidents and casualties at training units led to the invention of the first synthetic flight training devices.

These rudimentary training devices were essentially sections of a wooden barrel mounted and moved manually by an instructor to simulate the effect of a plane in flight.