SIMULATORS & TRAINING
The levels of realism achievable in
“The first job is to keep the aircraft safe
and the second is training – in our
simulators we do the opposite, the first
thing is training and that’s the only thing”
aircraft simulators is such that many
pilots now emerge from a simulator
session exhausted, sweaty palmed
and wondering if they may have damaged the aircraft.
But the sector is still striving to increase the levels of
realism with new technological approaches that may
remove the multi-million dollar six-point gimbal
mounted simulators forever.
David Smith, senior vice president and general
manager for TRU Simulation and Training says, “The
industry needs to shift beyond what it regards as the
necessary minimal thresholds which commercial crews
have to meet. Everyone can be made better, even a
high-time pilot can have their techniques improved.
“A simulator is intended to prepare pilots for
something that they haven’t seen before, or for cockpit
software issues that are presented in a way they haven’t
seen before.”
HELICOPTER KICK
As one of the world’s leading manufacturers of helicopter
simulators, TRU is determined to provide the safest,
most-realistic and cost-effective rotorcraft training
solutions around the world.
“In commercial helicopter operations we identified
that you spend a lot of time flying low to the ground,
flying on visual flight rules and completing a lot of safety
and mission critical tasks,” says Smith. “For example, in
hoisting and cargo hook work where precision and
control are crucial the need to replicate this in a
simulation is critical, including the vibration and
micro-cues for the pilot.
“To achieve this within a Level D helicopter simulator
we incorporate a dual motion system. The primary
motion system provides the acceleration and orientation
of the aircraft, while the secondary motion system
provides the six-degrees of freedom and
vibration to the controls.”
Two motion systems in the simulator
enables a greater degree of realism in the
case of engine failure, where the kick of
autorotation has always been difficult to
replicate in training. The ability to train a
pilot when they only have a millisecond to
respond, repeatedly, with no risk to life or
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FAST JETS
A fast jet military simulator needs to do more than create the visuals
to be an effective training tool. A pilot needs to feel the g-load on
their body during a simulated dogfight. Paul Hutton, CEO of Cranfield
Aerospace Solutions explains the process his team has developed: “In
the case of the Super Hornet we had a replica seat manufactured by
FAIN in the USA, which is identical even down to the color of stitching
on the cushions.
“We insert actuators within cut outs on the cushions, add additional
electric actuators which will pull on the seat harness, and inflate the
G-suit. Most of these come to us as sub-systems from our supply chain,
which we integrate into the replica seat here at Cranfield.
“The whole process takes about eight weeks and includes a thorough
factory acceptance procedure test to ensure that it’s all matched to the
Super Hornet’s movements in the air.”
It appears the US Navy is very happy with the result, having initially
ordered four test examples early in 2012, and comparing these to similar
products on the market, Cranfield’s proved the most realistic. The
company’s current order book stands at 37 spread over four orders.
Once completed the replica seats are passed to L3 Harris who
incorporate them into their full motion six-dot simulators in the USA at
the navy’s Super Hornet training schools. Hutton says, “It’s when you
are completely immersed and absorbed that the training becomes the
most valuable.”
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