An essential part of flight safety
The aviation industry is constantly evolving, and flight simulation is playing an increasingly important role in ensuring the safety and efficiency of modern aviation. Flight simulators provide a highly realistic and controlled environment in which pilots can train for a variety of scenarios, from routine operations to emergency procedures. This training is essential for ensuring that pilots are prepared to handle any situation they may encounter in the air.
The technology being used in flight simulation continues to advance, and is very rapidly increasing the fidelity of training systems. These technological developments have drastically improved the quality of training that can be achieved using modern training devices. The technology that is now available to train airline pilots and military aviators has improved safety standards and increased mission readiness significantly.
What kinds flight simulators need support services?
When it comes to services to support your flight simulator, there are a huge number of options to consider. Firstly, you may need different levels of service provision to support ongoing operation of a variety of training devices, including full-flight simulators (FFSs), part-task trainers (PTTs), fixed-base flight training devices (FTDs), rear crew trainers (RCTs), integrated procedures trainers (IPTs), and desktop systems trainers for things like avionics suites. You may also have Aviation Training Devices (ATDs) either Basic (BATDs) or Advanced (AATDs) and some Desktop Trainers depending on the level of training you're intending on undertaking. For devices that are qualified under a national airworthiness authority (NAA) or equivalent military agency are generically termed Flight Simulation Training Devices (FSTDs).
Simulator Types
The Full-flight simulator (FFS) is the most advanced type of training device, and they replicate the cockpit of a specific aircraft and include 6 degree-of-freedom (6DOF) motion bases to replicate the physical movement of aircraft while in flight. In military circles they are sometimes referred to as Full Mission Simulators (FMSs), Full-Flight Mission Simulators (FFMSs), or Weapons Systems Trainers (WSTs). Typically, these kinds of devices are the highest fidelity available with the technology that was available during their design and manufacture.
Flight Training Devices (FTDs) are often the next step down, and most of the time do not have the advanced 6DOF motion systems of their bigger brothers and are what is often referred to as 'fixed base'. They do, however, often offer other kinds of motion cueing such as vibration platforms or "seat shakers" to provide beneficial cues to training device users.
From there the level of fidelity cascades down, and splits out specific training tasks as may be required. PTTs, RCTs, IPTs, ATDs and Desktop trainers are generally less complex than Full-Flight Simulators and Flight Training Devices, but they can still be used to provide pilots and other aircrew with valuable training in specific areas.
Support Services Types
When it comes to supporting your training devices, you may require any number of a range of services. Your device will require regular maintenance, and technical support to ensure it remains available for training with as much up-time as possible.
A typical Full-Flight Simulator (or a training centre with multiple FFSs) requires a team of maintenance technicians to ensure the ongoing fidelity and serviceability of the training system. This maintenance team will usually have a team leader or manager to oversee the requirements of scheduled and unscheduled maintenance tasks. Many training centres will have a variety of devices, and the maintenance team will be responsible to ensure the availability of all of them for training is maximised.
Training centres and the maintenance teams within them often needs support services to conduct some of the required tasking to ensure the training devices continue to be fit for purpose. Oftentimes the maintainers require on-site or remote support from external providers to support testing, or upgrades of devices.
Beyond the day-to-day, all training centres will need to ensure the skills and capabilities of their maintenance teams are kept up to date. For this it's often the case that specialist providers of technical training are brought in to provide specific training to ensure the teams stay performing at their best. And when there is staff turnover, some training centres will turn to simulation industry specific recruitment services to hire the best possible staff.
A (very) brief history of flight simulators
The first flight simulator was developed in 1929, and it went on to be used to train pilots for military operations. Flight simulators have become increasingly sophisticated ever since, and they are now used to train pilots and other aircrew for a variety of commercial, private, and military aviation applications.
The benefits of using flight simulators
There are many benefits to using flight simulators, including:
Improved safety
Flight simulators helps pilots to improve their skills and knowledge, which reduces the risk of accidents. This is the primary reason flight simulators were developed in the first place. There are many procedures that you wouldn't want to undertake in the air that can be repeated again and again in the simulator to create a more competent pilot during such emergency procedures.
Reduced costs
Flight simulators reduce the cost of pilot training, as they are used to supplement or replace traditional training 'in air' methods. Whilst there are, of course, costs associated with owning and operating a flight simulator, they pale in comparison to their 'real world' brothers in flying aircraft. The operating costs of a flight simulator are estimated to range between 5-20% of the cost of operating the related aircraft.
Increased efficiency
Flight simulators can be used to improve the efficiency of pilot training, as they can be used to provide pilots with the training they need in a shorter period of time. This is due mainly to the flexibility of how a simulator can be setup for training scenarios.
Improved decision-making
Flight simulators help pilots to improve their decision-making skills, which helps them to make better decisions in the air. This has been shown in numerous studies conducted on the efficacy of flight simulators.
The latest trends in flight simulator services
The latest trends in flight simulator services include:
The use of virtual reality
Virtual reality is becoming increasingly popular in flight simulator training, as it can provide pilots with a more realistic and immersive training environment. These VR simulators have yet to achieve the fidelity required to be endorsed by any national airworthiness authority at the highest level (level D).
The use of artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is being used to develop more advanced training scenarios, which can help pilots to prepare for a wider range of situations. Many companies in the space are experimenting with AI supported training 'after action review' as well as dynamic training scenario development.
The use of data analytics
Data analytics is being used to track pilot performance and identify areas where pilots need additional training. This is one of the key benefits of training in a simulator; you can easily record and analyse the performance of the air crew and use said data to improve the performance of them over time.
The future of flight simulation
The future of flight simulation is bright. As technology continues to evolve, flight simulators will become even more realistic and immersive. This will allow pilots to train for a wider range of scenarios and improve their skills even further.
Some in the industry would argue that we are slowly migrating towards a future where air travel and military aviation are going to be phasing out the requirement for having a human in the cockpit of the aircraft during operations. This may be true, but the future of completely pilotless aircraft is many decades away for numerous reasons (regulatory, appetite of travelling public, etc).
Conclusion
Flight simulator services are an essential part of modern aviation. They play a vital role in ensuring the safety and efficiency of air travel and military aviation. As technology continues to get better, cheaper and more immersive, flight simulators will become even more sophisticated and play an even greater role in the aviation industry.
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Additional resources
Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) National Simulator Program (NSP)
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) - Flight Simulation Training Device (FSTD) Certification Guidance Document
European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) - Use and Benefits of Simulators
Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) - Part 60 of CASR Synthetic training devices
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at Simutech Solutions.
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