Flight Simulator Visual Systems

[ZFT]

What features on a latest generation Level D visual system would you like to have to enhance realism?

I have a golden opportunity to influence the design.

(Real world global terrain, enhanced static and dynamic ground clutter, advanced LCoS projectors, FOV increased to 200 X 40+ have already been incorporated).

What additional features are important to the trainers and users?

[Tee Emm]

The ability to simulate very heavy rain on the windscreen making the runway just a blur in that a decision to go-around or not can be made depending on height perception. The ancient Rediffusion 737-300 simulator I work with has a vague blurring of runway lights (night scene available only) when rain is selected on at the instructor station. But it is dead easy to land. The runway lights then become sharply in focus when the wipers are switched on. This is not realistic. In real life, blinding rain can prevent the pilot from seeing through the windscreen forcing (hopefully) a go-around on very late final. Very useful for simulator training.

Ability to make very loud compressor stalls rather than a vague popping noise hardly heard over general air and engine noise.

The ability on the instructor station to observe brake temperatures in those aircraft (B737) that do not have brake temperature gauges. The 737 simulators I operate have no way of measuring brake temps after continuous braking and it is often difficult to convince a student that his braking technique on landing is too harsh with resulting hot brakes.

Visual scene availibility to see bird(s) rising from the runway and hitting an engine. Secondary availibility to have choice of a flame out or severe damage or compressor stall as the bird hits.

Ability to programme the length of a runway in order to permit practice at limiting runway length landings (suggest 4000 ft to 5500 ft for 737). The simulators I work have major airport runways never less than 7000 feet and this often results in landing speed complacency (too fast over the fence)

Wider visual scene in azimuth to enable realistic circling approaches without being forced to "cheat" by programming waypoints around a circling approach simply because you cannot see over your shoulder after passing abeam the downwind threshold.

[Flight Safety]

I agree with Tee Emm. I used to install those ancient Redifussion simulators and I think a focus on features that add to flight safety is better than focus on eye popping graphics. After all, increased flight safety with more realistic emergency training (and SOP training) for the pilots, is really the whole point of a flight simulator.

[aidey_f]

So Ask!!

This is exactly the sort of thing that needs feeding into the guys who do the program reviews during the procurement process.

If you want the brake temperatures on a readout page, ask for it at the IOS page review, the chances are it's in the code - it's a case of finding it and putting it somewhere visible. Someone will have reviewed the page set and agreed it before it got anywhere near the sim.

The same thing goes for the 3 different birdstrikes - all that sort of thing s doable, if the manufacturer is asked for it.

All these things are an iterative process, if you've not got it on your current sims and it's causing you grief, make sure you ask for it on the next one.

[ZFT]

Tee Emm,

Thanks for your input. Enhance heavy rain simulation coupled with (what we believe is) realistic wiper action with associated fading in and out at the correct wiper cycle speed and bird simulations have now been incorporated.

All your other visual comments had already been addressed.