Using problem-based exploratory training to improve pilot understanding of autopilot functions

Previous research indicated a need to improve pilot training with regard to understanding of autopilot logic and behavior, especially in non-routine situations. Therefore, we tested the effect of problem-based exploratory training on pilots’ understanding of autopilot functions. Using a moving-base flight simulator, general aviation pilots (n...

A Procedure for Inducing the Leans Illusion in a Hexapod Motion Simulator

Ground-based demonstration of spatial disorientation (SD) has been recommended for military as well as commercial pilot training. Although the leans illusion is the most common form of SD, no data exist yet of an effective ground-based leans procedure for a hexapod simulator. In this paper we describe the development of such a procedure and its...

Eigenmode Distortion: A New Perspective on Motion Cueing Fidelity in Flight Simulation

Eigenmode distortion is a novel quantitative methodology developed to objectively evaluate motion cueing fidelity in flight simulation. It relies on an explicit coupling of linearized vehicle and Motion Cueing Algorithm dynamics. Modal analysis subsequently performed on this coupled system reveals the degree of distortion imposed by the Motion...

Leans Illusion in Hexapod Simulator Facilitates Erroneous Responses to Artificial Horizon in Airline Pilots

Objective: We tested whether a procedure in a hexapod simulator can cause incorrect assumptions of the bank angle (i.e., the “leans”) in airline pilots as well as incorrect interpretations of the attitude indicator (AI). Background: The effect of the leans on interpretation errors has previously been demonstrated in nonpilots. In-flight,...

Eigenmode Distortion Analysis for Motion Cueing Evaluation in Fixed-Wing Aircraft Simulators

The Eigenmode Distortion (EMD) analysis is a novel method for objective evaluation of simulator motion cueing fidelity, developed at Delft University of Technology. It expresses the distortions of the perceived motion cues in terms of the dynamic modes of a linear model of the vehicle and has been applied to assess rotorcraft simulations. This...

Eigenmode Distortion as a Novel Criterion for Motion Cueing Fidelity in Rotorcraft Flight Simulation

Eigenmode distortion (EMD) is a novel methodology developed to study the degradation of perceived vehicle dynamics as a result of motion cueing algorithms (MCA’s) applied in rotorcraft 2ight simulators. This paper brie2y introduces EMD and subsequently describes its application in a pilot-in-the-loop experiment conducted on the SIMONA Research...

The effect of steering-system linearity, simulator motion, and truck driving experience on steering of an articulated tractor-semitrailer combination

Steering systems of trucks consist of many linkages, which introduce nonlinearities that may negatively affect steering performance. Nowadays, it is possible to equip steering systems with actuators that provide artificial steering characteristics. However, before new steering systems are deployed in real vehicles, evaluation in a safe and...

Improved Stewart platform state estimation using inertial and actuator position measurements

Accurate and reliable estimation of the kinematic state of a six degrees-of-freedom Stewart platform is a problem of interest in various engineering disciplines. Particularly so in the area of flight simulation, where the Stewart platform is in widespread use for the generation of motion similar to that experienced in actual flight. Accurate...

Objective Inceptor Cueing Test for Control Loading Systems: Principle and Initial Design

Using iterated extended Kalman Filtering for estimation of a hexapod flight simulator motion state

The six degrees-of-freedom Stewart platform, or hexapod, is in widespread use in the flight simulation industry for the generation of motion cues that are representative of those experienced in actual flight. For closed-loop control of such motion platforms, but also to be able to objectively assess the quality of the generated simulator motion,...

Role Identification of Yaw and Sway Motion in Helicopter Yaw Control Tasks

A set of experiments has been conducted to investigate the relative effect of translational and rotational motion cues on pilot performance. Two helicopter yaw control tasks were performed on the SIMONA: a yaw capture task and a target-tracking task with simulated turbulence. The yaw capture task was a repetition of a task performed previously...

DUECA - Data-driven activation in distributed real-time computation

Experiments and flight simulation programs for a research flight simulator can be considered as a combination of real-time distributed calculation processes. Current tools and architectures for implementing these processes are complicated to use and require considerable real-time programming skills. The created programs are not sufficiently...