Is Motion Needed in Flight Simulators Used for Training?

Abstract

Although flight training curricula demand that pilots learn to disregard bodily sensations of motion, aircraft motion can be an important source of information to pilots, and sometimes can also degrade pilot performance. Considerable evidence is adduced that motion in flight simulators produces significant training benefits, but there is a scarcity of data on the consequences of different degrees or methods of motion simulation. To produce the sensation of miles of aircraft motion with a few feet of simulator motion requires consideration of various aspects of human sensitivity to motion. Some of the complications in obtaining motion-threshold data are discussed, and two illustrations of the utilization of these data in optimizing motion simulation are given.