Not Quite Flight

Head in the clouds, feet on the ground

The power of preparation is a familiar theme in aviation. The hours of work undertaken on the ground can greatly improve the quality of the flight hours that are logged. While there are many aspects of preparation, the flight simulator has evolved over the decades to provide a critical component in the training environment. Its use being not only cost-effective but able to prepare pilots for a host of situations that they hopefully will never have to face in the air.

Seeds of learning

As far back as the early 1900s, flight simulation came into being. An early French simulator placed the student pilot in a specially designed barrel. The instructor would fundamentally position the barrel about its axes and the student would have to correct the barrel back to level flight. This was followed by other various mockups to train fledgling pilots until a major leap forward came in the late 1920s with the emergence of the veritable Link Trainer, although it would be a few years before its value was truly appreciated.