Simulation & training

The objective of this Shared Research Program “Simulation and Training” is to develop integrated solutions to help pilots in recognizing and avoiding of challenging conditions in a simulated environment that is representative of their type-specific, operational context.

One example is to incorporate reduced oxygen breathing devices in a full flight simulator to have pilots experience the effects of hypoxia on their decision making in a mission scenario.

Although the current level of simulator technology already allows for useful pilot training, there are areas of (flight) simulation which require research and development efforts to make the simulation better representative of certain, unusual operational conditions that challenge the physiological and cognitive performance of flight crews. Such conditions include spatial disorientation, degraded visual environments (for example Brownout, night vision), upset conditions (unusual attitudes, aerodynamic stall), hypoxia, and accelerated flight (G-induced loss of consciousness, G-LOC). Because of their risk for flight safety, for example as a cause of Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) accidents, these conditions should be addressed in pilot training.

The usual approach is to train these different aspects in dedicated devices, such as a hypobaric chamber for demonstrating the effects of hypoxia, or a terrain-board to show the limitations of night vision goggles (NVG’s). Although these demonstrations are very educational, they do not teach the pilot how this affects their performance in an operational context.