| I was recently reading a newspaper and found an | | | | pitch, and displacements of the plane, but |
| article about a female pilot who just passed away | | | | hydraulics were incorporated in the 60s to give a |
| by the name of Elinor Smith. She was born in | | | | more natural motion. |
| 1911 and by the age of 10, she had already | | | | In the 70s they figured out a way to make the |
| learned how to take the controls of a Curtiss | | | | visual more realistic my using a curved mirror to |
| JN-4 biplane. It made me curious about the history | | | | give a focal point in the distance. A wider angle |
| of the flight simulator and flight sim games as well | | | | was created using the Wide-angle Infinity Display |
| as their function in training pilots. | | | | Equipment to improve on distance focus. It was |
| The concept of flight simulation began in the | | | | until the late 70s that flight simulator games were |
| military during World War I where they used a | | | | developed for personal use. |
| simulator to train the fighter pilots to lead their | | | | Finally in the early 2000s, flight simulation games |
| target when firing their machine guns. Then, a | | | | became more realistic for the private user. This is |
| pneumatic device was invented which replicated | | | | due in part to augmented scenery effects |
| the motion of a plane to teach instrument flying in | | | | accomplished by utilizing the Vector Map or |
| a safe and inexpensive environment. | | | | VMAP0 which is a vector-based collection of |
| In 1941, the Celestial Navigation Trainer was | | | | geographical information about the Earth. Level 0 |
| manufactured and could accommodate a whole | | | | is used to show low-resolution coverage of roads, |
| bomber crew to simulate night flying missions. | | | | cities, lakes, hills, and other terrain which is |
| Soon after, civil aviation began developing a flight | | | | represented accurately in 10 degree chunks of |
| simulator for use with the Boeing 377 | | | | scenery. |
| Stratocruiser. It had no motion or visual effects, | | | | This type of technology would boggle the minds |
| but the cockpit was fully functional and provided | | | | of people like Elinor Smith, the Wright brothers, |
| adequate training. | | | | Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh. Looking at |
| Can you imagine if early pioneers like Elinor Smith | | | | the inside of some of today's cockpits, I am sure |
| could have had the opportunity to be trained in a | | | | they would have seemed a bit imposing, especially |
| flight simulator before climbing into the cockpit? I | | | | since some of the early aircraft didn't even really |
| am sure it would have made a difference in the | | | | have a cockpit. You had to lie on your stomach |
| ability of a pilot to be prepared for all types of | | | | to reduce the drag, and with cables attached to a |
| situations. Even though Elinor soloed at the age of | | | | harness around your hips, you controlled the |
| 15 and had her license at 16, most people would | | | | rudders by twisting the wings. |
| have been deterred by the idea of learning "on | | | | Now many crafts are controlled by computers to |
| the fly." | | | | eliminate human error. My, how things have |
| They didn't add in visual effects to the flight | | | | changed! Flight simulator games are definitely |
| simulator until the 50s, and even then they just | | | | exciting and useful, depending on whether you |
| flew a camera over the model terrain and | | | | want to be a couch pilot or train for a career in |
| displayed it to the pilot. Motion was improved in | | | | aeronautics. |
| the 50s with a system that simulated the roll, | | | | |