RESPONSE OF AIRLINE PILOTS TO VARIATIONS IN FLIGHT SIMULATOR MOTION ALGORITHMS

We have attempted to quantify the perceptions of airline pilots about the quality of motion possible when a number of different motion-drive algorithms are tested on a simulator employing a state-of-the-art six-degrees-of-freedom motion-base. Four broad categories of algorithms were tested: classical washout, optimal control, coordinated adaptive, and no-motion. It was found that although there was little impact of algorithm type on performance and control activity, there was a definite effect on how the pilots perceived the simulation environment. Based on these findings, it appears that the coordinated adaptive algorithm is generally preferred by the pilots over the other algorithms tested.