Flying From the Ground

But then the unexpected happened. 

At a mere 200 feet above the runway, the first signs of trouble emerged. The EICAS (Engine-Indicating Crew Alerting System) flashed a chilling message: Fire No. 2 Engine. The No. 2 engine began to spool down, and the engine fire switch was activated, but the situation was far from under control. Shortly thereafter, the No. 1 engine followed suit, and the cockpit was filled with a cacophony of alarms. The captain’s calm demeanor was replaced with a sense of urgency and dread. 

What started out as a routine flight was now anything but. Another EICAS message indicated a loss of hydraulic pressure. Multiple visual and audio alarms presented an overwhelming presence in the cockpit. Beads of sweat were now forming on the captain’s brow. His palms were damp and clammy, his heart rate increased. The startle factor will do that to an otherwise calm, capable pilot. Remember the basics now and survive this unimaginable emergency.

Aviate, navigate, and communicate. 

Then, as suddenly as the emergency started, the scenario stopped. The image froze on the high-resolution “windscreen.” The flight motion stopped, and this Level D flight simulator session came to an abrupt halt, courtesy of the instructor pilot running the show. 

As an ATP pilot flying for a major Part 121 carrier, recurrent training in one of its flight simulators is a regular part of the job. Setting up scenarios that could occur in a real flight that could not be trained for in a real airplane due to the danger associated with the different emergency scenarios is just one of the benefits of modern commercial flight simulators.

But how do these simulators re-create the sights, sounds, and visuals of an actual aircraft in distress? With acquisition costs up to $20 million for a full-motion simulator and an operating cost approaching $600 per hour, add some good old-fashioned American know-how, along with technology that has improved over the decades, and you have the recipe for safe pilot training using the latest and greatest flight simulators. With an ability to replicate the most realistic flight characteristics of almost any aircraft, including the aforementioned B-737, the sweat on the brow is almost assured during these emergency training sessions.

But it wasn’t always that way.

Before the advent of ground-based simulators, pilots in various stages of training were subjected to simulated emergencies in the aircraft that unfortunately turned into real emergencies. Regrettably, even with a proliferation of flight simulators, we still see some occurrences of this in accident reports that would point to a live training scenario gone bad. Think of instructors who perform a simulated engine failure in a twin-engine airplane (commonly referred to as a “V₁ cut”) on takeoff at a speed that does not allow an adequate margin of safety. This certainly is a scenario that can be accomplished in most flight simulators without any risk whatsoever. However, when you move the training location from sim to airplane, the level of risk increases many times over, with tragic results potentially occurring in the process. 

Fortunately, in the early 1930s Ed Link thought of a better and safer way to train new pilots in instrument flying as they prepared for their sorties in World War II. After taking flying lessons in 1920, Link used his experience from the family’s piano and organ factory to experiment with pneumatic systems from a player piano to initially develop a message center display for advertising messages on lower wing surfaces of aircraft. This morphed into similar controls for what would become the Link Trainer, described by the National Aviation Hall of Fame as a “fuselage-like device with a cockpit and controls that produced the motions and sensations of flying.”

This was the dawn of flight simulators as we now know them.

Like many new technologies, the trickle-down effect eventually occurs, bringing affordability and similar capabilities, albeit not as comprehensive as a Level D flight simulator found at airline training facilities, to the masses.

Flight simulators for home and flight school use start at $3,000 for a desktop, nonmotion version and go up to $250,000 and beyond for a full-motion, enclosed simulator. Still, it is not a price approaching the $20 million level like the Boeing 737 simulators, but it’s not pocket change either (unless you have some pretty deep pockets).

With the advent of affordable simulators for individual and general aviation flight school use from companies like Austin, Texas-based Redbird Flight Simulations, one might wonder what other technologies the future will hold. The answer is in the news almost daily—artificial intelligence. 

“Implementing new [AI] tech that enhances realism without detracting from the current platform is being researched and developed…,” said Ethan Willinger, Redbird’s director of marketing. Willinger pointed out that this may include developing a way to blend the real and virtual worlds, resulting in a truly immersive experience.

If history and current technology are any indication, we will see some impressive enhancements to flight simulator hardware and the related software that drives the systems in the not-too-distant future.

A trip to the Washington, D.C., area to visit to the aptly named Dream Aero will place you into the cockpit of a full-motion simulator with realistic visuals, where you can experience what commercial airline pilots do in training as you take the controls and fly its Boeing 737NG passenger jet simulator.

“Simulators are so realistic and lifelike that pilots can obtain their license to fly a specific jet, called a type rating, without ever flying the actual real airplane,” said John Adams, instructor pilot for Dream Aero. “It is a realistic experience, [and] all training can be completed in an FAA-approved simulator.”

While the Dream Aero simulator is not FAA-approved for training, the experience will leave your palms sweating as you navigate the controls and attempt your first landing at any airport with a runway length that will accommodate a Boeing 737. 

Or maybe you would like to take the controls of harrowing US Airways Flight 1549, commonly known as the “Miracle on the Hudson” on January 15, 2009, and replicate it in the Dream Aero simulator to see if you could match Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger’s flawless execution of an emergency landing on the Hudson River. If you are not as successful as Sully, don’t be discouraged. Most aren’t, including experienced jet pilots with thousands of flight hours.

Although not utilized for pilot training, a different type of flying simulator can be found at high-end amusement parks worldwide. Those include “Flying Theaters,” such as the Sky Voyager simulator ride located at Dreamworld in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

These flying simulators have riders strapped in the “vehicle,” where they move in synchronization for each scene displayed on the immersive, high-resolution screens surrounding the riders. The 4D aspect includes wind blown on the rider, water sprayed when the ride nears scenes with it, and scented smells throughout that correspond to the rider’s view of the scene.

Prior iterations of flying simulators include Back to the Future: The Ride at several Universal Destinations and Experiences, including Orlando, Florida. There are not many of these in existence, as the cost to build and deploy these sophisticated flying simulators can exceed $40 million each. But after riding in one of these immersive simulators, you can appreciate the investment required to bring it to life.

Why all the hoopla over flight simulators? It’s quite simple. Commercial flight simulators make pilots better and more prepared for emergency situations. They simply make flying safer.

In addition, the operating cost of flight simulators is less expensive than starting up a real airplane. After all, no fuel (other than some electricity) is consumed when you use a flight simulator, so the hourly operating cost represents a fraction of that of an airplane. Plus, it’s not uncommon for training academies to operate their simulators around the clock, making efficient use of the equipment and providing more availability for trainees.

Whether you are a general aviation pilot who would like to hone your skills, a commercial pilot looking for recurrent training, or perhaps a Part 121 airline pilot who will be completing your line checks or type ratings as needed, there is no better and safer way to practice those scenarios you hope never occur in your aircraft. But if they do, your repetitive emergency practice from your flight simulator time will transfer as muscle memory in the aircraft, making you better prepared to handle anything that comes your way.

Now dry those palms, wipe that brow, and go fly a simulator.