Down the Wormhole of Flight Simulators
A Brief History of Flight Simulators What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of flight simulators? There are plenty of good historical markers to consider. My first encounter with a flight simulator was PC gaming. But flight simulators were around a lot longer than PC games, and doing a lot more than entertaining bored 12-year-olds.
Here is a brief look back at flight simulators and the more interesting uses made of them:
The First Flight Simulator Ask an avid gamer about the very first flight simulator, and they will probably point to 1980 or 79. But ask an airplane enthusiast and they will cite a date many decades prior. They might even go as far back as 1910, though this might be pushing the definition of flight simulator even for airplane enthusiasts. At least one definition I found restricts it to a system using computer graphics to simulate a pilot’s view. But such a limited definition confines fight simulation to computers running high-end graphics.
That ignores the history of ingenious methods early pilots used to learn, and train others how to fly without actually taking flight. They were finding ways to simulate flight using heavily modified planes and interesting techniques. These early pioneers deserve to be in the flight simulator discussion. One of those early simulators was called the Sanders Teacher. It was built from parts that could actually be used in the construction of an actual aircraft. It was tethered to the ground, yet could respond to aerodynamic forces. According to the National Center for Simulation, it:
was really an aircraft mounted on a universal joint in an exposed position and facing into the prevailing wind. In this way it was able to respond in attitude to the aileron, elevator and rudder controls as would an actual aeroplane of the type.
Flight Sims go digital
Bruce Artwick invented the modern flight simulator in the mid-1970s. It was the product of two passions: flying and computers, coming together. He formed a company called SubLOGIC, and introduced the first consumer version of his thesis project in 1980. It was an Apple phenomenon, quickly becoming the best-selling software for the Apple computer. It wouldn’t be until 1982 before there was a Microsoft version of the software. Almost lost to history is the fact that this innovative software did not go to Microsoft until after its success had been established with Apple.
But make no mistake about it, Flight Simulator found even greater success on the Microsoft platform, entering into the Guinness Book of Records with 21 million copies sold. While all that is interesting, the real success story of this program is that it made the leap into the real world, from gaming to flight training. The military uses it to train pilots. It is so accurate, it is useful for teaching ordinary people what it is like to fly. If you are interested in getting a feel for the controls, sites like www.pilotmall.com provide you with everything you need to get started.
The past and present collide
When the mechanical past of flight simulators meets the digital present, the sky is no longer the limit. In 2012, Texas A&M took possession of NASA’s SMS. I’m not talking about their text messaging account, but their Shuttle Motion Simulator. After the shuttle program was shuttered, the SMS was out of a job. Texas A&M gave it a new home and a new leas on life. It is a piece of living history that is fully functional, and available to the public.
This technology is a fusion of the mechanical ingenuity that gave birth to the Sanders Teacher, and Bruce Artwick’s Flight Simulator. These technologies and techniques are being used to teach people how to fly space ships. The training simulator depicted in Star Trek II wasn’t much more advanced from what we have today. The next time you simulate a flight between San Francisco and LA, consider that the pilots overhead probably did the same thing in the course of their training
