An Enumeration of Research to Determine the Optimal Design and Use of Army Flight Training Simulators

This document lists and describes research the authors judged necessary to determine the optimal design and use of Army flight training simulators. Two major lines of research are described; the first addresses the design fidelity issue. Specifically, research is described that is judged necessary to determine the most cost- and training-effective level of fidelity for four simulator components: the visual system, the motion systems, the math models that determine the handling qualities of the flight simulator, and the cockpit displays and controls. The purpose of the second line of research is to determine how best to use production simulators that have been or are soon to be acquired by the Army. This line of research focuses primarily on the use of production simulators for field unit aviators who have completed institutional training and have been assigned to an operational field unit. However, the second line of research addresses some issues associated with the use of flight simulators for institutional training at the U.S. Army Aviation Center received before the aviator's first assignment to an operational unit. Keywords: Army flight simulator research requirements, Helicopter pilot training, Transfer of training, Backward transfer, Training device, Training effectiveness assessment.