Research Prospectus for the Simulator Training Research Advanced Testbed for Aviation

The cost and complexity of flight simulators has been steadily increasing, but there is little empirical evidence that even high-fidelity simulators are effective training devices. This is especially true in the case of helicopter simulators. Training system developers opt for the highest fidelity simulators available. However, in a cost-constrained environment, military training developers must weigh fidelity and training effectiveness against cost. In the absence of research data, it is difficult to determine when high-fidelity simulation is needed and when it is not. The Simulator Training Research Advanced Testbed for Aviation (STRATA) is a research simulator designed to address issues pertaining to simulator training effectiveness and the training system complexity needed to accomplish specific training objectives. It is modular and can be reconfigured to represent different training devices with different visual, motion, cockpit, and aeromodel subsystems. This report will serve as a guidance document and program planning aid for developing more specific research plans for the simulator.