A low-cost PC-based flight simulator development

Abstract

Flight simulator is a large-scale simulation system. Because of the limitation by computer powers, only special computers ever were used to realize flight dynamics simulation and image generation in full flight simulator in the past. With the development of computer powers, high-performance computation and simulation can be realized applying by PC. While the need to reduce costs in every aspects of flight simulator become very important. A PC-based prototype system was implemented according to the architecture of flight simulator featuring a generic double engine airplane. Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) software components were use to reduce costs and improve developing efficiency. The detailed process was proposed. The integrated system shows that the feasibility of design based on PC.