History of In-Flight Simulationat General Dynamics

Abstract

General Dynamics‐Advanced Information Systems (GDAIS) (formerly Veridian) has been the primary innovator, developer, and operator of in-flight simulators in the United States, as well as the rest of the world, since 1947. Though other agencies and countries have developed their own in-flight simulators, the focus is on GDAIS accomplishments in this field. In-flight simulation puts the pilot in the real flight environment and has been used in the development of new aircraft, research of flying qualities and flight-control systems, and training of pilots and engineers in these areas. More recent uses have been in the field of display systems and as avionics test beds. Early technologies that led to the development of variable stability aircraft and their earlier applications, are described first, followed by GDAIS’s history in the development and utilization of in-flight simulation, starting in 1949 with the first flight of the F4U-5 and its auxiliary rudder surface, up to the present with the five-degree-of-freedom F-16 Variable Stability In-Flight Simulator and Test Aircraft. Specific case studies are presented that describe the development and distinctive features of each of the GDAIS in-flight simulators and some of the more significant applications of these unique tools are highlighted.