[HN Gopher] A working flight simulator, no computers necessary [...
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A working flight simulator, no computers necessary [video]
 
Author : sohkamyung
Score  : 105 points
Date   : 2022-07-05 09:58 UTC (13 hours ago)
 
web link (www.youtube.com)
w3m dump (www.youtube.com)
 
| sithadmin wrote:
| My father used to work at Link (Singer at the time, technically)
| and later CAE-Link. His office had a 'Blue Box' trainer in the
| lobby. It was supposed to be a museum piece, but his management
| was known to look the other way when employees brought their kids
| in after hours or on the weekend to sit in the trainer. Kid 'ride
| alongs' in the motion base simulators on site weren't officially
| condoned, but happened a lot too.
| 
| Didn't realize how lucky I was to have such experiences until
| much later in life.
 
| bgribble wrote:
| As a schoolkid in 1970's Lubbock, TX we got to visit Reese AFB
| where they did jet training on the T37 and T38. The simulator
| room had a set of enormous landscape dioramas, my recollection is
| that they were something like 20 feet by 20 feet. The simulator
| would "fly" a camera over the diorama. There was a cockpit on
| hydraulic actuators. I don't remember what the display looked
| like (or even if I got to see it), but I do remember those huge
| dioramas and thinking how funny it would be if you "crashed" into
| a spiderweb on the simulator :)
 
  | CmdrKrool wrote:
  | Thread of pilots reminiscing about these simulators including
  | common japes of putting spiders or kids' toys on the landscape.
  | Don't miss post #4 for a cool video:
  | 
  | https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/499352-military-fli...
 
  | KineticLensman wrote:
  | The Lunar Module simulator used by Apollo astronauts used a
  | similar technique.
 
| daly wrote:
| I gave my friend an hour in the link trainer for his retirement.
| He tried to take off, enter the approach, and land. 45 minutes
| later he failed. When he stepped out of the trainer he had sweat
| so much he looked like he took a shower.
| 
| I got a turn after him. Just a simple task, take off, enter the
| approach, and "follow the needles" back to the runway. I managed
| to get it down on the grass parallel to the runway. I also looked
| like I had taken a shower.
| 
| The wild part is that (a) it feels REAL and (b) they added
| weather while I was flying.
| 
| I want one of these at home.
 
  | capableweb wrote:
  | How do you "follow the needles" when the machine has no screens
  | and I guess all you have is communication is with a person
  | outside the machine who tells you where you are? Normally,
  | you'd have a visual on the runway when you land, so I can
  | understand its much more difficult when you're sitting in a
  | dark box with someone just instructing you what to do. Flying
  | by instrument is really really hard, especially if you have
  | zero training.
  | 
  | > they added weather while I was flying
  | 
  | This I don't understand, like they spray water on you when
  | you're in the cockpit or how was this implemented?
 
    | monkeywork wrote:
    | Adding weather is likely extra wind and reduced "visual" to
    | the ground
 
      | capableweb wrote:
      | > reduced "visual" to the ground
      | 
      | But there is no "visual" in the first place in the "Link
      | Trainer".
      | 
      | You mean that the gauges start showing false/modified
      | values than what they really should? Or that the outside
      | instructor fuddles with the instructions they give you?
 
  | pengaru wrote:
  | Does the blue box have any ventilation? The video makes it look
  | like a hot box.
 
  | deelowe wrote:
  | Tom said all of the gauges are non-functional. That would seem
  | impossible. Not sure what the point is without them except as a
  | mechanical curiosity.
 
    | NovemberWhiskey wrote:
    | Yes, it's sadly quite pointless without.
 
| jacobkg wrote:
| I couldn't tell from the video, what do you see inside the link?
| Just the gauges? Is the idea to simulate flying in total darkness
| or cloud cover?
 
  | NovemberWhiskey wrote:
  | When it was working, it apparently had your typical six-pack of
  | steam gauges.
  | 
  | The one that the Youtuber was looking at had all the gauges
  | removed because they had radium paint; honestly, without the
  | gauges it's really only a good demonstrator of how it's
  | completely futile to try to fly a plane without visual cues or
  | instruments due to somatogyral and somatogravic illusions of
  | the vestibular system.
 
  | skybrian wrote:
  | Yes, this kind of training is for flying by instrument, which
  | is quite hard. That's why they needed simulators.
  | 
  | When I was taking flying lessons, for one session the
  | instructor had me wear a visor so I could only see the
  | instrument panel for a while, and then try holding a course. I
  | believe it's mostly just to demonstrate that you shouldn't try
  | it until you're trained for it.
 
| griffinkelly wrote:
| There's one of these in Cleveland at the Air & Space Museum
 
| sokoloff wrote:
| For FAA pilots, I can heartily recommend ATOP for an airline
| 2-day intro, including sim time.
| 
| I did the 737 course when it was at United and it was some of the
| best fun/interest per dollar and hour.
| 
| http://www.atopjets.com/ (no affiliation other than long-ago
| satisfied customer)
 
| nodesocket wrote:
| I've been playing a lot of flight simulator 2020 lately. Besides
| it looking absolutely amazing with photo realistic terrain,
| scenery, and water it is very detailed and accurate.
| 
| So much so, that I would feel comfortable if in a pinch,
| attempting landing a handful of the planes I have been flying in
| FS. Full disclosure, I also do have around 4 hours logged with an
| instructor as well so it's not like I have zero real-life flight
| experience.
 
| lsh123 wrote:
| Just to clarify, this is an instrument flight training device,
| not a primary trainer. The benefit of moving the trainer as pilot
| moves controls is to recreate similar illusions to the ones found
| when flying in instrument conditions and teach the pilot to rely
| on instruments instead of the pilot's senses.
 
| eurasiantiger wrote:
| An analog computer is still a computer :)
 
  | kwhitefoot wrote:
  | Not in the modern sense of a programmable device that can
  | straightforwardly solve logic problems.
 
    | TylerE wrote:
    | Is this really that different from a niche ASIC board or
    | something?
 
    | EvanAnderson wrote:
    | All computers compute but not all computers are general
    | purpose.
 
| marcodiego wrote:
| Why it spins continually?
 
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(page generated 2022-07-05 23:00 UTC)