DESK-TOP FLIGHT SIMULATORS - SIMULATION FIDELITY AND PILOT PERFORMANCE

Improvements in the computing power and visual resolution of modern de sktop computing systems, as well as advances in software technology fo r displaying high-speed animations, have encouraged the development of relatively sophisticated real-time flight simulators for the PC and M acintosh. We review some of the factors that determine how well such p rograms capture the actual experience of flight. The most significant factor limiting the quality of performance in flying a simulated aircr aft is the ''frame rate'' problem: at low altitudes and in highly deta iled visual environments, as in approaching a runway threshold during landing, the computational demands of the animation may necessitate a reduction in the number of frames displayed per second on the screen. The delayed sensory feedback that results proves to be very detrimenta l to sustaining smooth control of the aircraft, especially during the flare to touchdown where such control is needed most. This finding par allels the well-known effects of delayed auditory feedback (Lee, 1950) and delayed visual feedback (Smith, 1962).