Computer-Aided Assessment of Flight Simulator Fidelity

A technique for computer-aided assessment of e ight simulator e delity is presented. The assessment procedure utilizes a mathematical model of the human pilot that includes proprioceptive, visual, and vestibular cues. The quality ofthelattertwo cuescanbevariedtocapturetheeffectsofe ightsimulatorlimitationsassociatedwithvisual and motion cueing. A MATLAB ® -based tool that automatesthe selection of the majority of parameters in the pilot model and the generation of a e delity metric is described. In addition, a prediction of the task-dependent handling qualities of the nominal e ight vehicle can be obtained. The assessment procedure is exercised in a hypothetical example involving the six-degree-of-freedom control of a rotorcraft completing a vertical remask maneuver. It is demonstrated that by varying the quality of the visual and vestibular cues in the pilot/vehicle model the effects of simulator limitations upon e delity can be systematically addressed.