“Several of our members,” stated the VFS experts, “are working on developing high-fidelity models which may run in X-Plane or other simulation software and could conceivably be qualified up to a Level D simulator.” Similarly, a simulator could be close to a Level 6 or Level 7 FTD using X-Plane with a specific cockpit and a high-level visual system. They point to VRM’s FTD, which uses Aerofly FS2 as their simulation engine and could conceivably be considered a “Level C” FFS if the visual system is found to be equivalent to a dome system. VFS experts noted, for example, that an aerodynamic model in X-Plane used in an FTD could result in the FTD qualifying for L6 or above. Rather, certification levels boil down to four aspects: visual system, motion cues, aerodynamics and flight controls. “If it does, it will provide misleading, incorrect, and dangerous results, especially where the models are pushed, in crash or edge case scenarios and through cascading or simultaneous faults.”įor their part, experts at the Vertical Flight Society (VFS), a non-profit international technical group supporting the advancement of vertical flight, stressed that the actual software used has no bearing on the level of certification received for an aviation training device/flight training device (FTD), or full flight simulator (FFS). “While X-Plane is fantastic for what it does - which includes FAA Level 5 simulation that is not aircraft-specific and no motion or visual system is required - and can be used for general aircraft development and pilot (human or machine) training and certification, it cannot and should not be used for any critical aircraft- or pilot-specific and critical development, training, or certification,” he said. He said the architectures and modeling approaches of these systems don’t have proper real-time capabilities nor fidelity, especially relative to flight models. Higher numbers and letters further in the alphabet are more advanced.)ĭeKort is concerned that X-Plane and similar systems are being used in the eVTOL sector for Level 6 applications. Level 6 is for specific aircraft.” He added that “the jump to L6 is massive.” (Note that numbered certification levels refer to simulators without motion, and lettered ones refer to those with motion. “Level 5 allows for generic cockpit familiarization and flight training. “For pilot training, the significant departure point is between Levels 5 and 6,” he said. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 60, a document that describes what types of simulation models are appropriate for what purposes. DeKort advises businesses on development and verification of autonomous vehicles and drones through the use of simulation technology and sensor modeling.ĭeKort first pointed to the U.S. VertX was formed by three firms to establish Europe’s first approved eVTOL pilot training organization.Īt the same time, however, Michael DeKort, founder of Pittsburg-based consulting firm Dactle, is quite concerned about how some are planning to use simulators in eVTOL pilot training. As those at VertX Aero of Ireland has stated, “all the latest digital flight training aids should be incorporated into the official training footprint” in order to train enough eVTOL pilots in a timely manner. There are concerns that some simulators are being used inappropriately to develop eVTOL pilot training schemes - but it’s clear that with a critical shortage of pilots expected in the years to come, simulators have an absolutely essential role to play. ![]() The company has partnered with CAE to develop eVTOL pilot training simulation products. Volocopter test pilot Damian Hischier at the controls of one of the company’s eVTOL prototypes. When published a recent story about pilot certification and training, we were asked to take a look at the use of simulators, a type of training mentioned in the story but not explored.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |