Assessment of the Fidelity of Dynamic Flight Simulators

Abstract

The evaluation of dynamic flight simulators is considered from the standpoint of the efficiency and validity of the currently used pilot evaluations and assessment techniques. A set of requirements for an ideal fidelity measurement technique is presented, followed by a comparison of the two general approaches to fidelity measurement, the analytic and the empirical, with reference to those requirements. A hybrid method which involves the use of pilot psychomotor responses rather than verbal responses is introduced. This technique retains the subjective characteristic of rating scales, but provides information of an analytic nature that is more amenable to engineering analyses. Problems involved in the development of the technique are considered.