Development of a Full-Flight Simulator for Ab-initio Flight Training with Emphasis on Hardware and Motion Integration

As commercially-available flight simulators are tailored mostly for commercial airlines, there is currently a lack of low-cost, type-specific, high-fidelity aircraft simulators for introductory flight training. A project was undertaken by the Carleton University Applied Dynamics Laboratory to assess the feasibility of developing a viable economical alternative to the currently-available small aircraft flight training devices, thereby providing a supplementary means of training that could be available to small flight schools. Following completion of the prototype, an assessment of the simulator determined that despite a few deficiencies that could be circumvented, development of a low-cost, type-specific, high-fidelity aircraft simulator for ab-initio flight training is feasible.