Technology Marches On...
After 26 years of training thousands of pilots, the last
full-motion T-38A Talon simulators at Randolph AFB has been
retired.
The once state-of-the-art equipment is being replaced by virtual
reality trainers (below), designed to reproduce the cockpit of the
new T-38C aircraft.
Ron Hamada, now a training manager at the Air Education and
Training Command’s directorate of operations, was involved in
the installation of the first full-motion T-38A simulators in
1978.
"They were top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art systems then,"
Hamada said. "They replaced an earlier, non-motion link trainer
that lacked the desired realism."
To properly copy the aircraft, the old T-38A simulator had
cockpits for the instructor and student pilot, each equipped with
all the analog gauges and controls found in the real aircraft. The
simulator controller sat at a console about 40 feet away where he
or she observed the mission and controlled training through a
custom computer and work station. A television system in front of
each cockpit gave visual images of what would be visible outside
the cockpit.
As the mission progressed, the whole cockpit moved in response
to the program and the student's stick inputs. Hydraulic cylinders,
powered by a 75-horsepower engine and drawing from a 500-gallon oil
storage tank in another room, moved the cockpit’s platform.
Each piston was capable of quickly extending as much as 56
inches.
The complexity of the system posed many operational and
maintenance challenges, said Joe Rippke, 12th Operations Support
Squadron’s ground training flight program manager.
"When the system worked, which was most of the time, it was
great," he said. "But when the valves malfunctioned, the ride could
get wild."
The new trainers are based on virtual reality concepts. The
student is given a 180-degree image around and above the front of
the cockpit. As the student "maneuvers" the trainer, the visual
images respond graphically to what the aircraft would be doing. The
simulator operator sits behind the student and can talk over the
student's shoulder, which allows a degree of instructor-student
feedback not possible in the old system.
But the underlying reason for the change is the new trainer is
similar to the new T-38 aircraft. The new aircraft features
improved avionics and support systems, Rippke said. This
makes it closer in design to F-15E Strike Eagle, F-16 Fighting
Falcon and F/A-22 Raptor cockpits.
"A training system has to prepare the pilots for the aircraft
they'll fly," Rippke said. "The old full-motion simulators
don't present the new cockpit and, in the final analysis, the
motion part of the training environment was exciting, but wasn't
necessary to accomplish the training goals. So this is the time to
make the change."
The new trainers are a lot smaller and are controlled by a
personal computer capable of sophisticated animations to add
realism and training options. The instructor can even inject a
"wingman" into the scenario to add the challenges of formation
flying.
The cost of operating and maintaining the new equipment is much
less than the old systems, Rippke said.
The conversion to T-38C aircraft here will be completed by
August, so this is the time to install the new trainers,
Rippke said.
"We will have two operational flight trainers and one unit
training device on line and expect to keep them running 16 hours a
day to meet the student load," he said.
(ANN salutes Bob Hieronymus, 12th Flying Training Wing
Public Affairs)