Brave Souls Allow J-3 Flier to Experience a 737

By Tim Kern, ANN News Editor

In March of this year, after profiling the (at the time) nearly-rebuilt Lockheed Martin Commercial Flight Training Center in Orlando (FL), I ended the article with, "Some day, I'm gonna fly one of these things..." Well, I got my chance last week.

Bill Freeman, who is the center's new manager [Captain Ed Slomka, featured in our last story, passed away late last Spring --ed.], is a veteran of flight training, having held several positions with similar responsibilities. Bill, who has significant experience in the commercial and military training and simulation industry, also maintains an Air Transport Pilot rating.

After a tour of the now beautifully-finished facility, Bill guided me to the simulator room, where three huge, "real" flight simulators lurk in semi-darkness (right), standing on their steel legs, waiting to convince one and all that they're really airplanes.

Long history...

As we approached the 15-ton+ machines, he reminded me that flight simulators have been around long enough to collect Social Security. Early sims, like those that led to the popular Link Trainer famous in WWII, had three-axis control, a panel with a few "steam gauges," and a rudimentary control system. A 'jeep,' a stub-wing 'airplane-on-a-stick,' with three-axis control that was on a trailer, and towed by a car, gave students of inventor Al Shatzel an open-air, eyes-off-the-instruments experience in the 1940s. To some good extent, they simulated the aircraft. They look primitive, but they were useful training devices, and became more-sophisticated as the needs of pilots, and the capabilities of their aircraft, expanded.

By the late 1940s and through the 1950s, a live, visual representation of terrain was available. This was achieved through the use of a television system, that was controlled from the sim's cockpit; the pilot watched a television tube, and saw what he was flying over. The terrain was built into a huge (sometimes over 100 feet long) diorama, or "map board," which depicted, in detail, the home airport and the environs. As the student flew over the terrain, a camera covered the map board below. [Actually, these were usually mounted on a wall, to save floor space --ed.]

With the refinement of motion systems, the in-cockpit experience became more realistic; with the expansion of knowledge of the physiology of flight, the sensations of motion became closer to the real thing. By the early 1980s, the current generation of flight simulators was ready for prime time. In the ensuing two decades, sims' technology hasn't slowed. Better motion is coupled to better sound, ventilation, and especially visual representations. The current state of the art, as exemplified at Lockheed Martin's facility in Orlando, has full-vision windows, wrap-around scenery, and just about everything you can think of, to convince the student that he's in a real airplane. One huge behind-the-scenes change has taken place since the early 1980s: now, even these sims are driven by PC-size computers.

The Center

Since ANN's visit last March, the latest sim, the 737-800 Next Generation has joined the 737-300 with EFIS, as the newest on-line Level D sim in the facility. Bill Freeman (above) explained, "Level D simulators can replicate everything the pilot could experience, from push-back to shut-down. Every normal procedure, every abnormal procedure..."

Tech genius Mark Kaetzel [with Mr Freeman, right; his actual title is Technical Operations Manager --ed.] recently walked the B737-300 through its first FAA re-certification without a single squawk. "We have over 100 abnormal and emergency events we can throw at you," he said, "from a blown tire, to an engine failure on takeoff, to all kinds of weather." (I just prayed for a clear, calm flight, where all systems worked perfectly.)

The next sim to come fully on line will be an Airbus A320, which will start flying on December 3. Students are already booked, for that first week in December.

There's 50,000 square feet of training space available, including a "parallel site" where three more Level D sims will find homes, as market conditions dictate.

The Lockheed Martin facility currently caters mostly to airlines based in the Americas. "Over 80% of the airlines have fewer than 10 aircraft," Freeman told me. The Lockheed Martin facility specializes in training for the airlines that simply can't justify the cost of in-house simulators or large carriers who have sim requirements that cannot be met in-house. "We run this center 24/7," he said. "When the market [for commercial pilot training] does turn, it's going to turn quickly, and dramatically." Not only will there be the usual transitional pilots to train; added to their number will be a lot of today's furloughed pilots, getting current again.

He's ready for that. "Lockheed Martin is in the commercial training business: our doors are open, and we're ready to go."

That claim of "24/7" isn't idle, either. While most airlines run less than half this much "up" time, the 737 NG sim recently logged its first 20-hour day...

In addition to the sims themselves, too, are six classrooms, two Flight Training Device rooms (where cockpit familiarization can be practiced, thus keeping the sims "flying" more hours), and six briefing rooms.

Why Orlando?

"Orlando is the 'center of the universe' for flight training and simulation," Freeman said. "The Governor [Jeb Bush] calls it one of Florida's critical industries." Orlando is a logical hub, too, as the technology of simulation converges with the technology of full-immersion entertainment. Orlando is a great place to train, too -- the roughly ten days most transition pilots spend there, getting their ratings, give their families nearly enough time to scope out the attractions within an hour and a half's easy drive, from Cape Canaveral on the Atlantic coast to Busch Gardens in Tampa, on the Gulf; and, of course, there are major entertainment meccas right there in the Orlando area, too -- Disney World, Sea World, Universal Studios, the world's largest McDonald's...

Students

Lockheed Martin is looking ahead, when it comes to flight training, too. "We're looking at how best to train pilots and maintainers for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter," said Mike Mulleavey, manager of media relations. "The thing you need to remember is, they're in fifth grade right now." For now, though, there's quite a bit of transitional training for turboprop ATPs who are going to start flying the 737s and A320.

Into the Sim

OK -- I had had enough coffee, a tour, and some background. It was time to climb the proverbial '13 steps' into the simulator.

The 737-300 (farthest from the camera; the A320 is in the middle, and the 737-800 NG is in the foreground) was available, and Mark Kaetzel had everything preflighted and ready to go. After a short briefing, Freeman had me release the brakes for push-back, from our gate at MIA (Miami, FL). Within about five seconds, my brain thought we were in a real airplane, and I soon wished I hadn't been up so late the night before. This was going to be intense...

The 737 doesn't steer with the rudder pedals while on the ground. Like most big ships, it's controlled with a little half-steering-wheel, mounted on the left side of the cockpit wall, in front of the pilot's left knee. This tiller can turn the airliner pretty sharply, I soon found out, as we taxied to the runway. Mercifully, Freeman, in the right seat, had picked up the mic in his right hand (and taken a grip on the throttles with his left), and was coordinating with Ground Control; and Mr. Kaetzel, behind me, had cleared any traffic from within range of us.

My first impression was that this is a BIG airplane. [It's been seven years since I've flown anything bigger than a 182; and the largest airplane I've ever flown was a Hunting Pembroke, about 8000 pounds empty, if memory serves --TK.] Furthermore, you're 'way out in front of the yaw (and pitch) centers, so actions along those axes are exaggerated in the cockpit. Add to that, the fact that there's a lot of momentum inherent in any motion, and you might begin to feel sympathy for my "passengers."

We lined up, and, since I have exactly zero jet experience, Freeman wisely continued to run the throttles, as I did my best to remember to steer, and to rotate at 130kts. By carefully running the trim the wrong direction, and over-correcting wherever possible, I managed to stay well behind the airplane, and pretty much exhaust myself in short order. Within a few minutes, we were heading back to the airport. Even with my co-pilot running throttles, flaps, and gear, I was having trouble getting this machine into position for landing. When I finally did, everything was OK -- except I was going to land about 2/3 of the way down the runway.

The "missed approach" was handled in a wonderful way: Mark simply set us up for another approach, a little farther out, and set the autopilot. I knew that, barring those "abnormal conditions," I'd best let 'George' fly the machine as far in as my pride would allow; and by this time, my pride allowed George plenty of PIC time. Thus, the landing wasn't bad, even when Mark introduced a mild puff of a breeze, which he kindly termed, "turbulence," near the end of the approach.

But, for real pilots...

For those who already know how to fly airplanes that weigh more than their cars, it was easy to tell that the experience is unparalleled. Even in the short flight I took, my airmanship, such as it was, ramped up; and it was obvious (at least to me) that, in a relatively short time, I could improve to a less-embarrassing level.

Obviously, this isn't a primary trainer; it isn't supposed to be. For those who fit the profile, it's a better way to learn than in the real cockpit: any combination of abnormal events can be practiced, in any combination; replays and reviews are available; time-consuming, routine tasks can be minimized or eliminated; and your passengers won't write nasty letters to management.

FMI: www.lockheedmartin.com/lmis