New Simulators For QF

[Hugh Jarse]

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i6/HugeArse/File0070.jpg
:}

[Chimbu chuckles]

Hah...I remember going to a sim session with my father back in the early 70s...707 sim that is.

The little camera zipping over the diarama was fascinating...and leading edge technology at the time...kinda think it must have somewhat limited the scenarios though.

[4Greens]

You want to try the Link trainer - still in use in 1967!

[Pass-A-Frozo]

I reckon what is funny is doing a military pilot co-ordination test, and finding out over a cup of tea with Grand-dad that he did the same test during WWII. :}

[Chimbu chuckles]

4Gs....the school at YSBK where I learnt to fly was still using a Link in the early 80s...did all my NVMC ADF tracking stuff in one....complete with the big glass table and ink wheel...shedloads of fun.:}

[404 Titan]

Chimbu chuckles

That wouldn’t happen to be a certain Cessna Pilot Centre by the name of Rex Aviation/Skywise Aviation. I learnt to fly there in the mid 80’s and used the same Link trainer for ADF, VOR tracking and NVFR.

[Chimbu chuckles]

Yup...that be the one....seem to remember one Paul hardy (rip) was my tormentor:ok:

[Taildragger67]

You want to try the Link trainer - still in use in 1967!

Certain AIRTC flight at a school which has produced several line and mil pilots around the traps was proud of its Link when I left in the mid-'80s and I'm told the thing soldiered on for some years to come! Mind you, the little wings and tail had long since been removed.

[ur2]

Yep, Did the same thing at Rex in the mid / late 70's. "The Shark" was one of my instructors then. :}

[Cloud Cutter]

Fascinating!

Can someone please explain how the things actually worked back then, for those of us from the video game and PC generation. :O

Even better, what were they like to operate? Cheers.

[Chimbu chuckles]

I assume you are asking about the Link?

In my view probably the best 'GA Simulator' ever...and I have used virtually all the typical GA 'sims' from the GAT 1 to ones for Beech 350 and 1900 'sims'....and now spend 10-12 hours every 6 mths in a level D 767 sim.

They all, with the obvious exception of the Level D sims, fall short in my view in terms of producing good basic IFR skills and promoting a scan....because they all sit flat on the floor, don't move and the 'graphics' are just a couple of TV screens...too much like a computer game.

The Link moves around all three axis and your track over the ground is recorded on a huge glass table by an ink wheel....you can even spin them and recover on instruments...looks hillarious from the outside as the Link goes from full nose up, flops full nose down banked over one way and spins around like a spastic kids toy:}

The Link itself is like a single seat fighter cockpit with a solid sliding canopy...so you cannot cheat. Once slid shut you are competely locked away from the world and have a complete set of controls and instruments...and a recorded 'aeroplane engine' noise that responds to throttle position. Of course you wear a headset so the instructor can offer such encouraging comments as,

"what is your relative bearing from the NDB?"

"What is your drift?"

"Intercept 245 to the aid and track that bearing to the aid"

"Where are you in relation to the NDB?"

"Ok yes you're inbound on the 245 bearing at 20 DME....what is your ground speed...now track to a point at 10 DME on the 180 bearing and take up a left hand holding pattern"

There was no GS readout on the old Van 5/8 DME you needed to note distance travelled in 36 seconds and multiply the result by 100. I cannot remember how to calculate a heading to go from 20 miles on the 245 radial to 10 on the 180 radial but believe it or not it is possible and once upon a time I could do it:{

And the one comment you heard all to often in the early efforts was,

"And where the **** do you think you're going now?":E

The motion is such that unless you develope a gentle touch and a really good scan you will make yourself VERY sick VERY quickly:} In fact part of the ambience inside was a mixture of hot electrical smells, the smell of old leather and Bakelite switches, stale sweat and a vague lingering smell of vomit.:uhoh:

When you are finally let sweating from the box you can view your tracking accuracy via the lines the ink wheel left on the glass...and can see perfectly whether you allowed for wind correctly in your tracking, approaches and holding patterns....usually viewing the plotting table was a truly humbling experience...but you did improve...and sweated buckets in the process.

The only sims that have ever come close to the same level of workout as the Link, for me at least, are the level D sims I use now.

They were bloody fantastic.:ok:

[tlf]

was proud of its Link when I left in the mid-'80s and I'm told the thing soldiered on for some years to come! Mind you, the little wings and tail had long since been removed.


Excessive speed used perhaps?
:)

[tinpis]

Wasnt there still a Link trainer at Ansett Tulla in the 80's with the 727 and F27 proceedures trainers? :}

[mangatete]

It is still there mounted in the main entrance way.

[dodgybrothers]

it even has the wings and tail still attached. You see, Ansett operated their aircraft as per sops so no exceedences therefore all surfaces still intact!

[tinpis]

:hmm: now really testin me memory..... wasnt there one also in the old terminal at Brizvegas?

[No Mate!]

The graphics on flight simulators, what do you think?

[ZFT]

For those who of you who are too young here are a few pics.

Ed Link, the designer. An interior view and a view of the navigation table showing the crab.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a154/ZFT/EdLink3.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a154/ZFT/link_1.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a154/ZFT/Link.jpg

[Cloud Cutter]

That's awesome! Doesn't Ed look proud. What year did he roll it out?

[Led Zep]

What a nifty piece or machinery! :)
If only could have done my IR in such a thing. Looks like everything you need and nothing you don't.

[Hugh Jarse]

From Memory, this one was built in the 80's. Who remembers this one? :}
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i6/HugeArse/PC100641b.jpg

[Keg]

Remember it? Blimey, I remember going into QF many occasions in the two years, three months and twenty one days between 'graduation' and starting at QF and 'flying' the thing. It was always a strange thing to fly. Slippery as all get out until you got on the wrong side of the drag curve and then it sank like a lead balloon and needed oodles of power to recover from what appeared like a death dive.

Fun and games! :}

[Mr.Buzzy]

Is Ken still teaching in the ex-AN link at Essendon?

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[ZFT]

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a154/ZFT/ed3-1.jpgThat's awesome! Doesn't Ed look proud. What year did he roll it out?
Here's Ed in 1929 when he launched the trainer. Just a pity it took another 6 years and too many deaths before the US Army Air Corp finally ordered them.

[TheNightOwl]

Chimbu Chuckles,

Before leaving the UK for Oz, in 1983, I spent 22 years in the RAF as a Simulator Technician, and have a deal of experience in them with the visual models close to what you describe.

Ours, Jaguar and Harrier from my experience, used the flat-bed models in three scales, 2000:2 for the airfield models, 4000:1 for the Weapon-delivery models and 20,000:1 for the Terrain models.

My first sim, Phantom, had models on an A-frame with the camera tracking over them, but were very unreliable. The main computer was booted from a cassette tape, a quantum leap from the "old" days of eight-hole paper tape!!

I have a few photos of the Jaguar models, but absolutely NO idea how to get them on here, would anyone be interested in advising?

Best regards,

TheNightOwl.

[Chimbu chuckles]

email em to me, I'll PM my email, and I'll host em for you.

Or go www.fototime.com and register. You can then download picture to that website and then post the url here and people can see them.

[TheNightOwl]

Thanks, CC, check your PMs.

Kind regards,

TNO.