Royal Aeronautical Society Flight Simulation Group. Newsletter. November 2010

Transcription

1 Royal Aeronautical Society Flight Simulation Group Newsletter November 2010 New Readers please register as FSG members on the FSG website ( to ensure that you receive this newsletter via the FSG mailing list. Editorial Forty years, many airline pilots were trained and checked on aircraft. If they had been asked to undertake major parts of their training in the flight simulators of the day, they would have remonstrated against the technology. Nowadays, if airline pilots were asked to undergo airborne training, to practice for emergencies or failures, there would be insurrection in the airline industry. The reversal of both training methods and attitudes is simply the result of advances in simulator technology. A similar revolution is underway in systems design, where a wide range of simulation tools are used to capture, develop and validate designs. The airline industry has led these advances, where a considerable amount of design effort for the Boeing 777 and Airbus 380 programmes was supported by simulation tools. Unfortunately, this transition has been slow to be taken up by the universities where traditional courses in aerodynamics, propulsion and structures still dominate. Several universities have been able to purchase low-cost flight simulators in recent years and there are encouraging signs of change, for example, the annual Merlin Simulation conference. Arguably, the problem is one of communication with Aerospace departments in universities unaware of advances in industry and industry having little involvement in university courses. The annual Universities Seminar, organized by the Flight Simulation Group, is one attempt to encourage dialogue between the flight simulation industry and the universities. David Allerton ICATEE The International Committee for Aviation Training in Extended Envelopes (ICATEE) is now 18 months into its studies to: Review current practices in extended envelope training Identify shortcomings Define requirements for training media and data, and further research Recommend immediate and long-term improvements Examine essential and desirable training elements Suggest how standards can be established. The approach of ICATEE is to consider the training requirements for improved awareness, recognition and avoidance, and recovery from upset-related conditions. Its training requirements matrix considers academics, the use of current infrastructure, possible improvements to this infrastructure, as well as possible use of aerobaticcapable aircraft. It is considering both basic preparatory training for commercial pilots, as well as recurrent training to maintain proficiency and fluency. The Committee recently briefed the FAA Stall Working Group, which is preparing its own recommendations through a new Advisory Circular, and early next year will brief ICAO on the status of its work which is scheduled to complete in 2011 and to discuss the possible future endorsement of this by ICAO. The next meeting in early November will be hosted by the FAA at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City. Over 40 members and FAA staff will participate in the twoday meeting and simulator exercises. The Committee has four key topics to be addressed during the meeting: Standards and Validation Criteria Cost-Benefit Analysis Empowering the Instructor Defining Realistic Upset Scenarios A primary reason for holding this ICATEE meeting in Oklahoma City is to conduct a first-look at some of the ideas for expanded simulator usage in the FAA s Level D 737NG flight simulator. These include Instructor station feedback improvements, the use of accident playback scenarios, and the modelling of the Startle factor in training scenarios. ICATEE is well on course to deliver its results and recommendations towards the end of 2011, and the FSG s November 2011 Conference will probably be a major platform for publicising these, and opening them up for more general discussion. 1

2 Meeting with US Government Accountability Office At the request of the Society, members of the FSG met with a USGAO Team during the evening of 6 th September to discuss aspects of flight crew training and the role of the RAeS. Following similar studies in the US, the USGAO Team is conducting a study into European approaches to flight crew training to advise the US Congress on appropriate measures and legislation needed following the Buffalo NY Colgan Air crash and similar events. In discussions, we explained the Learned Society role of the RAeS as a non-partisan facilitator working for the general interests of the aerospace community, and that in this role we were able to bring all parts of the community together to establish standards, promote best practice, and so on. The fruits of the IWG in setting global simulator standards published as ICAO 9625, and the ongoing work of the ICATEE, were described as examples of the Society s achievements in this regard. The experience so far with the MPL scheme was described, and some more specific aspects of military aircrew training, particularly with respect to live and simulator hours, and training in unusual positions and for flight upsets. Differing approaches to flight hours and type rating qualifications for crew members were discussed. The Team acknowledged the current US requirement for a minimum of 1500 flying hours, and considered whether academic instruction might contribute to the hours requirement. Examples were given where pilots could reach competency in fewer hours but depending on the nature of the training and the route structure of the operator. If initial training incorporated company procedures and culture then pilots could be released to operate on the company s route structure that had been experienced in training in far less than 1,500 hours. But further time would be necessary if moving to different operating environments of weather, ATC, etc. It is therefore essential that instructors/examiners are familiar with the company s current operation. There was further discussion on the need for better and more consistent instructor standards, and we recommended the IATA ITQI work on these. June 2010 Conference The topic for the Spring 2010 Flight Simulation Conference - Flight Simulation Technology: Future Potential - proved most timely. The Conference also served to celebrate the 40 th anniversary of the First International Flight Simulation Symposium held under the auspices of the RAeS. Some 27 papers were presented, with opening and closing keynote addresses presented by Dieter Hass and Kenji Takeda. After reviewing progress since the first symposium, including an analysis of where expectations had been exceeded and where they had led into blind alleys, subsequent sessions dealt with modelling, environmental representation, cueing, simulator testing and maintenance, and mission training and interoperability. The Conference concluded with an open forum to tease out the issues that most needed to be progressed. The Conference, which attracted some 124 delegates from 17 nations, proved highly stimulating, with some very lively discussion periods. The occasion of the 40 th Anniversary was also used to bring together former chairmen of the Flight Simulation Group Committee, and all but 4 were present, including no fewer than five other members of the original Ad Hoc Group: Arthur Barnes, Brian Hampson, Maurice Hickmott, Brian Laven and Dr John Rolfe. November 2010 Conference The FSG s Autumn 2010 Conference is titled The Challenges for Flight Simulation - the Next Steps, and will be held on the 17 th -18 th of November. The programme has been published, and can be found on the Society website. One of the major challenges is simulation-based training for helicopter flight crews, and presentations by the International Working Group Helicopters (IWG-H) will feature prominently in the Conference. Spring 2011 Conference The Spring 2011 Conference, to be held on June 8 th and 9 th, is titled Simulating the Real Operating Environment (The World outside the cockpit) Its aim is to address what challenges need addressing in the fidelity of the simulation of the real world environment, or what s missing, that would improve the overall performance of flight simulator based training and development? In setting the scope for the conference, it was noted that there has recently been a lot of coverage in the media that pilots need to be given more training and increased situational awareness to cope with flying today s advanced civil and military aircraft in complex, busy and diverse airspace environments. In civil aviation recent safety analysis has highlighted loss of situational awareness and losing control of a perfectly serviceable airplane for a variety of reasons related to external influences or procedures. New procedures such as RNP, voiceless communications and visual aids such as 2

3 HUD/EVS require precise integration with the simulated environment for training to be efficient. From the military perspective the increasing amount of sensory information that is required to be shared and trained in the use of solely or collectively means that there are significant challenges in integrating a real world operating environment. The Conference will therefore discuss and identify challenges that lay ahead in these different aspects of simulation of the operational environment (weather, communications, imagery, sensors, collective training and threats) in both military and commercial applications with speakers representing training organizations, armed forces, pilots, regulators, acquisition organizations, subsystem vendors and integrators. The 2010 Edwin A Link Lecture The fourth Edwin A Link Lecture was delivered at the Society on Thursday 10 th June, after the close of the Spring Conference, by Marion Broughton, Vice President Avionics, Training and Simulation, Thales UK. Her presentation, entitled The Downturn Opportunity in the Flight Simulation Industry? was an up-to-the-minute assessment of the situation of the flight simulation industry in the prevailing economic climate. This stimulating lecture presented an optimistic outlook in difficult times and was well received by the audience. A recording of the Lecture can be accessed via the website John Farley, former Harrier chief test pilot, has agreed to present the 2011 Edwin A Link Lecture on 8th June. Captain Ray Jones Lecture Brian Watt currently responsible for Crew Training and the TRTO at Flybe, delivered the Captain Ray Jones Lecture on July 15 th at the RAeS in London. He noted that the latest generation of simulators can even drive key development areas in the aircraft they simulate, and he discussed what role, now, are airline operators expected to play and what do those operators expect from their investment in simulators? Do current simulators allow the most effective training design and necessary suspension of disbelief? Is there clear enough feedback from the line to the designers and to whom are those designers listening? He presented one airline s view, with the aim of stirring debate and offering alternative perspectives at a time of rapid progress in both technology and international safety initiatives. Flight Simulation Group Specialist Award The FSG were delighted to hear that their nomination of Malcolm Blackwood for the Flight Simulation Group Specialist Award has been accepted by the Society. Malcolm is a long standing member of the Group, and as our webmaster has developed the website and expanded our use of electronic communications to the enormous benefit However, his most significant achievement was his instrumental role in realising the Fourth Edition of Volume I of the Aeroplane Flight Simulation Training Device Evaluation Handbook, in This document, newly updated and written by contributors across the industry, is intended to ease and enhance the implementation of the International Standards as defined in ICAO The material is aimed at engineers and evaluators who are concerned with the background and content of a Qualification Test Guide designed to meet the ICAO Manual, which now have the full backing of the world's major regulatory authorities. Malcolm has devoted enormous amounts of time, and prodigious energy, in directing and managing contributors from across the world and across the industry, in the total revision of the Handbook needed to reflect the very considerable changes in technology and training objectives within the flight simulation industry. The Fourth Edition was launched to considerable acclaim at the FSG s November Conference, and has received many plaudits from users. The Handbook serves not only an essential role in underpinning the high and globally harmonized standards for Flight Simulation and Training Devices, but also to illustrate the role played by the Society in bringing together disparate, and often competing, representatives of the aerospace community to achieve common goals. Annual International Flight Crew Training Conference - The Global Market Place: The Challenges for Flight Crew Training, September 2010 The Annual RAeS International Flight Crew Training Conference is now firmly established in the Society s annual calendar. This year s wide-ranging Conference attracted over 100 delegates from some 20 different nations - the largest overseas representation at an RAeS conference. The Conference Programme proved both timely and stimulating, and the speakers were well received. The two Keynote Addresses were provided by Andrew Haines, Chief Executive of the CAA, and Guenther 3

4 Matschnigg, Senior Vice President, Safety, Operations & Infrastructure of IATA. They provided excellent and wide-ranging scene-setters for the other papers in the programme. Sponsorship was provided by both CAE and OAA, with CAE, once again, as lead sponsor. The Conference sought to examine, seek solutions and determine how best to progress the challenges for flight crew training arising from the global market place. Both fixed-wing and rotarywing training issues were addressed, and the recurring theme throughout the Conference was the need to improve safety still further and the importance of an evidence-based approach in achieving that improvement. The Conference concluded with an open forum session, in which a motion was put to the RAeS from the floor of the Conference which stated: 'Despite improvements in national and international training programmes, with wide variations in training syllabuses and different approaches taken by National Aviation Authorities, there is a pressing need to explore whether it might be beneficial to harmonise internationally training and evaluation standards and processes, and whether some form of global resource (and/or infrastructure) for the flight crew training community might be helpful, and, if agreed, the constraints in achieving such goals. We, the Conference delegates, request that the Royal Aeronautical Society takes some leadership on these issues and determines how best they might be progressed.' The RAeS has set in hand work to address this motion. In this, a major milestone will be next year's International Flight Crew Training Conference which will be held in London on Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 September 2011 and will be entitled 'An International Approach to Flight Crew Training Standards'. It is, however, recognised that significant work will continue to be undertaken in the meantime by a number of organisations in addition to the RAeS. The RAeS would welcome wide representation at the 2011 Flight Crew Training Conference from all stakeholders involved in these important issues with a view to maintaining the momentum in taking work forward. Peter Barrett FSG Simulation Archive Preparation for the 2010 Spring Conference celebrating 40 years since the first flight simulation conference revealed that there is no archive of flight simulation history. We found it quite difficult to establish the state-of-the-art in flight simulation in 1970, for lack of reference material. The Flight Simulation Group therefore have begun to establish a repository of information documenting and illustrating the technological and other developments making up the history of flight simulation since its earliest days. We would like to hear from anyone with recollections of the industry. We would also like you to look in your cupboards and offer any documents, brochures, images and so on, in hard copy and electronic formats, to establish a flight simulation archive. We can scan material and return it if you wish to keep it. At present we seek such material as company brochures and technical descriptions, imagery (stills and/or video) of equipment such as flight simulator training devices and component systems, instructor stations, and database scenes. In short, anything which shows what flight simulators and associated training devices look like, how they operate and perform, and how they are used. Our aim is to work backwards from today, building up a representative picture of flight simulation over the decades, with enough information on technical aspects, training concepts and so on to assist historians and researchers as well as provide a good general interest guide. Any material you could provide would be gratefully received. Barry Tomlinson Merlin Flight Simulation Competition Phil Keane, winner of the Merlin Competition, receiving the trophy from John Farley. Photograph courtesy Coventry University The Flight Simulation Group again supported the Merlin Competition, held this year on Friday 11th June at Coventry University. Once again the entries were of a very high standard. The overall winner was Philip Keane of Coventry University with a simulation of an updated Mosquito design constructed with modern materials and powered by modern turboprops. 4

5 The flying judges were Dave Southwood, ETPS, and Dave Mackay, Virgin Galactic. Former Harrier chief test pilot John Farley provided the commentary. On 2nd April 2011 a Merlin competition will be held for the first time in the USA at the University of Drayton, Ohio. It is hoped that the winner will be able to participate in the UK event in June. Barry Swainston FSG Web Site Update Work continues on the FSG web site at in a couple of important areas. Firstly, the ongoing project to make available proceedings from past conferences is progressing well. Currently available on the site are the following FSG conferences: 1970 Two Day Symposium on Flight Training Simulators for The '70's nd Flight Simulation Symposium 1976 Theory and Practice in Flight Simulation 1978 Extending the Scope of Flight Simulation 1979a 50 Years of Flight Simulation 1979b Is Flight Simulation Of Academic Interest? 1981a Experience and Needs of Civil and Military Flight Simulator Users 1982a Aviation Medicine & Avionic Systems Groups Two Day International Conference: Flight Simulation - Avionic Systems and Aero Medical Aspects 1984a Future Applications and Prospects for Flight Simulation 1986 Advances in Flight Simulation - Visual and Motion Systems 1989a Flight Simulation: Assessing the Benefits & Economics 1991b Training Transfer - Can We Trust Flight Simulation? 1995a Flight Simulation Technology, Capabilities and Benefits 1995b Simulation in Aircraft Maintenance Training 1996a Training - Lowering the Cost, Maintaining The Fidelity 1997b The Impact of the New FAA & JAA Regulations on Flight Simulators and Flight Simulator Training 2001a Aircrew Training - Time to Take Stock? The following two conferences are in work as at October 2010, hopefully to be available on the site by the end of the year: 1987a The Acquisition and Use of Flight Simulation Technology in Aviation Training 1994b Interactive & Interoperable Simulations - The Challenges & Potential Benefits Further conferences planned are below, although some paper proceedings still need to be sought for scanning: 1977 Flight Simulator Instructor Training 1980a Air Combat Simulation - Past and Present 1980b The Simulation of Helicopter Operations and Handling 1981b Flight Simulation Training Techniques 1982b Buying and Housing the Modern Flight Simulator 1983a Training Simulators - A Users' Forum 1983b Flight Simulation in Accident Investigation 1984b Instructor Stations 1985 Flight Simulation of Helicopters: Status and Prospects In order to be able to download papers, a simple registration process must be completed by each individual, which helps retain a degree of security. However, the downloads are free, although the copyright remains with the Royal Aeronautical Society. Secondly, there is now a facility, known as Group Information Exchange, by which groups of interested parties can upload a document, picture, etc. for others to comment on. The first public application of this feature is likely to be the ICAO 9625 helicopter requirements document, generated by the International Working Group - Helicopters (IWG-H). Keep an eye out if you feel this could be of benefit in enabling you or your colleagues to comment on this important document. Malcolm Blackwood Regulatory Affairs Update National Qualification Requirements: From 1 st September 2009, JAR-FSTD (A or H) has been the sole means for the UK CAA qualification of Flight Simulation Training Devices (FSTDs). With the cessation of the JAA the European NAAs have agreed to continue the principles of mutual recognition. European Aviation Safety Agency: Basic Regulation 216/2008 sets the framework for the extension of EASA s remit to cover Operations, Personnel Licensing and Third Country Operators. The implementing rules (IRs) for FSTDs are contained in the relevant parts for Authority Requirements (Part-AR) and Organisation Requirements (Part-OR) and are binding. The Basic Regulation and the Implementing Rules are supported by acceptable means of compliance (AMC) and guidance material (GM) that are also contained within Part-AR and Part-OR and are nonbinding. In addition, the technical standards for FSTDs, based on JAR-FSTD A & H, are contained in Certification Standards, CS-FSTD A & CS- FSTD H, and are non-binding. The draft documentation was published for consultation in the form of NPA (a), (b), (c), (d) & (e). The comment response document (CRD) for Parts AR & OR was published on the EASA web site on the 4 th October 2010 for another comment and review period which lasts until 6 th December The process will then enter a 2 months adoption and publication phase with the publication of the final decision or opinion scheduled for March 2011 before becoming applicable on the 8 th April The CRD for CS-FSTD A & H is expected to be published on the EASA web site in mid-november 5

6 2010 for another comment and review period that will last until mid-february The process will then enter a 2 months adoption and publication phase with the publication of the final decision or opinion scheduled for April 2011 before becoming applicable on the 8 th April Federal Aviation Administration: As of May 30 th CFR Part 60 became effective for FSTD initial (& continuing) qualification and use. The FAA is developing a process to initiate directives. Directive 1, which addresses visual airport model fidelity for training, testing and checking was published in change 1 to Part 60. New Statements of Qualification (SOQ) are being issued for new FSTDs to meet Part 60 requirements. The SOQ includes a detailed configuration list and a list of qualified tasks. Guidance bulletins published in 2010: (10-01) NVG Evaluation for Helicopter FSTDs (10-02) Request for Initial & Continuing Evaluation of a Level 4 or 5 FSTD (10-03) Class II and class III Visual Airport Model Evaluation Peter Barrack Contact Us We would welcome feedback on this newsletter and contributions for future editions. Please feel free to contact us via the FSG Forum The FSG Forum provides opportunities to contribute to discussions on the major challenges facing the simulation and training community. You will be welcome to contribute. If you are aware of anyone who might like to receive a copy of this newsletter, can you please forward their address to the editor at d.j.allerton@sheffield.ac.uk? 6