Design of Virtual Reality Flight Simulator

Abstract

Flight simulators are one of the most important factors influencing training because they play an effective role in reducing the cost and increasing the skills of the cockpit crew. There are several types of flight simulators depending on different criteria such as the visual arrangements, type of the platform weather fixed or has motion, and so many others. The full flight simulator (FFS) represents the highest level of simulation because of the meticulous details of all the aircraft parameters, yet it remains the highest in terms of cost. In this thesis something between the meticulous part and the cost side has been created by providing a virtual reality flight simulator. A 3D model of the aircraft cockpit ERJ-145 is constructed with all its internal instruments, display, indicators and switches in Blender application with the addition of other feature offered by Blender like skinning the cockpit and using animation as well. Then the cockpit is integrated in a visual engine namely Xplane v9 and tested for integrity. The results were quite acceptable since the plane worked and all instruments were alive during the flight, some criteria were referenced with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for testing Flight Simulators. The simulator offers a new VR experience in flight simulation. The addition of other enhancement is recommended such as VR headset, haptic tracking, and other outer environment improvements. The simulator also could be linked to other simulator like an air traffic control (ATC) for more integration of training.