Fidelity Assessment Simulator Tool (FAST) for Advanced Aircraft Simulator Flight Fidelity Evaluation Measures

Typically, flight simulators are designed with the intent of expanding pilot skill levels in, low risk, cost effective environments. Military pilots often encounter a very broad spectrum of mission requirements, composed of many subtasks; therefore flight simulator fidelity requirements will presumably vary with the complexity of skills required to complete a particular mission. The current problem is how to objectively (and consistently) match simulator fidelity with operational flight trainer acceptance while keeping factors such as cost, risk, visual scene image generation (IG), training mission requirements, simulator components (hardware and software), and training time, manageable, reliable, and realistic. When comparisons between mechanical parameters and software performance are conducted, it’s not unusual that fidelity requirements are sometimes based upon how much technology an organization can afford, instead of assessing technology levels needed for optimal training environments. To alleviate the problem of matching fidelity with desired training outcomes, SDS proposes the development of a software based, Fidelity Assessment Simulator Tool (FAST) that provides valid, reliable, and accurate simulator fidelity comparisons of any type of aircraft. These objective comparisons will enable the Navy/Marine Corps to maximize training investments through simulator fidelity analysis, to gauge how well specific requirements are met during simulated training evolutions.