Above: The first helicopter flight training device being tested by Igor Sikorsky
Technology/Regulation Evolution Two events happened that resulted in more formal doc-
uments. One was in Europe, when the Royal Aeronautical Society sanctioned a flight simulation ad hoc group (1967) to better define simulation. This resulted in the very first flight simulation symposium being held in 1970. At about the same time, the FAA created appendix B to FAR 121 air carrier regulations. Appendix B was then moved to the pilot examiners and Inspectors Handbook 8400.6. Around 1975, the FAA created what was to be later
called the Sim Team. Each FSDO, and subsequently each region, designated FAA personnel who would evaluate sim- ulators being used by the airline(s). This evaluation resulted in an approval that allowed training to be accomplished in the simulator. How much credit to be allowed was the call of the inspector. In 1977, a major effort was started by the FAA to work with airplane manufacturers such as Boeing and Lockheed
FEBRUARY 2012 36
to develop tests for simulators that would assure faithful and high fidelity representation of the aircraft. This effort result- ed in FAA authorizing certified simulators to be used for recurrent pilot training, which heretofore could only be accomplished in the aircraft. New to this process was the introduction of
flight test data, typically called reference
data. Aircraft flight handling characteristics were deter- mined to be a crucial ingredient when substituting simulator time for actual flight time. This is the first instance of regu- lation affecting the simulation marketplace. Prior to this, it can be comfortably stated that simulators were acquired because of economic factors, as they lowered the cost of overall flight training by allowing
the airplane assets to
remain on the line. In 1980, the FAA developed the Advanced Simulation
Plan. It introduced the idea that motion enhanced the simu- lation experience to the point that simulation time would now be allowed to be substituted for the aircraft. The amount of credit depended on which phase (1,2,or3) it was
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