Analog Flight Simulators to Computer Interface

The College of Engineering at the University of Central Florida has a flight simulator. This simulator was built as a stand-alone Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) training aid. The college has attempted on several occasions to augment this simulator system with a visual (out the cockpit view) simulation for the trainee pilot. Funding and resources have restricted or limited these enhancements to non real-time simulation. This project/thesis provides the university with part of the solution to accurate real time simulation. The simulated aircraft position and direction is acquired at 9 to 40 Hertz with 10-bit resolution. This data is made available in the ubiquitous RS-232C standard format. Thus any size computer can utilize the position and direction information for the simulated aircraft. With this element completed, a future project can utilize this information for time and motion studies or visual simulation