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Articles on flight simulators and flight simulation.

The LV-MLF Flight Simulator - LV-MLF is a full-scale flight simulator built to reproduce as faithfully and inexpensively as possible the workings of conventional and turboprop multi-engine aircraft of medium size.

Design considerations - Building a home cockpit or a full size flight simulator is an endeavour of tens of thousands of dollars in addition to the many complex aspects that such a design usually brings to the design table; so we had to think and ponder quite a lot about what we would do when we decided to build the LV-MLF sim cockpit.

Screens Or Masks? - One of the first things that we had to ponder when we began designing the MLF cockpit simulator was related to the way in which instruments would appear on the panel.

Design Goals - If you start to design a flight simulator like ours you will son have to specify your goals in terms of the quality of the simulation that you intend to reach as well as the variety of aircraft and situations that you want it to handle.

Hardware Architecture - A discussion or description of the hardware used in our flight sim cockpit should be divided in two parts: First, we should see the hardware from a strictly systems design perspective, as components of a network, and secondly, as aeronautical systems, from an aeronautical engineering standpoint.

Software Architecture - Without software any simulator is nothing else that a dead thing, an expensive, heavy and bulky collection of hardware; and without adequate software capable of reproducing faithfully what its designers intend to simulate, a simulator ins nothing else than an expensive, heavy and bulky arcade game.

Software / Hardware Independence - The hardware and software of any flight simulator are very complex, sophisticated macro components of such systems; technology advances and upgrades become inevitable, so defining a clear path for recurrent upgrading is a must for any designer.

Cockpit Seats - In the construction of the LV-MLF simulator we used as many recycled components and parts as possible, including the cockpit seats.

Black Interior - The interior decoration of the MLD simulator is almost exclusively black and there are some good reason to have it that way.

What About A Moving Platform? - One big question that every flight simulator faces is whether to include in a design a movement system to simulate the physical actions of the aircraft; it is of course, a nice thing to do but you should have a very deep pocket.

The Doors - Despite that no one seems to pay much attention to doors and windows on a simulator, they are extremely important in order to create an adequate realistic flight experience.

Windshield And Windows - In the design of any flight simulator or home cockpit, an aspect that seems to deserve little attention is that of visual openings, meaning the windshield and windows; however, they are important for cockpit occupants will spend most of the time looking thorough them.

Yoke And Rudder - We were pleasantly surprised when we found out that the Cessna 310 fuselage that we got to build our home cockpit still had the Y column in working condition, the metal wires that led to the control surfaces and the rudder pedal system in place.

Panel Modules - The panel of any aircraft is usually full of interruptors, keys, selectors, buttons and so on that actuate mechanically different shorts of circuits and systems; any design for a cockpit simulator must reproduce these in some way or another, and we chose the USB modules manufactured by GoFlight Inc for that purpose.

Simulator Hard Discs - Hard disks in relation to simulators constitute a significant and delicate topic that deserves special attention due to the difficulties normally encountered in the event that a replacement or expansion becomes necessary after the system becomes operational.

Main Simulation Software Module - When you want install a software simulation product in your PC the task ahead is relatively simple, but doing so in a full size cockpit simulator things can be a little more difficult, so there are various factors to consider.

Internet Connection - A good Internet connection is these days a must for any cockpit simulator constructor.

What Makes The Difference In The Air? (I) - All thorough history there have been seemingly good or bad airplanes, but what really makes the difference is the pilot.

The Pilot (I) - The pilot is the most important component of an aircraft, so to speak; thus, in any description about the flight of an airplane what is a pilot is a question that must be answered before anything else.

The Human Factors Of The Bestiary - The study of the incidence of human factors in accidentology, survival and aviation should not be limited to the environment defined by the crew or passengers; instead, it should encompass even very ignorant people capable of perpetrating accidents on their own despite their apparent lack of connection with the system.

Rehearsing The Unexpected, Survive And Win - Having a hidden ace regarding combat techniques and changing suddenly our behaviour and the expectations of our adversaries is the key for survival and victory.

Exploration and Expeditions - Whether your interest lies within expeditions and trips or you want to learn about different uncharted places, tricks of the trade and possibilities, start reading this section.

Science and Technology - Science and technology should not remain as exclusive properties of your government or big corporations - Learn how you can also become a scientist and how you can create your own technology.

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