our latest integration project

[Keith Smith]

This will be our first integration with a Level D Flight Simulator.

Yes, I'm pumped.

If you'd like one of those sims at home, you're going to need a split-level, a generous set of French doors, and around $8MM.

[Alex Stjepanovic]

Darn, I just need that first one then!

[Tim Krajcar]

I spent some time in this thing over the weekend and let me tell you, it is the real deal. The electric arms can move you two feet in 14 thousands of a second. Everything feels absolutely real. Turbulence can be anything from light cobblestone chop to gut-wrenching drops. We simulated a blown tire on landing and I was braced for it and I /still/ almost got knocked out of my chair.

For all of the incredible motion, systems fidelity, and amazing display immersion, it's still fundamentally a closed system as-is though. We took off from SFO and, from my time flying ZOA on PE, I was looking for all of the traffic circling the bay and of course saw... nothing.

Can't wait to change that.

[Keith Smith]

I did NOT get to ride in the sim, as I was testing the PE integration on another sim at the facility (talk about taking one for the team). However, I saw the blown tire incident from the outside (I thought the sim was going to rip itself off its jacks) and I simply figured that was the landing where they gave Tim the controls. Blown tire, eh? Sure.

[NM Doug]

Wow. Just wow.

My brother-in-law teaches at the merchant marine academy in Seattle and runs the simulator there, which has immersion graphics and all sorts of great scenario possibilities, but no actual motion. Even without motion, when they bring in a highly experienced captain for training and start up the big swells, sometimes the captain will automatically raise his hand to steady the cup of coffee on the rail.

The full motion simulators must turn that up to 11.

[Keith Smith]

Full motion is nice, for sure. It doesn't have any specific training value that I'm aware of, beyond the workload induced by turbulence, but it does have the potential to increase the level of immersion.

[Orest Skrypuch]

Wow!, that is exciting on a number of levels!

* Orest

[arb65912]

Hey guys, do you mind posting any links to read more on that simulator?

[theskunk]

I vote we hold a raffle. put everybody's nick that begins with 'thesku' in a hat, and draw one from it. Send them on an all expense paid trip to go play with this.

All in favor?!

[Keith Smith]

Hah!

Seriously, though, the day will come when we'll offer a 1hr ride in that sim (including the session on PilotEdge) as a prize in one of our online events.

AJ, I would love to give you more information about the sim, but I don't have any. The closest thing I have to it would be a link to the manufacturer's site: http://www.opinicus.com