Abstract

Flight
simulators have become a major factor in pilot training. A general
finding from Navy research on simulator design is that equipment
features that offer faithful representation improve pilot performance
and promote pilot acceptance. To the extent that an aircraft produces
motion sickness, its simulator should induce the same result. However,
reports of simulator sickness appear to be increasing and a shortcoming
in simulation is implied when these effects occur in simulators during
maneuvers that do not occasion them in the aircraft. This article
presents incidence data from surveys of the 10 simulators at 6 different
Naval/Marine Corps Air Stations. Approximately 1,200 simulator flights
were recorded. Some severe motion sickness symptoms were recorded and
some simulators induced unsteadiness afterwards. Individuals
experiencing effects may be at risk if they drive themselves home or
return to demanding activities at work. The simulators which exhibited
the highest incidences of sickness were helicopter simulators with
cathode ray tube (CRT) infinity optics and six-degrees-of-freedom moving
base systems. Of those studied, fixed-wing, fixed-base, dome displays
had relatively low incidence of simulator sickness.