Simulator Restoration at Syracuse University
Hello everyone, and welcome to another week. This time we will be looking at something I came across in my research of simulations. If you recalled a couple of weeks ago, I talked about the first flight simulator, a small blue box that ensured that pilots were adequately prepared to take to the air while staying safe on the ground through their initial training. This small simulator was called the Link Trainer, and to my big surprise, the research brought me back to Syracuse University. The University has a hall named LinK Hall, which was dedicated to the founder of Link Aviation, who was one of the leading simulations builders in the United States. They supported government agencies heavily during WWII.
This hall houses the College of Engineering
and Computer Science. The University
actually took a model of the link trainer and restored it to its previous glory. It is now housed at the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology (MOST) after its donation from the College of
Engineering and Computer Science. It continues to educate visitors on how WWII pilots trained using the Link trainer.
After the full restoration that was made by the student of Syracuse University,
this simulator has become one of the only Link simulators that are still in actual
use, for individuals to experience is in action.
What has learned from the restoration of this system is how
an essential simulator can benefit many.
During WWII, this simulator helped turn the tide of the war because it
helped speed up training. This was extremely
necessary; because of the number of casualties being received, there was not
enough time to conduct classical training.
This is an example of how simulators can benefit our instructional
material in our current curriculum. We
do not have to wait until a catastrophic event pushes us to think of ways to
enhance training.
Again, thanks for reading this week, and do not hesitate to
leave a comment.
Walter, that is pretty awesome about the restoration of the link training simulator. I don't know why but it made me think of how we were trained in the Army. Everything is practiced first. It then led me to think about the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES). I used to think that was fun when I first joined the military. I digress but when it comes to Simulations the military has been at that forefront of education, all in the name of being properly trained . Again, thank you for the post. I look forward to reading your next one.
ReplyDelete-Mandy
Walt I did not know that Syracuse housed a model of the link trainer. I know how important simulators are especially for pilots. I was assigned to a MEDEVAC unit at Fort Riley when 9/11 happened. I was actually walking on the flight line with a crew to go fly when we got called back into the operations center and saw the events unfold. For six months we were restricted to flying in circles around our airfield. Without simulators our pilots would have all been grounded. There is only so much training that can be conducted in one location. When operational tempo is high there is never enough training flights to cover everyone so again simulators are integral to the readiness of pilots. Thanks for your post.
ReplyDeleteTammy
Walt,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great information provided within your blog. I really enjoyed researching and interacting with the information about LinK Hall. I had no idea that Syracuse had this kind of model in its inventory and think it provides an invaluable experience to all of those who choose to interact with it. As I have discussed before being in the military provides me with the knowledge of understanding how important simulators can be in the education field. While we can learn an enormous amount of information within our textbooks and on paper, there is no real replacement for the hands-on experience that a simulator provides. An added benefit of simulation is how you can use repetition to your advantage. To aid the learning process repetition is key. The simulator provides that needed hands-on repetition to help the learner achieve mastery of the content. Thanks again for the great blog. Have a great day!
-Kev
Walt,
ReplyDeleteThis is a pretty cool post. I had actually did a bunch of reading on the link system since it was apart of my origins of Augmented reality Infograph. I guess all of the lessons we get in the different classes eventually come full circle. So, for a time we went to these big flight simulators that where physical replicas of helicopters or plans, You climbed in and the windows had been replaced with screens . Those screens where synced to give you the impression you where flying. After millions and millions of dollars spent they started to realize the original model the link was a better concept. One minor change, you now get in a fake seat with real flight controls and then put on a Augmented reality head set and start flying around. The linked controls tell the computer where you are going. I got the chance to play with it in Alabama about eight months ago. Oh and it cost one tenth of the cost of the large one and will fold up into a black box and travel. Thanks for the post.