Lockheed Fort Worth Company: Flight Simulation Laboratory

Lockheed Fort Worth's Flight Simulation Laboratory (FSL) is developing a Mission Reconfiguration Cockpit (MRC) Simulator around SGI Onyx^TM graphics supercomputers. The MRC is designed to provide a rapid prototyping simulation environment for evaluating future cockpit designs. It will be used to test pilot interaction with new cockpit instrumentation technology such as color liquid crystal displays, voice recognition, and helmet-mounted display.

The MRC is based on a 6-processor Onyx RealityEngine2^TM graphics supercomputer with a Multi-Channel Option (MCO). The FSL rehosted an existing airframe, flight control, and engine simulation in addition to environment (threat and targets) software. This generic simulation package, a total of 250,000 lines of Ada and FORTRAN code, is running on Onyx at a 50-Hz frame rate using IRIX with REACT. The flight dynamics/environment model will simulate a generic aircraft for evaluating new cockpit designs. The Onyx MCO channels are used to display both the cockpit presentations and a simple out-the-window visual, both at 30 Hz.This simulator, when completed and installed in a dome, will enable Lockheed to evaluate cockpit designs for the year 2005 using 1994 technology. "Performance for the dollar is just phenomenal." Russ O'Brien of Hughes Training, Inc.

National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR), The Netherlands: Engineering Simulation

The National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR in Dutch) in Amsterdam is a non-profit R&D organization that supports civilian and government entities in the Netherlands and around the world. In recent years, NLR has been involved in the development of fly-by-wire technology, advanced procedures using microwave landing systems, and improved air traffic control procedures. NLR is now expanding its facility, building a second motion-based simulator with increased fidelity and more degrees of freedom. The new simulator will be reconfigurable to support studies of passenger aircraft, large transports, fighters, and helicopters.

A 4-processor CHALLENGE server running IRIX with REACT is the host computer in NLR's new simulator. It handles deterministic computation of all simulation models, including flight dynamics, flight control, avionics, and weapons, at frame rates up to 100 Hz. The CHALLENGE server is linked to the image generator, motion platform, and other subsystems using reflective shared memory.

The new simulator will enable NLR to continue its tradition of leading-edge research in the aerospace industry. The expandability of CHALLENGE servers ensures that the simulator's host computational power can be extended to meet the requirements of future projects.