A virtual reality approach to flight simulation and training in civil aviation

The work described in this final dissertation addresses the use of virtual reality in flight simulation. The attention has been focused on several aspects which should be considered when dealing with this topic, such: as the certification requirements issued by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA); the systems and different components that made up a flight simulator; the limits in training efficiency and effectiveness with traditional flight simulators; the integration of virtual reality in flight simulation; the possible strategies to develop a virtual reality-based simulator; and finally the results that could be achieved in terms of realism, usability, implementation, compliance with regulations with simulation in virtual reality. The simulation is fluid and the use of advanced scenarios does not affect the simulation. Thanks to the fact that open-source software has been used for the simulator, several customizations can be implemented to obtain different environments . It could be possible to simulate helicopters, commercial aircraft, or gliders easily by simply changing the flight commands with specific devices: the straightforward advantage is that the cockpit and the external environment can be changed in a click because it’s all virtual. Moreover, the commands should be realistic in terms of grip and touch sensation, but their aesthetic features are not important because the pilots see the virtual commands during the simulation, and not the real ones. Future developments include the implementation of codes to simulate without the user intervention and setting phase that is required now. Moreover, a testing phase with pilots could provide the developers with useful suggestions to increase the usability of the tool. The improvement of the simulation could lead up to its certification provided that the requirements by EASA that currently are not satisfied are addressed.