The Level D simulators that are common for jet training are great at simulating gentle movements of an aircraft, but aren’t realistic for aerobatic maneuvers, such as rolls. Some guys in Germany combined a robot arm with standard simulation visuals to make a simulator that can do aerobatics: article (thanks, David, for the reference!). The robots were originally designed for amusement parks, so the hardware is much cheaper than traditional flight simulator hydraulics.
3 thoughts on “New flight simulator that can actually roll the pilot”
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This is of limited utility in a training environment. The forces are not sustained for long enough to be realistic. For that you’d need a centrifuge which doesn’t have the necessary degrees of freedom. The mechanics have never been the most expensive part of flight simulators. It’s the visuals, including computers, the software engineering to build realism, and the certification required that add significantly to Level D costs.
The Dutch TNO simulator has done continuous acceleration as well as 6DOF since 2007.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Flight_Simulation_devices#Desdemona_simulator
Actually I recently visited the Midway in San Diego and they have several simulators that you can ride in that roll. http://www.midway.org/Flight-Simulators