Photo By Cpl. Jonah Lovy | The F/A-18 training facility aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort is home to four...... read more read more
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BEAUFORT, S.C. - Machinery clicked and buzzed in the dimly lit room. The screens surrounding the cockpit flickered on and a familiar setting appeared. Merritt Field was recreated in a virtual world as the plane maneuvered toward the runway.
The F/A-18 training facility aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort is home to four flight simulators. Pilots who train in the simulators are “fleet pilots”; pilots who have completed their initial training and are now in an operational squadron.
The simulator itself is a fully functional Hornet cockpit surrounded by six projector screens called the SimuSphere. Outside the SimuSphere are huge projectors that project an image onto the screens, creating a 360 degree environment.
All simulators can be used simultaneously so pilots can train with each other in the same virtual environment.
Pilots use the simulators for sustainment and mission training, said Capt. Eric Davis, a pilot with VMFA-312.
One of the key uses for the simulator is the aircraft carrier take off and landing procedure program. The advantage of practicing in a simulator is that pilots don’t have to physically be on a carrier to get valuable experience.
“It’s also great for emergency procedures,” said Davis. “You don’t actually have to have an emergency in the plane to go through what could be pretty serious and difficult scenarios if you were actually in the plane.”
If something goes wrong, the program can be reset, said Rob Gwinn the contracting officer’s representative aboard MCAS Beaufort.
“One of the other advantages of these simulators is the cost factor,” said Gwinn. “It costs over ten thousand dollars an hour to fly one of these real jets out here. We do it for about 250 dollars an hour.”
Flight simulators give pilots an edge in combat. Without them, all training would have to occur in the air.
“You can make sure to see the environment beforehand and familiarize yourself with the techniques and procedures [of the mission],” said Davis.
The detailed and immersive world of the simulator is cost effective and provides a realistic training environment, making pilots more effective in the sky.
| Date Taken: | 01.30.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 01.30.2015 15:18 |
| Story ID: | 153180 |
| Location: | BEAUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 103 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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