Engineering Development Simulator-Based Aircraft Development: A Pilot-in-the-Loop Engineering Approach

Engineering Development Simulator (EDS) and Pilot Training Simulator (PTS) Serve Fundamentally Different Purposes in an Aircraft Development Program. PTS Are Normally Developed After the Aircraft Design Has Reached a Mature Configuration and the Functional and Behavioral Characteristics of the Aircraft Systems Have Been Exactly Defined for Pilot Trainings Aligned with Aircraft Delivery in the Program. In Contrast, EDS Is Established While Aircraft Design Is Still Evolving Through Program Plan. It Represents a Selected Design Baseline in a Real-time, Pilot-In-The-Loop (PIL) Environment So That Emerging Aircraft, Aircraft Systems, Cockpit Environment and Human-machine Interface Characteristics Can Be Evaluated Before the Corresponding Configuration Is Fully Available for Flight. This Paper Presents a Development and Utilization Methodology for EDS Created for Combat Aircraft Development Program. The Paper Describes the Rationale for Establishing the Simulator, Its Principal Functional Components, the Relationship Between Aircraft Design Baselines and Simulation Baselines, the Integration of Mathematical and Behavioral Models, and the Iterative Process Through Which Pilot Feedback Is Transferred to Aircraft and Aircraft Systems Design Activities. A Quantitative Framework Is Proposed to Measure the Engineering Contribution of the EDS Through Requirement-oriented, PIL Testing. The Simulator’s Engineering Workload Is Demonstrated Using Project Data Compromising 1,200 Evaluated Requirements, 6,920 Test Points, 232 Simulator Test Runs and 360 Closed Engineering Findings. These Measured Data Are Used to Characterize Simulator Test Productivity and Establish a Flight-Test-Equivalent (FTE) Metric Based on the Assumed Number of Comparable Test Points Per Representative Flight Opportunity. A Scenario-based Flight-Test Reduction (FTR) Analysis Is Then Performed by Varying Both the Test Point Per Flight Assumption and the Corresponding Aircraft Flight Test Baseline. The Results Demonstrated How the Estimated Flight Test Contribution of the EDS Changes Under Different Baseline and Productivity Assumptions. The Simulator’s Engineering Approach Provides a Framework for Quantifying EDS Engineering Activity While Distinguishing Measured Simulator Results from Assumption-based Flight Test Equivalence. The EDS Therefore Provides a Repeatable PIL Environment in Which the Aircraft Development Issues Can Be Identified, Investigated and Resolved Before or in Parallel with Aircraft Flight Testing, Supporting Earlier Design Iteration and Reducing Dependence on the Aircraft for Initial Engineering Evaluation.