Aircraft simulators have in the past been designed and used primarily as substitutes for aircraft. CGI provides the flexibility to enhance training in ways not normally possible in an aircraft. This research conceived and demonstrated training approaches to take advantage of this flexibility. Rather than duplicate the real world cockpit environment, this study considers other objectives attainable. This requires a change from thinking of a simulator as an airplane substitute to thinking of it as a training device that can complement ‘real world' training from text through actual aircraft. Another change requiring consideration is the expected change in military use of simulators from teaching initial, simple flight skills and procedures, to teaching and maintaining complex combat skills involving interactions among several aircraft and ground systems.

Scene elements were incorporated into a computer generated visual presentation which did not represent "real world" objects, but which were there solely for instructional purposes.

Hopefully these techniques will be used to improve the effectiveness of actual aircraft hours spent in training rather than replace them.