Appropriate selection of hardware can simplify simulator operation as well as increase training effectiveness. Generally, flight simulation groups are aware of this and plan accordingly. Too often, however, hardware is selected without a complete front end evaluation of the functional requirements of the application. The effective use of hardware in the development of an instructor/operator station (IOS) is just as important as its selection. This fact is often overlooked, partly due to the lack of money applied to this area and partly to an assumption that requirements from one simulator to another remain the same.

Most flight simulators are built as if the simulator and the IOS have the same requirements. That is, the entire system is built around the concept of tight cycle times, generally ranging from 20-50 milliseconds (ms). Furthermore, the IOS will tend to resemble a cockpit in the sense that numerous repeater gauges are used. For simulator realism, these concepts are very important. However, an IOS has very different requirements from the flight simulator. The IOS does not require tight cycle times, nor does it require real-time operation, except for certain monitoring capabilities. The IOS should be an instructor support work station. It should not be used merely to control the simulation, but should enhance the training task, relieve the instructor of tasks unrelated to the training function, and collect data that is necessary in evaluating student progress. An IOS requires instructor-oriented control, flexibility, and meaningful output.

Typical IOSs consist of function keyboards, CRTs, repeater gauges, and occasionally hardcopy. More modern systems include high resolution color graphics and digitized speech hardware. While these trends are encouraging, the effective use of this hardware still lags behind current training requirements, causing a reduction in the training benefits which state-of-the-art hardware can provide.

This paper considers several types of IOS hardware devices in terms of their potential to support the training task. It also discusses optimal ways to use this hardware to provide the appropriate instructor support while maximizing training effectiveness.