Varying levels of dynamic fidelity are used to support combat mission training. At one extreme are static simulators (no motion) and at the other are costly live-fly exercises (high dynamic fidelity). Dynamic simulators employing force-cueing devices (e.g., motion platforms or motion seats) fall somewhere between. It is believed that increased dynamic fidelity in simulators will result in more effective training but empirical evidence is lacking. Numerous studies have been conducted, but the conclusions are mixed and often contradictory, with each study employing different motion cueing devices, simulation platforms, evaluation tasks, and measures of effectiveness. Both the tasks and objective performance measures used in these studies have been challenged, suggesting that they lack sensitivity to the effects of force cues.

More sensitive methodology is needed to evaluate the impact of dynamic fidelity on performance. Although there are established criteria to identify force cue-sensitive flight maneuvers, the maneuver itself does not appear to be the appropriate unit of analysis to detect performance differences. There are specific windows of time within each maneuver where the force cues play an important role in the pilot's execution and result in quantitative, measureable performance differences. Building on the research progress that has been made (defining critical phases of maneuvers and dividing them into segments), we introduce a novel unit of analysis: the force cueing sensitivity (FoCuS) window. FoCuS windows not only divide maneuvers into meaningful segments, but also include associated objective measures quantifying the role of the force cues for each segment of performance. This paper describes the application of this methodology to evaluate the impact of a motion seat on pilot performance of an advanced handling maneuver and a tactical intercept maneuver. Objective performance results contradict subjective results but illustrate the sensitivity of the method and its promise for future studies.