The University of Liverpool’s flight simulator has celebrated its 10th birthday.
To commemorate the special anniversary, the School of Engineering organised a one-day symposium to reflect and review the achievements of the flight simulator.
The flight simulator can simulate the flight of a fixed and rotary wing aircraft, including tilt rotor aircraft which can fly like a fixed-wing aircraft and take off and land like a helicopter. It is used for research by University staff, research students and external organisations in the field of aircraft requirement analysis, conceptual design, system evaluation and, in particular, research into the flight mechanics and handling qualities of aircraft.
The simulator is at the cutting edge of flight technology research and is part of a European research consortium called `MyCopter’ that aims to ensure that ‘personal aerial vehicles’ can fly automatically without crashing into each other using sensor, flocking, control and simulation technology.
The simulator supports aerospace teaching in the School of Engineering and students on the Aerospace Engineering degree course are given ‘hands-on’ flight awareness tuition as part of their learning programme. Student research projects using the simulator have explored how vintage aircrafts flew and there has also been a collaboration with psychologists at the University to look inside the mind of a pilot.
Prince Andrew at the controls of the flight simulator at the opening in 2001