Authentic Simulator Program Takes You Back To 1903
Time travel is a virtual possibility at Bihrle Applied Research
in Hampton Roads (VA). Just turn on the computer and take the
controls.
Suddenly, you're piloting the Wright Flyer. No, this isn't the
Microsoft version. This is a simulator so true to life that even
Ken Hyde uses it. He's chief pilot of the Wright Experience, which
has built an exacting replica to re-enact the first flight of a
powered aircraft. "We can't afford to risk the airplane
constantly," Hyde said.
Hyde (right) works with the software
that retails for about $50 to build sim time in the Wright-built
1902 glider, the 1911 Model B, as well as the first successful
powered aircraft. Eventually, Birhle hopes to have the simulator in
flight museums around the country.
"This is the first time anyone has gone to these lengths to get
everything as close as possible," Bihrle President Jack Ralston
said of the simulation.
Birhle is certainly no newcomer to flight simulation software.
November 1st, the company announced Lockheed-Martin had selected
Bihrle as a "preferred partner," designated to supply the aerospace
manufacturer with design simulation software for the Joint Strike
Fighter.
"Real-world test data is the backbone of our design process, and
our comprehensive test program verifies the performance of our JSF
family over the complete flight envelope, from low-speed STOVL to
supersonic up-and-away," said Harry Blot, vice president and deputy
program manager of the Lockheed Martin JSF. "We use simulation to
the greatest extent possible, but we rely on wind-tunnel testing
and actual flying to validate our design."
Simulation is a good thing in the
case of the Wright Experience. One of Hyde's fellow pilots
describes flying the 1903 aircraft to piloting a Kleenex. For
instance, Ralston says, there's no inherent pitch stability in the
Wright Flyer. Once the nose pitches up, it keeps pitching up until
manually corrected.
Hyde tells the Hampton Roads Daily Press that the
Birhle simulation is much more historically accurate than "the
other" simulation on the market. He says its characteristics were
based on the engineering of The Wright Experience replica, which is
built to original specs.
"I had never appreciated the immense task they had before them,"
Ralston said of the Wright Brothers. After all, they had no
simulator. Instead, they had to rely on only about 200 hours in
gliders of their own design. "They weren't lucky at all. They did
it with a very structured engineering approach."