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."

FMI: www.bihrle.com