Patent ID: 6790041
Filing Date: 2004-09-14
Classification: G09B

Abstract:
A method of training an aircraft pilot to handle in-flight emergencies, the method comprising the steps of:providing an electronic aircraft flight simulator configured to simulate an aircraft, the simulator including a cockpit and a controller interfacing with the cockpit, the controller including a computer, wherein the controller generates a plurality of simulated aircraft conditions including a plurality of fault conditions and including fault conditions indicative of physical error conditions for control systems of the simulated aircraft, the cockpit having a plurality of aircraft simulator controls and a plurality of display panels, the aircraft simulator controls including at least an engine throttle and a yoke, the plurality of display panels including a plurality of gauges indicative of simulated aircraft conditions, the display panels also including a warning light panel with a plurality of indicators each providing a visual signal indicative of an associated fault condition; providing the pilot with a fault analysis guide, the fault analysis guide including a fault procedures section printed with a plurality of fault procedures each corresponding to a fault condition, the fault analysis guide also including a visual procedure locator section and a nonvisual procedure locator section, wherein the visual procedure locator section includes printed indicator symbols that are arranged in the same general spatial orientation as the arrangement of the plurality of indicators on the warning light panel, wherein each printed indicator symbol is graphically representative of a single indicator and has an associated locator symbol indicating the location of an appropriate fault procedure in the fault procedures section, and the nonvisual procedure locator section includes a list of the physical error conditions not associated with the plurality of indicators, wherein each physical error condition has an associated locator symbol indicating the location of an appropriate fault procedure in the fault procedures section; electronically generating simulated aircraft conditions in the simulator; identifying any fault conditions generated; selecting either the visual procedure locator section or the nonvisual procedure locator section to locate an appropriate fault procedure for each identified fault condition, wherein the visual procedure locator section is selected if the fault condition is associated with a visual signal from an indicator on the warning light panel and the nonvisual procedure locator section is selected if the fault condition is indicative of a physical error condition; performing the appropriate fault procedure by manipulation of the aircraft simulator controls; and electronically responding to the pilot's manipulation of the aircraft simulator controls as the pilot performs the appropriate fault procedure to determine if the pilot properly performed the appropriate fault procedure.