National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA’s Space Environments Testing Management Office

NASA LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER

THE FLIGHT SIMULATION FACILITIES

Research Flight Deck Integration Flight Deck Generic Flight Deck 

The NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) Flight Simulation Facilities consist of the Cockpit Motion Facility (CMF), 

Development and Test Simulator (DTS), Test and Evaluation Simulator (TES), Uninhabited Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration 

and Validation Laboratory (SIVL), System Integration Laboratories (SIL), and Research Collaboration Facility (RCF). The flight 

simulators provide real-time, high fidelity, full mission, human-in-the-loop, and hardware-in-the-loop flight simulation capabilities to 

conduct world-class state-of-the-art, preeminent aerospace research. 

The CMF is a multifaceted motion and fixed-base flight simulation research laboratory. It is designed to support aeronautics and

space flight vehicle research studies in which motion cues are critical to the realism of the experiments being conducted. The CMF 

consists of four fixed-base simulator sites and one motion base simulator site. The simulators are the Research Flight Deck 

Simulator (all-glass reconfigurable cockpit with programmable side stick and pedal control inceptors), the Integration Flight Deck 

Simulator (conventional transport cockpit with programmable wheel/column and pedal control inceptors), and the Generic Flight

Deck Simulator (all-glass reconfigurable futuristic cockpit with interchangeable programmable control inceptors). Each of these 

simulators is designed to operate as a motion-base simulator or as a fixed-base simulator. The CMF is designed around a stateof-the-art, high-performance, 76-inch six-degree-of-freedom synergistic motion system. The simulators are moved from their fixedbase sites to the motion system through the use of an overhead bridge crane system. 

The DTS is a fixed-base, advanced all-glass transport with 

programmable side stick and pedal control inceptors and a panorama 

visual system. The simulator is currently configured with twin engine 

transport aircraft dynamics to support aeronautics research. The aircraft 

mathematical model can be changed to any vehicle for which data is 

available. 

The TES is a medium to low fidelity simulator for rapid prototyping 

research and is reconfigurable to represent any type of aircraft, UAS, or 

planetary vehicles. The simulator has a panorama visual system for 

piloted operation. The simulation research included piloted aviation, 

spacecraft handling qualities, Uninhabited Aircraft Systems, and 

Rotorcraft flight decks. 

Development and Test 

Simulator

Test and Evaluation Simulator

Cockpit Motion Facility 

UAS SIVL provides a UAS systems integration, validation, 

and diagnostics hardware-in-the-loop simulation capability 

to facilitate safety studies of typical UAS missions. SIVL 

provides a robust and flexible simulation framework that 

enables the study of failure modes, effects, propagation 

paths, criticality, and mitigation strategies to help develop 

safety, reliability, and design data that can assist with the 

development of certification standards, means of 

compliance, and design best practices for UAS. 

Capabilities include software representations of different 

types of UAS with wide ranges of performance 

capabilities, commonly-used hardware interfaces, and 

integration of SIVL with other large scale simulations. UAS Integration and Validation Lab
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA’s Space Environments Testing Management Office

FACILITY BENEFITS

• World-class, unique, high-performance, state-of-the-art pilot-in-the-loop flight simulators 

with one-of-a-kind oculometer technology for all types of aircraft and spacecraft.

• High quality, high reliability, low operating cost, and low maintenance simulators

• Linkable to simulation facilities at other NASA Centers, DOD facilities, FAA facilities, 

commercial facilities, and university facilities to conduct large-scale multivehicle simulations 

with audio, video, and data connectivity.

• Conduct research for advanced flight deck design and vehicle operations for

crew and cargo space missions, advanced air vehicles, uninhabited aircraft systems, and 

Next Generation Air Transportation System.

FACILITY APPLICATIONS

• Aeronautical Research Simulators

- Commercial transport

- General aviation

- Fighter jets

- Uninhabited Aircraft Systems/Vehicles

- Urban Air Mobility

- Futuristic designs

• Space Flight Research Simulators

- Crew exploration and launch vehicles

- Lunar and Planetary landers

- Lifting bodies

- Lunar and Mars environments

Systems Integration Lab

CONTACT INFORMATION

NASA Langley Research Center

Victoria I. Chung Flight Simulation Facilities Miguel A. Alvarez

(757) 864-6406 Mail Stop 125B; 24 West Taylor Street (757) 864-6405

Victoria.I.Chung@nasa.gov Hampton, VA 23681-2199 Miguel.A.Alvarez@nasa.gov

The SIL is a ground-based facility used in the development and validation of 

flight/simulation experiments prior to implementation in research aircraft. 

Representative SIL hardware includes flight control computers, flight 

management computers, experimental electronics systems, and data link 

systems. Research software that supports simulation-to-flight experiments is 

developed and tested at the various simulators in conjunction with the SIL 

before actual flight validation. The SIL integrates with the FSF Human-In-theLoop flight simulators for Hardware-In-the-Loop end-to-end mission 

simulations. 

Cockpit Motion Facility: Leg Stroke: 76 in / Payload: 22,000 lb

Axis Excursion Velocity Acceleration

Vertical ±41 in ±32 in/s ±1.0 g

Lateral ±55 in ±38 in/s ±0.7 g

Longitudinal +67 in/-55 in ±38 in/s ±0.7 g

Pitch

+28 deg/-25 

deg ±23 deg/s ±225 deg/s/s

Roll ±28 deg ±23 deg/s ±225 deg/s/s

Yaw ±38 deg ±30 deg/s ±225 deg/s/s

MOTION SYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS

Research Flight Deck 

Simulator

Integration Flight Deck 

Simulator

Generic Flight Deck Simulator Development and Test 

Simulator

Test and Evaluation Simulator

Motion base/fixed base Yes/yes Yes/yes Yes/yes No/yes No/yes

Mission profile Full mission Full mission Full mission - Full mission

- Uninhabited aircraft 

systems & vehicles

- Space operations

- Uninhabited aircraft systems & 

vehicles

- Vertical lift vehicles

Crew station capacity 2 pilots/1 test engineer/

2 observers

2 pilots/1 test engineer/ 

2 observers

2 pilots/1 test engineer/ 

2 observers

2 pilots/1 test engineer/

2 observers

1 pilot/1 test engineer/

5 observers

Programmable control 

inceptor

Side sticks (SS)

Pedals

Wheel/column (WC)

Pedals

SS, WC, center sticks (CS) SS

Pedals

SS

Visual system FOV 200 x 40 panoramic 200 x 40 panoramic WAC window (4) 210 x 45 panoramic 135 x 67 panoramic

Cockpit instrumentation Programmable displays, 

4 x 17 in, 

Dual HUDs

B737-NG standard 

displays, 

HUD

Programmable displays, 

4 x 21 in, 3 x 13 in,

OTW Graphical HUD

Programmable 

displays, 4 x 17 in

Programmable displays, 6 x 23 in 

COCKPIT CHARACTERISTICS

The Research Collaboration Facility supports live, virtual, and 

constructive (LVC) capability for collaborative, distributed, and 

integrated simulation and flight tests. It facilitates efficiency in 

testing concepts, technologies, and their integration and 

interoperability. Advanced aeronautics and space exploration 

research, development, test, and evaluation can be conducted 

with a mixed of live, virtual, and constructive aerospace assets 

that simultaneously operate in various geographical locations.

Research 

Collaboration Facility