Patent ID: 8566071

Claim:
An apparatus for training an autopilot to fly a simulated aeronautical vehicle, said apparatus comprising: a three-degree of freedom gimbaled platform comprising a pitch axis, a roll axis, and a yaw axis; an autopilot component operatively connected to said platform, wherein said autopilot component comprises an inertial measurement unit; a plurality of motors that rotate said platform along the pitch, roll, and yaw axes; a plurality of shaft encoders operatively connected to said plurality of motors, wherein said plurality of shaft encoders calculate an angular position of said platform; a plurality of motor drivers operatively connected to said plurality of motors, wherein said plurality of motor drivers power said plurality of motors; a microcontroller operatively connected to said plurality of motor drivers; a quadrature encoder operatively connected to said plurality of shaft encoders and said microcontroller; a plurality of sensors that generate and sense environmental conditions affecting said platform and said autopilot; a flight simulator module operatively connected to said microcontroller; and a computer that executes said flight simulator module, wherein execution of said flight simulator module causes actuation of said platform, causes said plurality of sensors to generate environmental conditions, and causes said autopilot component to react to said environmental conditions.