The Concorde Simulator
Concorde Simulator History:
The two Concorde simulators were built at a cost of around £3 million each and entered service in 1975. One sim was designed and built by Redifon/Singer Link-Miles and was used by BA and based at Filton near Bristol. The other was designed and built by Le Materiel Telephonique (LMT) and was used by Air France and based at Charles de Gaulle airport near Paris. The sims stood on a motion system consisting of several large hydraulic rams. In its original form the view out of the BA sim's cockpit windows was generated from a small camera moving over a giant model landscape that was fixed to the floor in an adjacent room. The images from this camera were then projected onto large screens. By 1989 the sim had undergone a graphics engine makeover, at a further cost of £3 million, and which brought her in line with all the very best sims around the world. The upgrade included an intricate projection screen that gave pilots a 165 degree view of computer-generated images. The updates to the system also vastly increased the scope of the artifical landscape that it was possible to fly over. The original sim setup was limited to the areas and the single airport of the giant model, whereas the new system enabled pilots to 'fly' to many of the major airports around the world - all accurately computer generated!
To access the simulator it was necessary to climb a ladder and then walk across a retractable bridge. The large hydraulic rams that gave the sim its motion meant that the 'box' containing the cockpit and the projection screens stood about 15 feet in the air. Once inside the simulator cockpit pilots would immediately feel like they were on the flight deck of a real Concorde. The instrumentation, lighting and functionality of the systems closely mimicked their real-world counterparts. The simulator computers were operated by technicians who could program the system with artificial fuel and passenger loads, weather variations, determine whether it was day or night and also generate a myriad of system and hardware failures for the pilots to deal with. The technicians would also simulate Air Traffic Control. Every emergency procedure was practised to perfection. Single or double engine failure, pressurisation failure followed by emergency decent and failure of electrical signalling to the flying controls were typical examples of the sort of procedures learnt.
Pilots said that 'flying' the simulator was extraordinarily realistic. The response to control movement was extremely accurate, all the instruments behaved as they would in the real aircraft and pre-recorded ambient and system noises played through speakers inside the sim added an extra bit of authenticity. Added to all this was the motion system which enabled the pilots inside to experience the usual sensations of flight - accelerating, turning, climbing and descending. Despite its accuracy and realism, the visual and motion systems on the Concorde simulator were not as advanced as today's more modern simulators and as such it was not 'zero-hour rated'. Zero-hour rated simulators allow converting pilots to go onto fly their first landing in the real aircraft while carrying passengers - albeit under the supervision of a highly experienced training Captain. Despite this, the Concorde simulator was still an extremely effective systems trainer. The simulator training course lasted a total of 76 hours - 19 4-hour sessions.
The Concorde Simulator at Brooklands:
When Concorde operations ceased at the end of 2003, British Airways decommissioned the Filton based simulator. The simulator was subsequently donated to Brooklands Museum to ultimately be displayed alongside Concorde Delta Golf and was transported to the museum in 2004. Brooklands are currently working on a plan to get the simulator working again, albeit in a much simpler manner than when it was used by BA. When decommissioned, all but the sim's cockpit section was disposed of so the sim will now only be used as a static simulator.
The project to get the sim 'operational' again will be a joint venture between the University of Surrey (UniS) and The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). It will involve the installation of a realistic simulator and advanced computer graphics into the existing simulator cockpit. This is to be provided and engineered by XPI Simulation Ltd, who are specialists in this field. This simulator environment will be projected onto a large screen mounted in front of the cockpit windows and will be controlled by the original flight controls inside the simulator. Also, some of the original cockpit instruments, such as the ADI, ASI, Machmeter, Altimeter and Radio Altimeter will be operational.
The simulator at Brooklands has been moved into a newly refurbished room in a building next to Concorde Delta Golf and work is now underway to get it operational. It is hoped to have the simulator open by the summer of 2008 and it promises to be a very unique exhibit. Once open, visitors will be able to sit in a viewing area inside the simulator and watch a demonstration 'flight'. It will also be available for people to try for themselves on special occasions and during corporate events. This page will cover project progress over the coming months.
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