Link Trainer and Other World War II Simulator Information

[Noha307]

PIMA

Thanks!

So, apparently there was a whole category of simulators that existed not for training, but for evaluation of potential flying candidates. These type of devices were mentioned in previous posts (1, 2) and seemed to have existed to washout individuals who did not have the requisite skills - namely hand-eye-foot coordination - early in the flight training process. The South Australian Aviation Museum has a similar device that they call an "RAAF Aircrew Recruitment Test" that seems to involve keeping a white dot projected on a screen centered inside a reticle using a stick:

(Source: South Australian Aviation Museum via Facebook)

Also, somewhat similar to the Link trainer comparison table included in a previous post, I tried creating a table to explain the differences between the FAA categories of flight simulator based on the descriptions provided in a Qualification and Approval section of the flight simulator Wikipedia article. The result is a bit of a mess in that it uses self-created terms, probably contains a number of errors, the categories may not be sufficiently delineated be readily mappable to a table and the table does not include a complete level of granularity (e.g. no "levels"). However, at the very least, it is useful in thinking about the various ways a flight simulator can be categorized:

FAA Simulator Categories Table.png (27.95 KiB) Viewed 3451 times

Then I decided to try to lay it out a bit differently to emphasize the increasing requirements at each level. Again, this is simplified for the sake of explanation:

Lastly, it's worth noting that EASA has its own categories, but I didn't bother going into them.

[Noha307]

Interestingly, Link was not the only aircraft simulator company that moved into amusement rides to make ends meet during the Great Depression. The Eyerly Aircraft Company did so as well. However, unlike Link, it never moved back. The company built both a "flying simulator" - the Whiffle Hen - and a ground based one called the Orientator. The former seems to be a bit of an outgrowth of the wingless "penguin" concept the French developed during World War I. Surprisingly, it still exists in the collection of the Oregon Aviation Historical Society.[1] You may recognize the name of the other device from a previous post in this thread. No connection between Ruggles and Eyerly devices is known, but a if a comparison is made between the description of latter's device in the company's Wikipedia article and the picture in the aforementioned post it is hard to believe there cannot be one.

A blog post by Jonathan Boschen of the Theater Historical Society of America provided not only a good history of how prolific the Jam Handy Corporation's filmstrips once were, but also a picture of what is presumably the E-14 trainer mentioned in a previous post:

(Source: Theatre Historical Society of America)

Lastly, a much better quality picture of the A-2 Bomb Trainer mentioned in a previous post appeared in an article by the Ohio Exploration Society:

(Source: Ohio Exploration Society)

[Noha307]

The torpedo attack trainer mentioned in a previous post was apparently not the only dome-based trainer the British developed during World War II. There was also an anti-aircraft trainer, invented by Henry Christian Stephens and called the "Dome Teacher" or "Dome Instructor", that used the same projected film technology:

(Source: Langham Dome)

(Source: Langham Dome)

One of the surviving installations, Langham Dome, has been turned into a small museum and the setup recreated so that visitors can try it out for themselves. Their website has a lot of excellent information and is definitely worth checking out.

[Noha307]

Apparently production of the kiddie cockpits mentioned in a previous post didn't end with the war - they just got more advanced. Starting in 1961, the Ideal Toy Company sold an "Electronic Fighter Jet" that, aside from the interactive and electronic features, looks strikingly similar to the "Aviator's Training Cockpit" from 1942:
[Link to Video]

Note that the projection of the aircraft silhouette is nearly identical in concept to the Dome Instructor mentioned in a previous post.

Only two years later Deluxe Reading, Inc. came out with its Jimmy Jet.

The designs also expanded into other crew positions as well. Although the B-52 Ball Turret Gun by Remco Industries resembled a tail gun rather than a ball turret, it still shows a lineage that can be traced back to the various gunnery trainers during the war:
[Link to Video]

Based on the marketing spiel, these toys can be seen as the beginning of the "militainment" industry as well as leading to the connection of warbirds and video games in the modern era.