Part I

GETTING OFF THE GROUND
This portion of the guide will help every virtual aviator, from the new pilot to the seasoned aviator. The setup tips in Chapter 1 will help you get your system and the simulator into top form, with easy-to-follow instructions for optimizing performance. Chapter 2 should prove to be an invaluable resource for every pilot, with full start-up and takeoff checklists for every aircraft in the simulator. From there, youll learn how to actually apply your navigation skills in practice with the navigation instruction in Chapter 3. Finally, pilots of all skill levels will benefit from the advanced maneuvers and procedures detailed in Chapter 4. Whether youre just starting a virtual piloting career or expanding one, youll find essential information in this section of the guide to help you enjoy Flight Simulator 2002 to its fullest.

CHAPTER 1

Ground School
This chapter contains information that novice pilots and veteran aviators alike need to get into the air with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002. It begins with tips for optimizing your systems configuration and program settings. We then look at Flight Simulator 2002s in-game settings and discuss peripheral devices that help create an accurate simulation experience.
Configuring the Simulation
Flight Simulator 2002 is one of the most advanced programs on the market today in any field. The simulation pushes the performance of modern desktop systems to the very edge of their capabilities, with demands on everything from raw processing power to displaying graphics to sound mixing. However, it can function equally well on a system that just squeaks by with the minimum system requirements. All thats required is a little bit of tweaking with your system and Flight Simulator 2002 itself. This section will help TIP you do just that.

Optimizing Your System

There are a few things you can do to make sure that your system is fully capable of running Flight Simulator 2002 at a reasonable level of performance. Obviously, you could go out and buy the fastest computer with the most advanced features available, but thats not a very realistic solution for most of us. Still, there are some relatively inexpensive upgrades that will make a huge difference in the performance of your entire system, Flight Simulator 2002 included: Buy a 3D graphics card: While cutting-edge graphics cards run hundreds of dollars, video cards with slightly dated chipsets can be found at affordable prices. For example, you should be able to pick up a card based on the Voodoo 2 or Voodoo 3 chipsets, the ATI Rage chipset, or one of the older NVidia chipsets for under $50. These cards are inexpensive for a reason: theyre older and generally feature 8MB or 12MB of Video RAM (VRAM). Flight Simulator 2002 requires at least 8MB VRAM, and your performance will definitely be better if you spend a bit more and get a card with at least 16MB RAM. Make sure the 3D graphics card you buy is a hardware accelerator, not a softwareaccelerated 3D card. Many cards call themselves 3D just because they can take advantage of Windows Direct3D software, but there is a great performance difference between 3D software acceleration and 3D hardware acceleration. Install more memory: Memory (also referred to as Random Access Memory, or RAM) is extremely inexpensive these days, and its one of the easiest components for users to install by themselves. You should upgrade in whatever denomination you can afford, although the price point for 256MB chips is ideal (as of this writing).
Be sure to check out the Before You Fly Handbook, included on your Flight Simulator CDs. It contains a great deal of helpful information for setting up both your system and the simulation.

Chapter 1 Ground School

Optimizing Windows
The first step in getting the best performance out of any program is to ensure that youre getting top performance out of your Windows operating system. Since Windows is behind every program that runs on your desktop, it makes sense that any program will only run as well as you have WARNING Windows configured. Below, youll find a few techniques for optimizing your Windows configuration.
If youre not comfortable implementing any of the changes in this section, dont try them! We cant offer technical support or accept liability for any changes to your computer or system, but these procedures have worked for us on most systems with a good degree of success.
Most of the following changes will require you to change system settings. For maximum safety, write down the original settings before you implement any changes. This way, youll be able to easily change them back in case you experience a problem. Also, you will often be asked to reboot your system in order for changes to take effect; do this each time the option is offered, to help ensure stability.

Disk Defragmentation

Perhaps the easiest system optimization you can perform is to defragment (defrag) your hard drive(s). As you store and erase information on your computer over time, related materials end up spread all over the place. The defrag process cleans this mess up, putting all related information together. Defragmentation can take over an hour on larger drives, so be sure to schedule the operation when you wont need the computer for a while. To defragment your drive, follow these steps: 1. Close all programs; e-mail, communications programs, virus scanners, or any other applications that periodically access the hard drive will force the defrag process to start over. 2. Click Start, then Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools, and then Disk Defragmenter. 3. At the Select Drive prompt, you should be defaulted to the C: physical drive. If so, click OK; otherwise, use the drop-down menu to select the C: physical drive before clicking OK.

WARNING

Its important to close all programs when optimizing your system. Check your system tray on your desktops Start menu bar and close all programs other than those essential to running Windows. Some programs require you to open the Close Program dialog box (press Ctrl-Alt-Del once).

Virtual Memory Settings

By default, Windows 95 and 98 use a system called virtual memory to let your computer act as if it has more physical RAM than it actually does. Virtual memory has many advantages, but it does come with some drawbacks as well. First, information stored on your hard drives is retrieved much more slowly than information stored in physical memory. Second, Windows dynamically controls the size of your virtual memory cache, meaning that it constantly monitors your need and changes its size as necessary. This is a burden on your processor and does cause some performance degradation. To fix this in Windows 95 and 98 (for later versions of Windows, please consult the operating systems Help), do the following: 1. Open System Properties in Control Panel by selecting Start, then Settings, and then Control Panel. 2. Select the Performance tab. Make a note of the amount of memory you have installed, as shown at the top of the dialog box. 3. Click the Virtual Memory button on the bottom of the window. On the next screen, select Let me specify my own virtual memory settings by clicking the appropriate radio button. 4. In the boxes below, select your fastest hard drive from the pull-down menu. Some people have installed newer hard drives as a drive D: or higher; if you have a newer and faster drive installed, select it instead of your C: drive. 5. You want 640MB of memory in your system, as a total of your physical RAM and your virtual memory. Remembering the amount of memory installed in your system from the display above, enter an amount that will add up to 640MB in the Minimum and Maximum fields. So if your system has 256MB of physical RAM, type 384 into both fields to give you a total of 640MB. By setting the minimum and maximum to the same size, your computer wont waste processor cycles managing it.
Optimizing the Simulation Settings
Flight Simulator 2002 is fully customizable, allowing you to tailor the simulations processing demands to your computers specific configuration. You can set the simulator to display sparse terrain with no frills, full-screen 3D with accelerated high-resolution graphics and computer-controlled planes filling the sky, or anything in between. This wide range of options means that a wide range of computers can successfully run the simulation. You can access all of the simulators options through the Settings screen, shown in Figure 1.1. All settings in a demanding program like Flight Simulator should be seen as compromises. Unless you have the latest and greatest hardware across the board (processor, motherboard, RAM, graphics card, etc.), you probably wont be able to run the simulation with all
Figure 1.1 The Settings screen offers powerful configuration options.
of the settings maxed out. However, thats not really necessary for an excellent sim experience. All you have to do is learn to balance performance with features. The simulation can push your computer to the limit. Go beyond the limit, and Flight Simulator 2002 will run too slowly to be enjoyed. Every feature you turn on takes up some

Frame Rates

One universal requirement in Flight Simulator 2002 is frame rate. This term is a measure of how many picture frames per second (FPS) are displayed on your screen. A frame rate of about 11 FPS is the absolute minimum acceptable, and most people prefer a minimum frame rate of 16 FPS or more. Anything less results in some strange situations because of display lag. At very low frame rates, the difference between what the simulation is doing and what you actually see on the screen can be significant. Eventually, you will see things too late to react to them. For example, you wont be able to tell when to center your controls when banking, because you will see the plane jerking around in response to input sent earlier. To see your current frame rate, press Shift-Z twice. The first time you press it, youll see your planes coordinates displayed. The second will bring up the frame rate display, which shows both the FPS and your current G-loads (which are described in Chapter 4: Spreading Your Wings). Use this display liberally when tweaking your simulator settings. It provides useful feedback on the effects that your selections are having on overall simulation performance. By changing one thing at a time and then looking at the frame rate, youll see which settings have the most effect on your computer system and you can plan further tweaks accordingly.
of your PCs resources, so the trick is to figure out which features are important to you and which you can live without. Your ultimate goal should be to tailor the settings to give you performance within the bounds of your computers capabilities, while still delivering all the features that you want. The central compromise in all settings is speed versus quality and quantity. On one side of the equation are smooth motion, crisp control response, seamless instrument displays, and generally fast performance. Weighing against this is the natural desire for an environment that looks and feels as real as possible, with highly detailed graphics, dense terrain features near the ground, air traffic and dynamic scenery, and other features that simply make everything look better.

Display Settings

Your first stop should be the Display Settings menu. This controls all aspects of the look of the simulator, which has the greatest overall impact on performance. The first tab is the Scenery menu. This section controls all of the specific scenery settings. Before fiddling with the individual settings, try the drop-down Global Scenery Settings menu. If your system is near the minimum requirements, try choosing Low here. Medium befits the recommended system, and High is best for systems that exceed the recommended requirements. Choose the Extremely High setting only if your computer is truly cutting-edge.
Remember that there is a point of diminishing returns with graphics quality. Since this is a simulation of flight (and flight is about moving), as your graphics quality makes frame rates fall below 15 FPS, the simulation will start to look worse instead of better because of the choppy motion.

Note that each settings impact on performance is also greatly dependent upon where you fly. Flying over Denver, the water effects setting will have little effect on performance, but the terrain mesh will have a huge impact because of the mountainous topography. Conversely, spend most of your time crossing the Atlantic at night and in fog, and there will be no difference in performance even with terrain texture qualities maxed out, since no terrain textures can be displayed! Below is a general look at each Scenery setting. As noted above, your mileage may vary depending upon the conditions and locations in which you fly. Scenery Texture Quality: Scenery Texture Quality controls the appearance of the surfaces of the scenery in the simulation. Everything you see in Flight Simulator 2002 is made up of polygons, which have painted surfaces used to suggest details. For example, a building might look like it has windows, doors, trim, and so on, when it is really just a flat wall with those details painted on it. The higher the texture quality, the better those details will look.
Terrain Mesh Complexity: This setting governs the distance between each elevation point on the ground, which determines the size of the polygons that make up ground features. More polygons mean more detailed terrain. Polygon count is also a sure-fire way to slow down performance, so be careful with this one. Terrain Texture Size: This controls the distance at which you see complex scenery. The higher this setting, the greater the distance at which youll see detailed, high-resolution terrain. Obviously, this will take its toll on performance, so use it sparingly. Autogen Density: New for Flight Simulator 2002, the Autogen Density setting creates trees, buildings, and other appropriate objects in places where specific ground objects havent already been placed. This helps the world look more realistic and populated. The denser the setting, the more often youll encounter these objects. Autogen causes a moderate performance hit. Scenery Complexity: All of the scenery objects in the simulation are controlled here. Higher settings mean more buildings, trees, roads, towers, and everything else that sits on the ground. This can cause a significant hit on frame rates, but its also one of the frills that makes flying the simulator enjoyable if youre using visual flight rules or sightseeing. Conversely, if you mostly fly at high altitude or in inclement weather, you wont notice much difference except when landing and taking off. Scenery Effects: This setting should be kept fairly high, as most special effects appear rarely and the overall performance hit is negligible. If you want to see jet contrails and the Extra 300Ss smoke trails but your system is bogging down, this is the setting to adjust. Maximum Visibility: Absolute maximum visibility range before things are fogged out at the horizon is handled here. The higher you set it, the farther youll see into the distance. This setting has the greatest effect on slower computers. If its important to see your immediate surroundings, trade distance for local quality. Water Effects: This turns on wave action along coastlines. If you fly close enough to see them, youll take a performance hit, so bewareyou dont want to be pushing 12 FPS and then wander into a beach area, as your frame rate would drop and you might be unable to control the plane. Dynamic Scenery: This setting adjusts how much dynamic scenery, including air traffic, appears. The more dynamic scenery you select, the more your PCs resources will be taxed. Similar setting options are included for the aircraft models in the game. If you like using the chase plane or tower views, use higher settings on the Exterior Texture Size and Global Aircraft Quality options. And if you use the virtual cockpit for anything other than occasional sightseeing, youll want to use a higher quality there. Checkboxes for the individual effects (shown in Figure 1.2) do have an effect on performanceturning off shadows is one way to

Gear Up!

Figure 1.2 The Aircraft Display Settings menu controls the appearance of aircraft.
gain an extra frame or two immediately. Reflections look beautiful, but they also cost quite a bit of processor time. The last tab in the Display Settings menu is called Hardware. The resolution you use will have one of the most significant effects on your frame rates. A minimum machine should use 640x480, and you can go up from there depending on your system capabilities. Note that 3D visuals work only when flying the simulation in full-screen mode, so always use this setting if youre pushing your performance with a true 3D card. Hardware Rendering Options improve the overall texture quality, but they do have a noticeable effect on performance.
Much of the enjoyment when flying a simulator comes from getting as close as you can to the real thing. There are a few things that you can do to help re-create some of the authentic flying experience, and this section examines those methods.

The Flight Controller

One of the most significant ways to enhance your experience with Flight Simulator 2002 is to use full-featured controllers. While any two-button joystick performs the absolute minimum pitch and roll functions, having a controller similar to the ones in real aircraft helps you feel like youre really in a plane. Since you dont have any other physical sensations of
flight (no inertial forces, no wind in your hair, no smells of engine oil), the controls in your hand are really your only physical tie to flying and, therefore, are extremely important.

Joysticks

A joystick is the most practical way to control your simulator. It can be used for Flight Simulator 2002 and as your primary controller for any other software title that makes use of a standard joystick. This makes it an investment in fun that can cover multiple games, which certainly makes the WARNING most sense for those concerned with the bottom line.
Not all hat switches are the same. Some offer only four-way viewing, which restricts your control to the four cardinal directions. This is almost useless for taxiing and navigation, when you need your front quarters. Look for a stick that has an eight-way hat switch.
At their most basic, joysticks are simple two-axis affairs with two or four buttons. It might be a good idea to spend a few extra dollars to purchase a quality stick. If you crank away on your joystick while powering through a high-G maneuver, you can exert serious forces on its components. A broken stick that you have to replace is more expensive than the durable one you bought only once.

When selecting a stick, pay special attention to the gimbals, mechanical links that allow the stick to pivot. These are usually the first things to give way in a stick, so look for strong construction. Microsoft has a complete line of versatile, affordable joysticks in the SideWinder family. Both the Precision 2 and Force Feedback 2 models offer eight-way hat switches and rudder controls. For more information, check out http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/sidewinder/sidewinder.asp. Saitek makes a base-model joystick line with an innovative spring system that will probably outlast your PC. They are a good choice for pilots who arent looking to spend a lot on a controller, since they still offer features such as multiple buttons and a separate throttle like their more expensive cousins (see Figure 1.3). For the ultimate joystick suite, try one with a separate throttle (sometimes called a HOTAS, which is short for Hands On Throttle And Stick). This type of stick is more expensive than a basic model, but you might find the features make it worth the extra cost. These sticks are readily available in most computer stores, which puts them within reach of the average armchair pilot. Thrustmaster produces a popular stick and throttle combo called the Top Gun Afterburner, shown in Figure 1.4. The Afterburner includes eight buttons, an eightway hat switch to change views, a full-throttle handle, and a selectable rudder that allows you to control the rudder by either twisting the stick or by using a fingertip rocker switch on the far side of the throttle handle. Stick twisting is a common feature these days, but you can get more precise control from the throttle rocker, making this controller very attractive
Figure 1.3 The Saitek ST110 and ST220 are solid base-level joysticks with throttle levers and multiple buttons.
Figure 1.4 The Thrustmaster Top Gun Afterburner is an excellent fullfeatured joystick and throttle suite.
for the Flight Simulator pilot. Also, the joystick and throttle can be screwed together into a single unit for use on cramped desks, or even in your lap. Flight yokes and rudder pedals are the closest thing you can get to the controls found in most civil aircraft, but theyre hard to find in retail outlets. If youre willing to order through the mail, you can find flight yoke systems with various feature sets available for purchase
direct from the manufacturers. You can also get rudder pedal systems. Be sure that they are compatible with the flight yoke you select, though, as even some systems made by the same manufacturers are not compatible with all of their products. This sometimes makes the business of selecting a yoke and pedal system a complicated process. However, you can find some great hints and tips online by surfing to http://www.flightsim.com for information and reviews of some of the systems available. The manufacturers Web sites also include useful feature information.

Your sound system should not be underestimated when considering flight hardware. Flight Simulator 2002 faithfully reproduces the sounds of being in flight, and your system should take full advantage of them with a proper sound card and speaker system. Faint, scratchy, or tinny sounds will constantly remind you that youre in your home or office sitting at a keyboard. The most common type of sound card is a 16-bit model. You can also go to the other extreme with 128-bit cards that have radio tuners, mixing boards, and a host of other stuff that you might not need. The best way to go is with a straightforward card made especially for gaming. There are several on the market today that are available for under $60. Speakers are probably even more important than your sound card. Almost all sound cards can at least do a passable job at sound processing, but unamplified, low-quality speakers probably wont do a very good job of properly imaging the throaty roar of a 747s engines. Your local electronics superstore often has specials on amplified speakers that provide a much more exciting aural atmosphere for around $25. Spend a little more and you can get a subwoofer, which is a box that specializes in producing deep bass soundsperfect for a little kick in the pants when something exciting happens!

Your First Flight

With your system optimized, the simulator configured, and your peripherals in place, youre ready to fly! The quick reference card included with Flight Simulator 2002 includes step-bystep instructions on getting in the air for free flight. Feel free to ignore air traffic control, airspace restrictions, and TIP even destination concernsjust get up there and fly! If you select a populated area such as southern California or the U.S. Eastern seaboard, youll find a place to land simThe glossary on the simulators disc provides ply by flying in any direction (except maybe out to sea) useful definitions for every aviatorcheck it for a long enough time. out if you encounter a word or concept you dont understand.
For information on creating a specific flight plan, turn to Chapter 6. Therein youll find a detailed examination of the considerations that shape a formal flight plan, and youll learn how to create any flight plan you want. Chapters 7 and 8 provide you with walkthroughs of the simulators new flight activities, which are themed flights, complete with background situations and fully programmed flight plans. Choose any of them, and flip to the appropriate walkthrough for a full-fledged flight experience!

The use of virtual flight simulation for Airspace Design in Aeronautical Engineering Education
Rosa Arnaldo, Luis Perez, Javier Crespo, Felix Alonso
Aeronautical Infrastructure, Air and Space Systems and Airports Department. Universidad Politcnica de Madrid Madrid, Spain rosamaria.arnaldo@upm.es
AbstractThe technology of current home PC flight simulators, specifically their powerful graphics and the simulator physics models, makes them a useful resource for training and education. Although the teacher should help the student to be aware of the simulators weak points, to avoid picking up misconceptions, PC flight simulators and internet virtual worlds are becoming recognized as an important training resource in aeronautical disciplines such as engineering. This paper presents an innovative project, developed by Escuela Universitaria de Ingeniera Tcnica Aeronautica (EUITA) [University School of Aeronautical Technical Engineering] of the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid [Polytechnic University of Madrid], to help the students to master several aeronautical disciplines. The project includes the development of a complete set of educational simulations supported by commercial off the shelf flight videogame simulator and Internet Virtual World for pilot and air traffic control simulation. Keywords- component; videogame; flight simulator; internet virtual world; aeronautics; engineering.
(principles of flight) and a certain sensitivity to enable them understand and anticipate the impact of the procedures on aircraft operation. According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), flight procedure designer training must be competency based. Being conscious of the fact that one of the basic problems in engineering education is the practical application of the theoretical knowledge gained in engineering courses, at EUITA we have developed an innovative project to help students master this area. A specific course in the latter stages of the aeronautical degree is devoted to this discipline. The course includes a theoretical part devoted to the principles behind the standards, and a practical part. In the practical part the students master the practical abilities required by designing themselves instrumental flight procedures and developing the sensitivity required by flying the procedures, they have previously designed, on a low cost flight simulator. That way, students can see the results of their work and better assimilate the design principles. This flight simulator has been specifically developed for that purpose, by professors of the Infrastructure, Aerospace Systems and Airport Departments, based upon a commercial off the shelf flight simulation videogame, called X-plane. The innovative component of the project lays on the use of commercial of the shelf flight videogame simulator for recreating the virtually real environment of an aircraft cockpit on which real learning could take place. More over professors of this academic course have developed a complete set of educational simulations, where the students and the learning process becomes the centre. Those educational simulations are at the same time instructive, motivating and fun. Additionally, based the encouraging results of this experience, the same team of professors have investigated the suitability of one popular Internet Virtual World (devoted to aircraft, pilot and air traffic control simulation) for education purposes. The investigation discusses the functionality and features, and assesses its perceived limitations for its use in educational context with a particular focus on the ability to link

INTRODUCTION

In order to facilitate the safe, orderly and expeditious flight of aircraft from one airport to another, airspace structures, such as airways, departure and arrival instrumental flight procedures, holding patterns, etc are defined in the airspace. The design of these procedures is a critical element for the safety of aircraft operation, as these procedures ensure aircraft separation from the terrain and contribute to ensuring aircraft separation once airborne. Aeronautical engineers are actively involved in airspace design and related activities. Airspace and instrument flight procedure design principles and criteria are part of the syllabus of the aeronautical engineering degree at the Escuela Universitaria de Ingeniera Tcnica Aeronautica (EUITA) of the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid. Mastering this discipline requires a broad technical knowledge (procedure designers need to not only know subjects such as CNS/ATM System geodetics and mapping, Flight Management System database coding, aircraft performance, and noise modelling), but also have an in-depth understanding of aircraft flight
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/integrate the environments. II.

Virtual

existing

learning

AIR NAVIGATION AND AIR SPACE DESIGN
The Air Navigation System encompasses all the infrastructure, technical and human resources that are required to enable aircraft to define their trajectory and fly safely and expeditiously from their origin to their destination [1]. In order to facilitate the orderly movement of aircraft, airspace routes, airways, instrument flight procedures and others airspace structures need to be defined. Airspace design is therefore an essential part of the air navigation system. It comprises the implementation of instrument flight procedures and the development of a system of routes able to guarantee a safe and orderly flow of air traffic, when over-flying or flying directly towards destination airports. In an ideal world, airspace design would make it possible for arriving, departing and en-route flights to operate so that they did not have to cross one another, or climb and descend through each others flight levels. Furthermore, approach and take-off flight paths would be free of obstacles. Unfortunately, however, this ideal design environment is seldom possible. It means that airspace designers need to take steps to reduce the likelihood of aircraft encounters and crossings, as well as to ensure that the probability of an aircraft colliding with the terrain is avoided, or at least reduced to a level As Low As Reasonable Practicable (ALARP). The proper planning and design of routes, holding patterns, arrival and departure instrument procedures, airspace structures and ATC sectorisation in both terminal and en-route airspace can be effective in reducing the likelihood of aircraft accidents or incidents. The converse is also true: poorly designed airspace can create situations where accidents or incidents are more likely to occur [2]. For example, while not actually causing them, poorly designed airspace can increase the risk of loss of separation between aircraft, and Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT). Airspace and procedure design should follow the principles laid down in ICAO Annex 6 Aircraft Operation[3], ICAO Doc 8168 (PANS-OPS) [4] and Doc 4444 (PANS-ATM) [5]. PANS-OPS provide criteria for the design of procedures covering instrument approach, holding and departure. PANSOPS provisions also cover en-route procedures where obstacle clearance is a consideration. PANS-ATM provides procedures for air navigation services, whose basic tenets form the basis of airspace design. EUROCONTROL provides guidance material for airspace design and PANS-OPS procedure design through various publications such as the Manual for Airspace Planning [6] and the Guidance Material for the Design of Terminal Procedures for Area Navigation [7]. Instrument flight procedure design is a complex field of activity. Air traffic volume grows worldwide, terminal airspaces are more and more congested, air navigation technology evolves and environmental issues are certainly not decreasing. More and more the procedure design expert has to address many issues and good and continuous training becomes

one of the key elements in creating safe and efficient instrument flight procedures. For the contemporary procedure designer it is vital not only to know design guidance material such as PANS-OPS, but, more and more, also other related subjects such as geodetics and mapping, FMS (Flight Management Systems) database coding, aircraft performance, EU-OPS [8] and noise modelling. Mastering basic principles in these areas is a prerequisite. Aeronautical engineers play a major role in airspace design and in related activities, concerning the design of instrument flight procedures, radar maps and the management and optimization of national airway systems. Therefore, instrument flight procedure design is one of the areas that aeronautical engineering degree students needs to master [9]. According to ICAO [10], Flight Procedure Designer Training must be competency based. This is a fundamental difference with respect to traditional education. Traditional education is centred on the teacher and the unit of progression is time. Whereas in competency based education teaching is centred on the learner and the unit of progression is the mastery of the skills [11,12,13,14]. To ensure that students gain the required competency, professors at EUITA have designed a program that combines incremental use of flight simulation technologies in the learning process with a set of educational simulations. In particular, this set of educational simulations has been designed to be executed using the two different state-of-the-art simulation platforms presented in this article: A commercial off the shelf PC flight simulator used for recreating the virtually real environment of an aircraft cockpit in which real learning can take place. The popular Internet Virtual World devoted to aircraft, pilot and air traffic control simulation.
INCREMENTAL USE OF SIMULATION TECHNOLOGIES IN COMPETENCY BASED EDUCATION AND ACTIVE LEARNING.
As technology has improved it has been used more and more in teaching-learning. The incorporation of new technologies in the field of teaching is facilitating the implementation of new learning methodologies: constructivism, problem based learning, case-based learning, learning by doing, active learning, etc. All these new forms of learning focus on the student not on the teacher, and represent a greater involvement of the student in the learning process. World experts in the field of education confirm the greater effectiveness of these methods [15]. Dr. Larson from the MIT argues that students should do, practice, experiment, play and manipulate concepts, and also have fun [16]. Active learning could hardly be more graphically described than with the expression learning by doing. This is important in business and humanistic teachings [17], and it is even more important in the scientific or technical disciplines where practicals have always been a major component in learning.

Virtual Worlds Virtual laboratories

Simulators

Conventional practice and experimentation +++ Interactivity +++ Possibility to act
+++ Number of students +++ Technological profile of the student
Figure 1. Incremental use of simulation technologies in the learning process.
As such, the project presented in this paper is a commitment to incorporate new technologies in the educational process, promoting the active participation of students through experience that is centred on the student learning process. Apart from teaching purposes, it is understandable that from the students the point of view, it would be very exciting to have a series of educational tools, some of them accessible via Internet, enabling them to reinforce and practice those skills outlined in the lectures. IV. USE OF AN AD-HOC PC-BASED FLIGHT SIMULATOR IN THE LEARNING PROCESS.
Simulators are computer programs that let us work in a virtual environment with complex technical devices and test their operation as if we were in a real environment. Simulation applications are often used to simulate real processes. Some of these applications have transcended the engineering field and have become general purpose consumer products, such as flight simulators. Simulation environments are a privileged field for multidisciplinary activities in education. Simulators allow rapid and effective comprehension of complex concepts. A simulator has a major advantage over a text or a lecturer's explanation: interactivity. The students can "play" with different parameters and observe the results. The first flight simulator in the aerospace industry was installed by Pan American Airways in 1948. It had no screen and consisted of a series of analogue dials that reproduced the basic instrumentation of the aircraft. This first simulator allowed pilots to be instructed in emergency situations, and
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duty tactical feel gear and flap switches, push-to-talk and elevator trim switches on left side of grip AND four way view switch on right side of grip. - Sub Panel: The Flight Link Sub Panel mounts on the bottom of the Flight Console and allows the pilot to control most of the systems found in all high performance single engine aircraft. It main features are: Magnetos key switch, Starter button, Master (ELEC., ALT., Avionics) rocker switches, Pitot heat rocker switch, Fuel pump rocker switch, Lights (NAV, Land, Taxi, BCN) rocker switches, Four position (off, left, both, right) fuel selector, Cowl Flaps, Three system operation buttons. - Rudder Control Module. The Rudder Control Module (otherwise known as the RCM) uses industrial grade hydraulic cylinders which simulate accurate damping effect found while in flight. - KR-1 Avionics Stack: It incorporates Bendix-King standard equipment for general aviation avionics. Its main features are: realistic dual concentric radio knobs, orange gas plasma displays, two KX 165 NAV / COMM's, KR 87 ADF , KN 62A DME , KT 71 transponder , KFC 150 autopilot , OBS 1 & 2, altimeter and DG concentric knobs, individual marker
beacon lights, full functioning red and green gear lights and HOBBS meter. This simulator provides something other than can be provided by a teachers explanation or a book: interactivity, the ability to act and see how different decisions affect the outcome of a problem. With all that has been said so far, it seems surprising that simulators are not an essential tool in teaching. Unfortunately, the use of this type of simulator in teaching has certain limitations. Simulators are still relatively complex and expensive tools that required skilled staff for their installation, maintenance and use. Their use as teaching tools may involve a heavy workload. For example the use of flight simulators with a conventional approach to teaching involves sequential use of the facilities, with continuous teacher supervision, which makes it unfeasible to design a program for a large number of students. It is, therefore, necessary to explore other technologies to extend the principles and benefits of the use of simulation training to a large group of students.

Figure 2. Low cost simulator for educational simulations.
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USE OF AN AD-HOC FLIGHT VIRTUAL WORLD IN THE LEARNING PROCESS.
The state of the art, in the integration of simulation technologies in the learning process, is currently constituted by "virtual worlds." For educational purposes, virtual worlds can combine, in a single environment, the advantages of conventional simulators and their ability to reproduce the reality of complex systems with the ease of access and interaction of virtual laboratories A virtual world is a genre of online community that often takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment, through which users can interact with one another and use and create objects [21]. Virtual worlds are intended for their users to inhabit and interact. Todays virtual worlds are immersive, animated, 3D environments that operate over the Internet, giving access to anyone in the world. Many online games take place in such environments. The computer accesses a computer-simulated world and presents perceptual stimuli to the user, who in turn can manipulate elements of the modelled world and thus experiences telepresence to a certain degree [22]. The model world may simulate rules based on the real world: gravity, topography, locomotion, real-time actions, and communication. Interaction with other participants is done in real-time, although time consistency is not always maintained in online virtual worlds. Some virtual worlds offer an online persistent world, active and available 24 hours a day and seven days a week. In April 1999, Numedeon Incorporated launched Whyville as the first virtual world explicitly designed to engage young students in a wide range of educational activities. With a player base of over 3 million [23], Whyville has been particularly successful in attracting young teens [24]. Today a growing number of universities and other educational institutions are exploring existing general purpose virtual world platforms as a means to extend and enhance their offerings to students. Typically, educators create an online presence where students can interact, using their avatars to learn about new assignments or create projects that are viewable within the virtual world. Dartmouth College [25] has begun creating a virtual world to train community emergency response teams. In this world, volunteers learn how to cope with a range of emergencies by experiencing simulated, 3D disaster areas while engaging with othersvirtuallyto deal with unfolding events. Harvard University [26] created River City, a virtual world that presents users with an outbreak of disease, allowing them to move through the environment, make inquiries, and examine data to try to discover the source of the illness. Using a game engine, the University of British Columbia [27] developed a virtual world based on real archaeological sites in which students use contemporary materials and techniques to create replicas of structures of the time. But perhaps the most popular virtual world in education is Second Life. This virtual world, primarily with a recreational purpose, has also served as the basis for the development of multiple educational applications. In [28]

http://es.elearning3d.wikia.com it is possible to find a complete list of references from Spanish-speaking higher education institutions that have used Second Life as a virtual platform in education. In the field of aerospace teaching, Purdue University has pioneered this field with an engineering course on aerospace design through a virtual world [29]. The university has developed an introductory course in aerospace design that coordinates several aerospace design engineering disciplines. Students working in teams carry out projects and develop documents and presentations. More specifically there are virtual worlds on the internet focused on flight simulation and air traffic control that can be used as educational and entertainment networks. A flight simulation virtual world is a cooperative simulation tool on the Internet with real air navigation and air traffic control scenariosl, where students/users can play an active role, as pilots or air traffic controllers. These virtual worlds are dedicated, independent, and free of charge to enthusiasts and individuals enjoying and participating in the flight simulation community worldwide. In general they supply high quality services to their users, on demand. The primary objective of these networks is to provide the flight simulation community with a highly realistic aviation environment. This implies providing: An experience which is "As Real As It Gets" while having fun in a friendly atmosphere, The required internet services, and Information and training in real life procedures for both pilots and air traffic controllers.
They include a real-time system for online flying (as a pilot) and control (as an air traffic controller), databases with aviation information, and organising training and online events. They allow users to fly and/or control in the most realistic scenarios as possible, with real weather, through an online connection in real time via the Internet. These virtual worlds are educational and entertainment networks. They are developed to meet the needs of entertainment enthusiasts in the world of aviation and virtual flight. The virtual flight community encompasses all fans of flight simulators. They enjoy the entertainment of flight simulation on different routes with different aircraft. On the other hand, they are also educational networks because they are designed to train in the world of air navigation and air traffic control, ensuring the dissemination and acquisition of real and credible expertise among users. These networks allow fans of flight and ATC simulation to meet and interact in a realistic environment. They make it easier for pilots and controllers to interact as a community on the Internet in real air navigation and air traffic control scenarios. These communities have their internal code of conduct in the form of terms of use. They are offered free of charge conditioned by the acceptance of the internal rules and regulations, normally published on their website. Network staff usually provide technical support and in most cases they also

978-1-61284-641-5/11/$26.IEEE April 4 - 6, 2010, Amman, Jordan 2011 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON) "Learning Environments and Ecosystems in Engineering Education" Page 547
provide the approved software required to connect to the network. The most extended flight simulation virtual world is IVAO, the International Virtual Aviation Organization. The mission of IVAO (International Virtual Aviation Organization ) is to provide an environment for a realistic flight and air traffic control simulation via the internet, utilizing IVAN (International Virtual Aviation Network ) without charging money and available to anyone who agrees with the membership requirements. Fig. 3 shows the main components and elements that make up these virtual worlds, and that are available and accessible to users. Experience shows that virtual worlds can represent a powerful medium for instruction and education that presents many opportunities but also some challenges [30]. The use of virtual worlds can give teachers the opportunity to have a greater level of student participation. It allows users to carry out tasks that would be difficult in the real world due to constraints and restrictions, such as cost, scheduling or location. Virtual worlds have the capability of adapting and
growing to suit different user needs and can be a good source of user feedback. Typical paper-based resources have limitations that Virtual Worlds can overcome. Virtual world can also be used as virtual learning environments, as described in this paper. Virtual worlds allow users with specific needs and requirements to be able to access and use the same learning materials from home, as they would if they were in the presentation. This can help users to keep up to date with relevant information and needs while also feeling involved. Having the option to attend a presentation via a virtual world from home or from their workplace, can help the user to be more at ease and comfortable. The flexibility of virtual worlds has greatly improved the options for student study and business collaboration. However, although virtual worlds are a good way of communicating and interacting between students and teachers, they are not a substitute for actual face-to-face meetings. When using virtual worlds, the downsides are that you lose body language and other more personal aspects.

Air Space Division VIRTUAL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLER
Student support: New users FAQ Members (contacts, levels, permissions, access control,) Foro
SW development and support

Distributed data servers

INTERNET DATA NETWORK
Virtual world management: Mission Staff Rules and procedures Policies
Jefes de VARTCC/FIR (si hay ms de un FIR en la divisin)
Director de la Divisin (LE-DIR) Director Adjunto de la Divisin (LE-ADIR)
Coordinador de Operaciones ATC (LE-AOC)
Coordinador de Instruccin (LE-TC) Coordinador de Eventos (LE-EC) Coordinador de Miembros (LE-MC) Webmaster (LE-WM)
Coordinador de Operaciones de Vuelo (LE-FOC) Coordinador de Operaciones Especiales (LE-SOC)
Distributed voice servers
Pilot and Controller grade

Data base

Technical Information: -NOTAMS -ATC centres -Sectorisations -Airports -FIRs -METAR -Charts -Data bases -Airlines,
ON LINE training Courses and training material On line tutoring, mentoring y on line training. On line exams

events online

ATC operations and Flight operations VIRTUAL PILOT

Figure 3.

Flight virtual world components.
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EDUCATIONAL SIMULATION FOR AIRSPACE VI. STRUCTURES AND INSTRUMENT FLIGHT PROCEDURE DESIGN. Apart from the technological platforms used, a fundamental element of this project is the set of educational simulations developed to master the knowledge required for airspace structures and instrument flight procedure design. The main objective of these practices is that students assimilate the basic concepts of air navigation. This means that students: Understand and internalise the principles of flight and air navigation; Check, from the point of view of the pilot, the operational use of the various systems explained during the course (radio air navigation aids, communications and surveillance systems), and Work with different airspace structures and instrument flight procedures.

air navigation charts, so they can identify, among other data, communication frequencies and air navigation aids, the different procedures for departure, arrival and approach transition altitude, etc. It is very important that before doing this practical, students are thoroughly familiar with the flight to be undertaken, since a high workload for the pilot, students in this case, is a feature of all IFR flights. In this case inexperience can also be an aggravating factor. The practicals are organized to facilitate the introduction to and progressive mastery of flight techniques. All of them include a guidebook that the student should work on before doing the practical. This guidebook includes some exercises, usually calculations related to the flight, that the student must do in advance to verify that he has understood and assimilated the basic concepts to be practised during the simulated flight. The guidebook also includes exercises that the student must complete having done the practical. Due to the limited time available to complete a practical, it is vital that students prepare the practical thoroughly prior to its execution. An understanding of the practice and implementation of previous exercises will optimise use of the simulator and student learning. The student is also provided with a detailed description of the flight simulator and its operation, and he will receive instruction on flight theory in the context of the simulator to be used. The practicals are carried out individually by each student, which will be helped and supervised by a professor for the duration of the practical. To further complement the course, students design instrument flight procedures that they later on fly on the simulator, with the help and guidance of teachers. Through these exercises the student verifies that the procedure outlined is correct, the calculations well made and that the procedure can be flown. Moreover, this process allows engineers to see what a pilot will experience when flying the procedure. Additionally, as part of this exercise, students assimilate and internalise in a natural way the essential concepts of air navigation, air traffic control organization and structuring of airspace that have been studied along with other related subjects t would be difficult to find people who would prefer a traditional theoretical presentation. This confirms that we all like to experiment with what we have to learn. Experience probably tells us that everything we have been taught but not practiced has not been properly learned. VII. ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL EDUCATIONAL SIMULATION.
To achieve this goal the professors have organised a set of flight instruction exercises that allow the students to experience the principles of flight in a realistic environment. The program includes four two-hour practicals each, aimed at assimilating the concepts related to flying and more specifically with instrumental flight, including: basic flight manoeuvres, aircraft instruments, air navigation instruments, flight procedures, etc. The first of these practices is an introduction to basic flight and to VOR (Very high frequency Omnidirectional Range) and ILS (Instrument Landing System) air navigation. This practice is a first contact with the simulator and is designed to familiarise students with basic flight manoeuvres, straight and levelled flight, coordinated turns, flying a heading, and so on. It also serves as an initial contact with the principles of VOR air navigation and the procedures of ILS instrument approach landing. The aim of the second practical is to reinforce the concepts learned in the previous one. To this end, the following manoeuvres are practised: flying an inbound or outbound VOR radial (TO-FROM a VOR station), intercepting an inbound/outbound VOR radial, radio interception, defining a waypoint as a DME distance along a VOR radial, flying an instrument approach procedure based on an ILS approach. It also includes flying inbound / outbound ADF tracks. The third practical is based primarily on the techniques for flying a holding pattern, the execution of the various holding pattern entry procedures (direct, parallel and teardrop) and the execution of procedure turns (a manoeuvre prescribed when it is necessary to perform a course reversal to establish the aircraft inbound on an intermediate or final approach course). The last practical is a full flight of about an hour between two nearby airports. The simulated flight consists of all the typical phases of any instrument flight: standard instrument departures (SID), en-route, standard instrument arrival (STAR), instrument approach and landing at the destination aerodrome. During the flight all the air navigation concepts practised earlier are exercised. The students work with actual

We have included the three essential elements that, according to Aldrich [31], can be used to create successful educational experiences: simulation, game and pedagogical elements. Simulation elements permit discovery, experimentation, practice, and active construction of systems, and cyclical and linear content. Game elements provide familiar and entertaining interactions that drive up the time spent by the student within the educational experience. Although they do not directly support the learning objectives, they are, as Aldrich says, the spoonful of sugar that helps the
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medicine go down. Finally the pedagogical elements are the background material that supports the content. These elements are the most important. They should drive the learning experience and organise the other elements around it. Additionally, based on the previously described work, the following points have been identified as key issues for developing a successful educational simulation program. First of all, simulations should be real or virtually real; that means that they must simulate the core part of the activity sufficiently well enough that real learning can take place. This concept of simulating reality is key for educational purposes as introduced by Rheingold [32] in his book Virtual Reality where he deals with the technology that ".creates the completely convincing illusion that one is immersed in a world that exists only inside a computer". Luckily the sophistication of modern PC flight simulators is so high that the ground school portions of what is required for a beginners pilot license can be learned on the computer 1. In this case the PCs flight simulator has been integrated in a physical mock-up of an aircraft cockpit with real instruments providing an even more realistic environment. The second crucial element is the proper plan of the simulation exercises [33, 34]. A very important factor for success is to define clear objectives for each exercise developing a clear picture and understanding of what students are expected to learn. It is useful to prepare the exercise with the student in a briefing session where the purpose of the simulation should be clearly explained. Exercises should be designed in a way that facilitates the students becoming participants, not just listeners or observers. Exercises should also be motivators and get the student involvement in the activity. Fortunately, current flight PC simulators are conceived as video games so the player becomes the centre of the activity. Moreover, notwithstanding the complex graphics and technical performance of simulators, they are fairly easy to use even for those who have never played before. Little training on the features of the simulator is required to get the student prepared to execute the educational simulation exercises. The third important element is the teacher [35]. The use of simulations puts the teacher into a new role. The teachers role in this educational experience is no longer that of a presenter of information but rather that of a guide or coacher, who helps the student in the learning process. This function is the inevitable result of the evolution of the role of the teacher in education. With the use of this kind of simulation teachers evolve into their new role naturally. In that sense this experience is also very interesting and useful for teachers and constitutes a learning experience for them. Each successful simulation should also include a coaching guidance component, to help guide the learner through the tasks and to provide advice at various levels of detail along the way. There is also a feedback component that provides the learner with information on how well he or she performed the task [36]. These new roles have to be played by the teacher in this new experience.

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