Simulator Motion as a Factor in Flight-Director Display Evaluation

The results of research conducted in ground-based flight simulators must be interpreted with care in view of the potential effects of differences between the simulated and actual flight environments. A study comparing various flight-director displays in a moving-base simulator was replicated without motion. Significantly different results occurred as a function of the presence or absence of motion. Implications of these results raise doubt concerning the validity of findings from simulator experiments in which whole-body acceleration cues might be a factor.