Aero India 2021: Futuristic Cockpit Simulator a big draw at airshow

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Drawing big crowds at the Aero India 2021 on Thursday, the Futuristic Cockpit Simulator developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) had the entire aerial ecosystem come alive in hyper-real clarity at the Yelahanka Air Base here.

Built for Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), the simulator mimicked the cockpit interior, the vast exteriors projected onto an ultra-widescreen and much more. From precision ensured touch-screen operations to large area drops, the simulator made it as close to reality as visual technology allowed.

Sidestick controls to help the pilot take the aircraft up, down and sideways, a standby unit ready for activation if the regular one failed, and a widescreen resolution that would put any celluloid attempt to shame, the simulator had it all.

Designed by ADA, the simulator had its first public demonstration at the airshow. "This is a bigger one compared to the simulator designed and produced for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas. Besides other modes, this can be configured for stealth operations as well," an ADA official told DH.

Integrated to the simulator, ADA had its Virtual Reality-enabled headset that offered a 360-degree view of the skies from inside a fighter jet cockpit. An immersive experience by DH had the entire view unfold right from take-off to landing.

To ensure that the visual content remained real, test pilots flew around on special aircraft fitted with 360-degree cameras and captured tons of video footage. The headset fixed, this correspondent experienced the realism of that footage, synced for interactive twists and turns of the head.

The simulated view of the cockpit was that of a twin-seater fighter jet. Turning back with the headset, the pilot could see the co-pilot behind. The sky opened up on all sides, seamlessly visible from the cockpit. The videos were timed and customised for the duration of every sortie.

Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots, aerospace engineers, business delegates and flight enthusiasts trooped in to get a feel of both the VR cockpit and the full-scale futuristic simulator. "The IAF test pilots who tried it out were all impressed. They felt the controls and the simulation experience was very advanced," the ADA official said.