The Fidelity MOTUS 622i, one of the world鈥檚 most advanced flight simulators, is based in the College of Engineering and Computer Science.
College is filled with 鈥渁ha鈥� moments鈥攕udden bursts of insight that usually take place in a lab or classroom. For Sareta Gladson G'22, it occurred at the controls of the , one of the world鈥檚 most advanced flight simulators, housed in 51爆料网鈥檚 Link Hall.
Then an aerospace engineering major in the (ECS), she was learning to fly the MOTUS as part of a course in vehicle performance and dynamics.
Everything was going well until the aircraft stalled mid-flight. Gladson seized the control stick to push down the nose, reducing the angle between the wings and the horizon. She then rolled the aircraft level and quickly applied power. The MOTUS slowly climbed, before resuming its original flightpath. Crisis averted.
鈥淲hat I did was a gut reaction,鈥� recalls Gladson, who graduates in May with a master鈥檚 degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering. 鈥淚 knew conceptually what to do, but until I applied theory to practice, I didn鈥檛 fully understand what a stall was. That鈥檚 when I began looking at flight simulation training in a new light.鈥�
Experiential Learning at Its Best
Gladson is now one of only three people on campus qualified to operate the MOTUS鈥攃ontrolling all aspects of the simulation, including the destination, lighting and weather conditions, and type of aircraft鈥攁s opposed to just flying it. The other two are fellow classmate Paul Mokotoff 鈥�21, G鈥�22 and their professor John Dannenhoffer, a leading authority on computational fluid dynamics.
Former astronaut Eileen Collins 鈥�78, H鈥�01 (center) and Professor John Dannenhoffer (far left) with students in Link Hall鈥檚 Tango Foxtrot Lab, which houses the MOTUS.
Gladson and Mokotoff were juniors when they half-jokingly suggested that Dannenhoffer hire them as teaching assistants鈥攋obs usually reserved for graduate students鈥攆or Introduction to Engineering and Computer Science (ECS 101). 鈥淲e ended up working as undergraduate graders, but our experience with Professor Dannenhoffer ultimately led to us becoming flight simulator operators,鈥� says Gladson, who has logged about 70 hours in the MOTUS. 鈥淎lmost anyone can fly a simulator. Operating it is something else altogether.鈥�
Among the operator鈥檚 many responsibilities are arranging for virtual landings at and takeoffs from some the world鈥檚 busiest (and scariest) airports, like LaGuardia in New York City; the Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport on the Dutch island of Saba; and Gibraltar International, whose runway is bisected by a busy four-lane highway.
There鈥檚 even a flight plan to Mars. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not too crowded there,鈥� says Dannenhoffer smiling. 鈥淲e鈥檙e usually No. 1 on the runway.鈥�
It can mean the difference between life and death in a real flight situation. It鈥檚 experiential learning at its best.
Paul Mokotoff 鈥�21, G鈥�22
Like Gladson, Mokotoff is enrolled in ECS鈥檚 five-year, , where he is concurrently earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree in aerospace engineering and a master鈥檚 in . Mokotoff considers simulator training an exercise in critical thinking and creative problem-solving. 鈥淚t can mean the difference between life and death in a real flight situation,鈥� says the aspiring professor. 鈥淚t鈥檚 experiential learning at its best.鈥�
MOTUS Operandi
The MOTUS is a relative newcomer to ECS鈥� mechanical and aerospace engineering department, where students design and develop high-speed transportation vehicles. The simulator, or 鈥渟im鈥� for short, is a major coup for ECS, like what a teaching hospital is to med students. 鈥淢any aerospace engineering students never see the inside of a cockpit,鈥� Dannenhoffer says. 鈥淭he MOTUS has turned our department into a destination.鈥�
With its six-axis motion base, wrap-around visual system, and lifelike cockpit, the MOTUS blurs the line between fantasy and reality.
With its six-axis motion base, wrap-around visual system and lifelike cockpit, the MOTUS seeks to blur the line between fantasy and reality. Imagine a cool VR game, but better, Dannenhoffer continues. 鈥淭wo students fly, while two others take notes, and then they swap. Each session is an hour long.鈥�
Open at the rear for crew entry and instructor observation, the MOTUS contains a cockpit configured for a pilot and co-pilot. They face four large LCD monitors, beneath which are a throttle, prop and mixture controls. To the side is a separate monitor for the flight instrument panel, lined with switches for radios, aircraft systems and lights.
The layout is realistic, admits Mokotoff, a longtime member and former president of the campus chapter of the . He says that whether one is designing or flying an aircraft, the MOTUS enable students to test hypotheses and see their impact in real time.
Then there鈥檚 the obvious benefit of fine-tuning skills, techniques, and maneuvers. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great to practice multiple repetitions of events, like instrument approaches and landings, in a safe, carbon-free environment,鈥� Mokotoff adds.
Sim training is so authentic that pilots sometimes lose themselves in it. Dannenhoffer recalls the time he was working in his office when a 鈥渂loodcurdling scream鈥� emanated from the MOTUS. 鈥淎 student thought she was going to die because she was about to crash.鈥�
It鈥檚 one of the safest, least expensive ways to experience professional-quality, full-motion flight simulation.
John Dannenhoffer, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering
Which reminds him of the machine鈥檚 most compelling benefit鈥攕afety. Abnormal flying qualities, like those associated with system failures, foul weather or a rejected takeoff, can鈥檛 be practiced in a real airplane. Therefore, the MOTUS offers the next best thing at virtually no cost to students. 鈥淓xcept for an occasional hiccup, the simulator is relatively maintenance free,鈥� says Dannenhoffer. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the safest, least expensive ways to experience professional-quality, full-motion flight simulation.鈥�
A Link to the Future
Link Hall鈥檚 namesake, Edwin Link H鈥�66, built the world鈥檚 first commercial flight simulator in 1929. The son of a Binghamton-based musical instrumental builder, he understood how electronics and pneumatics, like those in keyboards and organs, could be used to mimic flight movement. For much of the 20th century, his Link Trainer was synonymous with best-in-class flight training.
Eileen Collins 鈥�78, H鈥�01 at the controls of the MOTUS, whose cockpit is configured for a pilot and a co-pilot. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great to practice multiple repetitions of events, like instrument approaches and landings, in a safe, carbon-free environment,鈥� says Paul Mokotoff 鈥�21, G鈥�22.
Former ECS Dean Earl Kletsky G鈥�61 obtained and rebuilt a vintage Link Trainer for the University in the late Eighties. Finding the technology wanting, he charged fellow professor Hiroshi Higuchi with procuring a replacement. Higuchi test-drove several sims on both sides of the Atlantic before determining that the MOTUS best met the needs of Syracuse students. He was particularly enamored with the machine鈥檚 full-motion capabilities, claiming that they exceeded those of almost any other collegiate flight simulator.
William 鈥淭ed鈥� Frantz 鈥�80, a Boeing engineer-turned-investment banker, generously put up the funds in 2007. 鈥淚t was an easy decision,鈥� he said at the time. 鈥淭he MOTUS will enable students to experiment with the 鈥榚dge of the envelope鈥� without endangering any persons or property.鈥� Frantz also covered the cost of installation and established an endowment fund for hardware and software maintenance.
鈥淭ed didn鈥檛 want his name on the sim, so we used the NATO phonetic alphabet to symbolize the first letter of his first and last name,鈥� says Dannenhoffer, referring to the glass-plated Tango Foxtrot Lab (鈥淭ango鈥� for 鈥淭ed鈥� and 鈥淔oxtrot鈥� for 鈥淔rantz鈥�), which houses the 225-square-foot MOTUS.
In front of the contraption sits a worn, miniature model of the University鈥檚 Link Trainer鈥攁 nod to a bygone era and a testament to the possibilities of human ingenuity. resides in the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology near campus. 鈥淓ven though some aerospace and defense contractors have come and gone, Central New York enjoys a rich aerospace heritage,鈥� says Dannenhoffer, noting that one of Link鈥檚 competitors, Glenn Curtiss, hailed from nearby Hammondsport. 鈥淚 like to think that we have skin in the game.鈥�
High-Flying Opportunity
The MOTUS helps students like Elliot Salas 鈥�24, an aspiring spaceship pilot, put theory into practice.
Gladson is parlaying her sim training into a job with the Department of Defense. The 2018 recipient of a Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship, she will handle satellite acquisition and tracking for Space Systems Command.
The California native is part of a growing cadre of students and alumni using the MOTUS to prove their mettle. Former astronaut Eileen Collins 鈥�78, H鈥�01 is always good for a session or two during her visits to campus. And Kristin Busa 鈥�09, a vaunted member of the Air Force Research Laboratory, credits the MOTUS for helping her untangle wing aerodynamics and dynamic stability鈥攚eighty concepts that even non-ECS students can explore at events like AIAA鈥檚 annual Flight Day. 鈥淚 learned the mathematical basis of aircraft performance and then experienced what these equations meant by flying the MOTUS,鈥� Busa says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great way to understand the interface of scientific principles and human control.鈥�
Adds Gladson with a glint in her eye: 鈥淚t鈥檚 easy, once you get the hang of it.鈥�
