A dose of virtual reality: Pilots enhance 316th OSS helicopter simulator for training need - Joint Base Andrews

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md.  –  

First Lt. Joseph Mull, a 1st Helicopter Squadron aviator astatine Joint Base Andrews, Md., was flying 1 of 2 UH-1N Hueys successful enactment implicit the National Capital Region.

The script was a regular 30-minute ngo successful precocious October wherever Mull was shadowing the pb Huey taking disconnected from Andrews and navigating done a bid of checkpoints earlier returning to base. However, cipher was really successful the pb helicopter, and Mull ne'er near the crushed the full time.

Instead of a existent helicopter, Mull had donned a virtual world headset and was piloting a UH-1N successful a formation simulator assembled by the 316th Operations Support Squadron to enactment the 1st HS mission. The VR simulator was assembled aft the regular simulator was sent disconnected for repairs, and everything including the software, desktop computer, monitor, seat, VR headset and formation controls was purchased commercially, but pilots person tweaked the components to customize the simulator arsenic their own.

The simulator Mull was piloting is 1 of 7 VR stations setup successful the 1st HS office building.  They utilize X-Plane formation simulator software, and linking the stations unneurotic allows pilots to bid arsenic they alert successful multi-ship formations.

Maj. Mitchell Clapp, 316th OSS adjunct manager of operations, has been capable to transmission his lifelong passionateness for video games arsenic the designer of the VR simulator system.

“I was an avid gamer arsenic a kid, and I inactive play, truthful I’ve been keeping up with the technology,” said Clapp, who besides has a grade successful machine science.  “When I was younger and playing, I wanted to modify and edit the games.”

The VR simulator task began astir a year-and-a-half agone erstwhile the regular chopper simulator was crated up and freighted retired of authorities for repairs and updates.  That simulator takes up an full country due to the fact that it’s modeled aft a existent Huey cockpit and is mounted successful beforehand of a elephantine projection screen.  Because of the magnitude of clip required for restoration, the existent strategy utilizing commercialized bundle and components was devised arsenic a stopgap by the 316th OSS.  The VR strategy was conscionable successful its infancy signifier erstwhile Clapp – who flew UH-1Ns present from 2010 to 2014 – returned to JBA for a 2nd assignment. Initially squadron enactment wanted to find a contractor to code strategy needs, but with his inheritance successful gaming, they handed Clapp the reins.

“When the request arose here, we had the basal system, but things conscionable didn’t look right,” helium recalled.  “The crippled motor comes with a back-end enactment programme we tin usage to edit buildings oregon adhd caller ones. It wasn’t analyzable to begin.  I did the basal scenery and past jumped into much elaborate stuff.  After thousands of YouTube videos, I’ve fundamentally been going to a master’s schoolhouse present for this.”

The X-Plane machine programme has a room of elements specified arsenic buildings and trees that tin beryllium added to the simulator landscape, and Clapp said they utilized different 3D modeling bundle programme to marque objects from scratch to guarantee item and accuracy connected important navigation points.

One specified gathering that was added was a powerfulness works the aircrews usage for notation erstwhile flying routes astir the NCR.  This gathering wasn’t portion of the VR world, truthful 1st Lt. Daniel Herndon, a 316th OSS pilot, studied images from Google Earth and others recovered connected the net to render an close likeness.

“I built it implicit a fewer days,” Herndon recalled.  “It was 1 of my quicker ones.”

The latest scratch-built operation added to the representation was the caller Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge spanning the Anacostia River successful Washington, D.C. The span opened successful 2021 to regenerate the aged South Capitol Street Bridge, and the caller span has taller arches and spans the stream successful a somewhat antithetic determination due to the fact that it was erected portion the aged span was inactive successful use.

“Not lone are each those pilots gathering the scenery and tweaking the map, arsenic they're doing it, they're becoming much acquainted with our mission,” Clapp said.  “That translates straight to their cognition of this city, which is portion of their occupation erstwhile they get flying.”

A aviator similar Mull who conscionable completed formation schoolhouse hasn’t been present agelong capable to implicit the chopper grooming required earlier taking to the skies successful a real-world mission.  He said helium puts successful astir 8 to 10 hours a week modeling scenery and buildings to spot successful the VR map, and that coupled with flying successful the simulator volition payment him erstwhile helium takes the controls successful a existent Huey.

“I started retired studying the routes connected insubstantial but learning done VR gives maine a amended thought of routes and zones,” helium said.  “Seeing an existent geographic practice and knowing what everything looks similar visually is ace helpful.”

In summation to grooming implicit the NCR, the VR simulator is besides perfect for familiarization if pilots are called to alert retired of the area, Clapp said.  From regular missions to assemblage engagement events similar flyovers and static show requests, pilots tin pre-fly the way earlier leaving the ground.

“For example, [when] the squadron gets tasked to enactment an event, we don’t person to spell successful determination blind,” helium said.  “The country that we're going to land, we tin enactment the trees successful the due spot, marque them the due height, and marque the buildings for the due footprint.  Before the existent ngo starts, we've already flown immoderate of the routes, looked astatine the metropolis and memorized it.”

To heighten training, successful the mediate of the country with the 7 VR stations is what the pilots telephone “The Sand Table.”  Assembled similar an elevated children’s sandbox, it’s a ample quadrate constructed of wood that Clapp built astatine home.  It’s filled with soil which tin beryllium hand-shaped to render the NCR terrain with its elevations and depressions of the Potomac and Anacostia rivers.  Dimming the lights successful the room, a projector overhead beams down a geographical map, and icons correspond squadron helicopters arsenic the VR missions are flown successful real-time.  Missions are recorded to play backmost for debriefings and grooming purposes. The base’s SparkX Cell Innovation and Idea Center is 3D printing miniature models of the White House, Washington Monument, U.S. Capitol and Lincoln Memorial to lend to “The Sand Table” landscape.

With 7 piloting stations and 3 different improvement stations for mapping and modeling, the VR strategy tallied astir $70,000 to assemble, Clapp said.  With the hands-on attack – portion of the grooming for caller pilots is to physique scenery successful the VR satellite – updates and fixes hap quickly.

Clapp doesn’t spot immoderate crushed wherefore different flying units wouldn’t beryllium capable to duplicate the VR setup.  While X-Plane lone offers civilian craft (and lone 1 is simply a helicopter), the programme is bundled with bundle to plan and edit craft for usage successful the simulator.

X-Plane is the formation simulator programme of prime compared to different applications due to the fact that it’s easier to customize, and the virtual satellite is much complete, Herndon added.  The archetypal X-Plane programme was released successful 1995, and it has gone done respective variations and updates implicit the years.  The squadron presently uses X-Plane 11 and volition upgrade soon to mentation 12, which was released successful mid-October successful aboriginal entree presumption with afloat merchandise planned adjacent Christmas.

“I've already got the demo connected determination and imported immoderate things over, truthful I already cognize it works,” Clapp said.  “It should beryllium a comparatively casual transition.  It's conscionable a substance of getting it present and running.”

Repair connected the aged simulator has been completed; it returned to work astatine Joint Base Andrews a fewer months agone and inactive has immoderate advantages.  It has been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Air Force District of Washington, truthful pilots tin log existent formation hours.  Since it is modeled aft a Huey cockpit, it physically looks similar the existent happening with gauges and switches, and it has 2 seats for the aviator and co-pilot (or aviator and trainer) sitting adjacent to each other.

The aged simulator is besides supported by a contractor on-site for regular attraction and updates.  With Clapp arsenic the pb connected the VR system, idiosyncratic would person to instrumentality implicit erstwhile helium receives imperishable alteration of presumption orders, which helium estimates volition beryllium successful July.  Another anticipation is hiring a civilian for continuity.

The VR system is utile for grooming successful multi-ship formations and pilots taking work for enhancements, Clapp said.  Upgrades specified arsenic adding the GPS outer and tweaking the helicopter’s flying characteristics are among aboriginal possibilities to adhd to the simulator’s realism.

“The exertion has gotten to a constituent wherever this worldly is getting amended and better,” Clapp said.  “There’s infinite potential.”