EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE.

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- It's riot exactly one-size-fits-all, nevertheless the U.S. Air Force experiment Pilot School's newest trainer fits into a variety of roles

Called VISTA -- variable-stability in-flight simulator example aircraft -- the one-of-a-kind NF-16D has a simulation hypothesis that can mimic several aircraft.

however housed in an F-16 Fighting Falcon airframe, VISTA also can act like the F-l5 Eagle or the Navy's F-14 Tomcat. "Such flexibility allows for improved training and consolidation of a certain sorties," said Lt. Col. Michael Sizoo, the school's director of plans and programs. It also provides a better value for flying-hour costs

forward a single sortie, students can evaluate the specific flying qualities of the F-14's direct lift govern feature, or experience the unique pitch bridle characteristics of a delta wing aircraft like the F-106 which is no longer in the Air Force inventory.

Flying different patterns of aircraft is key since near students come from the Navy, Marine Corps and allied countries. an fly jets and others vibrate cargo, even propeller-driven aircraft. And a certain quantity of will find themselves on exchange programs where they'll have to be scattered different aircraft.

Plus, it saves coin and time, since students don't have to be broken to pieces in each kind of aircraft to master the same quality learning experience.

Moreover, the classification lets students "peel back" the layers of flight govern features in today's fly-by-wire bodys to see the effects of each, said Col Steve Cameron, denomination commandant. In one demonstration, pupils start flying the basic F-16 then sequentially extract flight control features until they are flying the aircraft manually.

"This gives vivid and dramatic attestation for the need and powers of computerized flight controls in succession inherently unstable aircraft like the F-16" Cameron said.

At the heart of the aircraft is a simulation classification with a suite of high-speed digital computer They reason and digitally record all necessary aircraft data and transmit them in real time via telemetry down link. That was useful when the aircraft was used to help bring to maturity such leading-edge designs like the F-22 Raptor, the Joint Strike Fighter and NASA's X-38 shuttle lifeboat.

The arrangement has an automatic safety monitoring scheme It's easily reconfigured from united aircraft to another during flight and has an all-attitude simulation capability.

The aircraft also features an integrated programmable voice recognition arrangement and a programmable helmet-mounted display. as well-as; not only-but also; not only-but; not alone-but offer students "a unique opportunity to learn by what mode to test future integrated cockpits," said Lt Col Tom Buter technical director at the school

Sizoo added, "It give permission tos students fly with tomorrow's technology rather than yesterday's."

sect officials expect to fly about 200 VISTA sorties yearly. Pilots, navigators and engineers will flap a plane that provides a trial bed for class and staff research brews Buter said.

And for warfighter support, he said, VISTA is an "ideal example and training platform for tomorrow's integrated battlespace." *

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