Why Pilots Prefer Realistic Controls Over Commercial Off-the-Shelf Components — Especially in VR and Mixed Reality Training

SIMTEK - T-6 FLIGHT SIMULATOR

Flight simulation has changed dramatically. Traditional full-cockpit simulators are now being joined by virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), and other immersive training systems.

But no matter how advanced the visuals become, one thing has not changed:

Pilots still train with their hands.

A simulator can reproduce an aircraft cockpit with impressive visual accuracy, but if the switches, knobs, controls, and displays do not feel and operate like the aircraft, an important part of the training experience is lost.

That is why realistic simulated controls continue to matter—and why they may be even more important as VR and mixed reality training become more common.

Pilots Learn More Than What They See

Experienced pilots develop cockpit familiarity through repetition.

Over time, they learn:

• Where controls are located

• How far a switch moves

• How much force a control requires

• Where detents occur

• How knobs feel and rotate

• How controls are spaced

• How a guarded switch is operated

• How a control responds without having to look directly at it

That physical familiarity becomes part of cockpit proficiency.

A commercial off-the-shelf switch or rotary encoder may send the correct electrical signal to the simulation computer, but that does not mean it provides the same training experience.

Electrical functionality and training fidelity are not the same thing.

A Switch Is Not Just a Switch

From an engineering standpoint, two switches may perform exactly the same electrical function.

From a pilot's perspective, they may feel completely different.

Aircraft controls often have specific characteristics including:

• Actuation force

• Travel distance

• Detents

• Spring loading

• Push/pull operation

• Rotary resistance

• Knob diameter and shape

• Guards

• Control spacing

• Backlighting

• Legends and markings

• Audible and tactile feedback

These characteristics can become especially important during high-workload tasks, abnormal procedures, and emergency training.

The pilot should be focused on flying the aircraft and performing the procedure—not adapting to the simulator.

Realistic Controls Improve Transfer of Training

One of the primary objectives of simulation is positive transfer of training. What the pilot learns and practices in the simulator should transfer naturally to the aircraft.

When cockpit controls are positioned correctly and behave realistically, the pilot develops habits that more closely match the real aircraft.

The ideal simulator does not force the pilot to remember:

"The real airplane works differently."

Instead, the simulator reinforces the same physical actions the pilot will perform in the aircraft.

That can be particularly valuable for checklist procedures, emergency procedures, cockpit flows, avionics operation, and tasks performed under time pressure.

Why Physical Controls Matter Even More in VR and Mixed Reality

VR and mixed reality can create extremely convincing cockpit environments without requiring every physical surface of the aircraft to be reproduced.

That creates enormous opportunities for reducing simulator size, complexity, and cost.

But it also creates a new challenge.

A pilot can visually see a switch, knob, throttle, radio, or control panel through the headset—but at some point, the pilot still needs to interact with it.

If the pilot reaches toward a visually accurate control and touches a generic button, flat surface, game controller, or differently shaped commercial switch, the illusion can quickly disappear.

This is where physical and visual alignment become critical.

In a mixed reality training environment, the highest value may come from combining virtual imagery with realistic physical controls exactly where the pilot expects them to be.

• The headset provides the visual environment.

• The simulated hardware provides the tactile environment.

• Together, they create a more complete training experience.

VR Cannot Fully Replace Touch

VR can reproduce a cockpit visually with remarkable accuracy.What it cannot completely reproduce is physical resistance.

• A virtual switch does not naturally provide switch travel.

• A virtual rotary selector does not provide mechanical detents.

• A virtual circuit breaker does not provide the same pull force.

• A virtual guarded switch does not require the pilot to physically lift the guard.

• A virtual knob does not automatically provide the diameter, texture, resistance, or concentric operation of the aircraft control.

Haptic technology continues to improve, but for many cockpit applications, the most direct way to reproduce those interactions is still to provide the pilot with a physical control.

That is why realistic simulated avionics can be an important complement to VR rather than something VR eliminates.

Mixed Reality Changes Where Fidelity Should Be Purchased

Mixed reality can also allow simulator designers to rethink traditional cockpit construction.

Instead of building every aircraft surface, panel, and structure at full physical fidelity, developers can use virtual imagery for areas where physical interaction is less important.

Physical hardware can then be concentrated where pilots actually touch and manipulate the aircraft.

That might include:

• Flight controls

• Throttles

• Frequently used avionics

• Radios

• Key switches and selectors

• Circuit breakers used during training

• Emergency controls

• High-use cockpit panels

This approach can reduce the amount of physical hardware required while maintaining high fidelity in the areas that matter most.

It follows a simple principle:

Do not spend money reproducing everything. Spend it reproducing the things that create training value.

Realistic Does Not Mean Using Flight-Certified Hardware

Realistic training controls do not necessarily require expensive aircraft-qualified components.

In many simulation applications, using actual flight hardware would add cost, weight, complexity, and maintenance requirements without improving the training objective.

The better solution is often to engineer a simulation-specific component that reproduces the characteristics the pilot experiences while simplifying what is behind the panel.

That can include reproducing:

• Geometry

• Control travel

• Actuation force

• Detents

• Tactile response

• Lighting

• Legends

• Mechanical interaction

• Functional behavior

The outside can feel representative of the aircraft while the internal design is optimized specifically for simulation.

That creates a better balance of fidelity, reliability, maintainability, and cost.

Where Commercial Off-the-Shelf Components Still Make Sense

COTS hardware absolutely has a place in simulation.The important question is where it is used. If a component is hidden, rarely touched, or has little impact on pilot procedures, a commercial solution may be perfectly acceptable.

But frequently used pilot controls deserve more consideration. A generic component should not be selected simply because it performs the same electrical function.

The better question is:

Does changing this control change the way the pilot trains?

If the answer is yes, fidelity matters.

Pilots Know When Something Feels Wrong

Engineers often evaluate simulator hardware through specifications, interfaces, drawings, software communication, and electrical performance. Pilots evaluate it differently.

They sit down.

They reach for the controls.

They start operating the cockpit.

And experienced pilots can often recognize immediately when something does not feel right.This is true in a traditional simulator, and it becomes even more noticeable in mixed reality.The more convincing the visual environment becomes, the more noticeable a poor physical interaction can become.

A beautifully rendered cockpit paired with unrealistic controls can actually highlight the disconnect between what the pilot sees and what the pilot feels.

The Future Is Likely a Combination of Physical and Virtual Fidelity

The growth of VR and mixed reality does not eliminate the need for realistic simulator hardware. Instead, it changes how that hardware should be applied.

The future of many training systems may not require a full physical replica of every cockpit surface. Instead, successful systems can combine:

• Virtual fidelity where the pilot primarily looks.

• Physical fidelity where the pilot touches.

That allows simulator manufacturers and training organizations to reduce unnecessary complexity while protecting the physical interactions that directly support training.

Training Fidelity Starts With the Pilot

At Simtek, we believe simulator hardware should be designed around the training requirement—not simply around what components are easiest to purchase.

For more than four decades, Simtek has designed and manufactured simulated avionics, cockpit controls, panels, instruments, and displays for flight-training applications.

Whether the training device is a traditional cockpit sim

ulator, a desktop trainer, a VR system, or a mixed reality environment, the objective remains the same:

Give the pilot the right experience where it matters most.

As training technology continues to evolve, realistic physical controls will remain an important bridge between the virtual cockpit and the real aircraft.

Because no matter how realistic the cockpit looks through a headset, when the pilot reaches for a control—it still needs to feel right.

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