Flying a "real plane" and flying in a flight simulator both require finesse. You need a gentle touch. In fact, many pilots will tell you that they hold both controls with their fingertips, gently guiding their path with subtle movements. Push forward on the controls and you and your plane will go down. Pull back and you'll lift up. Both movements control the plane's pitch.

Before taking to the skies, pilots spend hours practicing on simulators. Flight simulators are machines built to make simulations seem more real, and pilots commonly use them as a part of their training.

Simulators are engineered to respond to cues from instruments in a model cockpit. Computer programs use data collected from flights and wind tunnel experiments to accurately represent aircraft responses. Sophisticated computer animation, sound, and motion give the pilot a sense of virtual reality.

The first flight simulators appeared soon after the Wright Brothers' historic flight. Inventors considered the cost of materials, time, and safety in their designs. One of the first simulators on record was half a wooden barrel fashioned with wooden wings. Other models were full-scale airplanes mounted in areas of high wind so pilots could practice controlling the plane's movement.

In 1929, Edwin A. Link patented a simulator known as the Link Trainer, also called the Blue Box. His simulator did not resemble an airplane in appearance but made better use of controls and motion. Most of Link's first sales were to amusement parks and foreign countries. During WW II, his invention caught on in the United States and was used extensively to help train pilots.

Today's growth in computer technology and digital graphics has advanced simulators. They range from home entertainment video games and software all the way to two story simulations of a complete airport. Flight simulators are used today to

• test a new design before it is flown.

• simulate a condition to discover how pilots and an aircraft respond.
  

• help designers evaluate control functions.
  

• train new pilots in various situations to gain experience in maneuvers.
  

• train experienced pilots with new aircraft and flight in difficult conditions.
  

• recreate conditions and aircraft handling in past flights for assessment.
  

Safety has always been a prime reason for developing simulators as engineers and designers work on new and better ways to use simulation technology. Simulators also help us conduct model emergencies to help prepare people for disaster relief.