The Flight Simulator

Created by Dr. Sam Savage and Ron Roth

This demonstrates the effects of basing decisions on a lagged indicator.

The demonstration that follows simulates speed control in a glider, but it is similar to flying a power plane at a constant power setting. When you pull back on the stick, the nose pitches up and the glider starts slowing down. When you push forward, the nose pitches down, and the glider starts speeding up.

Goal: keep your airspeed as close to 50 MPH as possible during a 20 second flight. The further your speed is from 50, the faster you will incur penalty points.

Controls: Pull back on your mouse to slow down, and push forward to speed up.

Hazards: If you exceed 100 MPH, the wings will come off, while if you drop below 30 MPH, you will stall.

Modes:

IFR (Instrument Flight Rules): You cannot see outside the cockpit. All control is based on the airspeed indicator which has a lag.

VFR (Visual Flight Rules): Although the airspeed indicator is still lagged, now you can see the horizon. Its position in the windshield responds immediately to the controls.

Calibrated: This mode displays lines on the windshield corresponding to various speeds.