Skyfly has partnered with aerospace specialists Myriad to launch the VRM-2, the UK’s first fully mobile electric vertical take-off and landing flight simulator featuring virtual reality and motion cueing.
The VRM-2 is a transportable simulation platform designed to support the development of the Axe Vertically-Capable Aircraft (VCA), as well as customer demonstrations, research, and pilot training. A defining characteristic of the system is the hardware-in-the-loop integration, which utilizes the Veronte 4x flight control system found in the production version of the aircraft. This setup allows the simulator to operate using the exact same fly-by-wire architecture, control laws, and avionics interfaces as the physical Axe VCA.
The technology recreates vertical flight within a 360-degree virtual cockpit environment. To enhance realism, the simulator employs electric actuators to provide motion onset cues and integrated seat shakers to deliver vibration cues. The virtual displays are generated directly from the original aircraft CAD data, ensuring the simulated environment remains faithful to the real-world cockpit layout.
Michael Thompson, CEO of Skyfly, said, “Access to a mobile simulator capable of accurately and realistically recreating the flight profiles of our aircraft is a major benefit for us. Using our Veronte 4x-based hardware-in-the-loop system, we can train customers in a real-world environment using real aircraft hardware. The pilot and instructor know that the response in the simulator, thanks to our validation against the full-scale hardware, is going to be as close as it reasonably can be to real life. This is a very powerful tool to be able to use.”
The collaboration with Myriad focused on leveraging human factors and aerospace systems expertise to create a flexible platform for testing and validation. By using the aircraft’s actual control systems, the engineering team can perform seamless integration between physical pilot inputs and virtual feedback.
Dr Mike Bromfield, Director of Myriad, added, “Having a mobile flight simulator capable of recreating vertical flight in a fully immersive visual environment combined with realistic motion cues, creates an incredibly realistic environment for research, development and testing. Using the real aircraft’s ‘fly by wire’ system enables seamless integration of physical controls and virtual displays within a 360-degree visual cockpit environment created from the original CAD drawings. Motion onset cues provided by the electric actuators and vibration cues provided by integral seat shakers enhance simulator fidelity.”
By validating the simulator against full-scale hardware, Skyfly intends to use the VRM-2 as a primary tool for refining aircraft performance and preparing future operators for the unique flight profiles of electric vertical flight.
