The ability to transfer training is what makes simulation environments important. Mirroring reality becomes very important. This theory is associated with general principles of learning psychology stemming back to the early 1900s.
There is a correlation between the objectives of training and need for fidelity.There are different phases of flight and not all are equal in all respects. However, each one demands a different type aspect of fidelity to be modeled accurately. A x-wind trainer training for crab angle or slip on short final will require that the DOFs are well modeled. In cruise flight on autopilot at 30000 feet, DOF modeling is less important. Instrument scans, PPoS and fuel monitoring become extremely important. Hence instrument fidelity takes dominance.
Its well documented in human factors research that complacency and ‘falling behind the curve’ is a common issue in cruise flight. Aural warnings, the FMS and Autopilot will need to be really high fidelity to accurately model nav and fuel burn. Coming back into a terminal area, radio comms, traffic, congestion, weather modeling (mins) take dominance.
Hence in my opinion, fidelity is a function of training objective and in each phase of flight a different aspect of fidelity takes over. I don’t think there is ever a ‘low stress’ phase of flight.
CPJ
