FOR INFORMATION ON THE TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITIES AWAITING YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN IN THE AVIATION INDUSTRIES Send an E-mail to: info@aneairport.org Blaine Airport Promotional Group
Flying is not by the Seat of Your Pants Memories from Don Uhlenberg: A Pilot: I experienced flight training in the summer of 1957, in Fort Worth, Texas at the American Flyers Flight School with my friend Carl Lipke. Carl instructed me and many others at the U of Minnesota flight school. He later became a well-known FAA flight examiner. “Needle, ball, airspeed,…” I still remember the instructor’s voice in my headphones as I sat under the closed hood of a Link trainer trying desperately to maintain control solely by reference to the turn, bank and airspeed indicators. By keeping the needle centered with the rudders, the ball in the middle with the ailerons, and the nose level with the elevators, I was able to maintain some semblance of level flight. Soon I “advanced” enough to use the altimeter for holding altitude, the turn needle and compass to make turns and prescribed headings, I even used instruments to recover from spins. After acquiring these basic skills, I was introduced to the low frequency four-course range. Earlier in aviation this transmission of letters in Morse code (dots and dashes) was interpreted while heard through headphones, and it provided pilots with enough information to orient themselves if lost, to navigate from one station to another, it even helped them perform approaches to airports. Finally, toward the end of the 6 week course, I was introduced to the VOR and ADF, two visually presented navigation systems. Eventually my training was mixed with flight in an aircraft until completion. Since then I have had the opportunity to “fly” several simulators including a B-52 simulator at Grand Forks Air Force Base. No, I was not a military pilot, and yes, I crashed on landing. Fort Worth, Texas had one of the last Link Trainers in the U.S. and I never saw one again. Much has changed, yet much has remained. Here is how it started: Edwin Albert Link had developed a strong interest in aviation as a young man but was unable to afford the high cost of flying lessons in the 1920's. So, in 1927, at the age of 24, he decided to build a simulator to teach himself the basic rudiments of flight. He called it the “Pilot Trainer”. The project took 18 months to complete and a patent was
acquired soon after in 1931. Edwin worked in the family business, which manufactured player pianos and organs. He not only demonstrated an aptitude for science and mechanics but also acquired knowledge about bellows, valves and air pumps, all critical in the design of his stationary trainer. His development of these devices into the trainer actually allowed it to pitch, roll, and turn through movement of standard cockpit controls. Later models included the addition of navigation and radio aids and gradually more sophisticated flight instruments. Link trainers also came equipped with a desk and included a device called a Crab that tracked the pilot’s flight progress in red ink on a map or approach chart. This allowed the operator to play the role of an FAA Controller, and provided a useful visual tool for debriefing. The original Link trainers, with a short stubby fuselage and wings, looked more like toys than an airplane, and, in fact, many of the first sales were to amusement parks. Things improved though when Ed and his brother opened the Link Flying School. Operating from the family plant after hours, and offering a guaranteed course in flying for $85, the school did well until the great depression. This put a damper on the general public’s interest in flying and trainer sales stagnated ...then a very significant and rather historical event happened. In 1934, the Army Air Corps was awarded the contract to carry the U. S. Mail (Airmail). Back then, pilots were still trained to fly airplanes visually, by looking at the ground (seat of your pants kinda thing). Flying with reliance solely on instruments had been demonstrated a few years back by the famous James Doolittle (he led the first air raid on Tokyo Japan in 1942); however, Army pilots were not trained to fly by instruments. Consequently, flying the mail around in any weather was a deadly risk, in fact, in this case it was a disaster. During the first 78 day period of making sure the mail got through, 12 Army pilots were killed attempting to fly in hazardous weather conditions. This tragic loss of life in such a short period prompted Army officials to take a closer look at solutions, including Link’s Pilot Trainer and convincing evidence was about to emerge. One day in 1934 at Newark, New Jersey, when a group of Army officers were waiting for Edwin Link to fly in for a meeting. They were about to leave
because the weather was foggy and misty when they heard the sound of an aircraft approaching. It was Edwin Link flying totally by instrumentation and making a safe landing. As a result, the Air Corps immediately ordered the first six Pilot Trainers at $3,500 each. As word spread regarding the usefulness of Edwin Link’s simulator in preparing pilots for instrument flight, Link Aviation Devices Inc. was formed. Demand increased tremendously. The initial version known as the C-3 Pilot Trainer, saw improvements during the 30’s, and by the time WW II started, it became known as the ANY-18 (Army Navy Trainer model 18). It was now not merely a Basic Instrument Trainer but also incorporated advanced features and training abilities such as retractable landing gear, pre-stall buffeting, and spin capability. (great for aerial combat). The ANT-18 became standard equipment to every military training school in the U. S. and its allies. It introduced tens of thousands of fledgling pilots to the basics of instrument flight. During the war years, Link manufactured over 10,000 units, turning out one every 45 minutes. Link trainers, as they were quite inexpensive, were used well into the sixties and did a pretty good job of introducing pilots to instrument flying and helping them to maintain currency after attaining an instrument rating. The University of Minnesota had its flight school in the 1960’s at the Blaine Airport. Time in a Link trainer was added as a part of their private pilot course to give students primary training in VOR navigation (very high frequency omnidirectional radio range) or Hood UP, as well as an introduction to instrument flying, or Hood Down . Today, instrumentation allows a pilot and their aircraft to fly a precision GPS approach. No more “dive and drive”. WAAS GPS approaches, allow a pilot to fly down a glide path at a vast majority of airports, in similar fashion to the industry standard, ILS. (ILS is a highly accurate Instrument Landing System that provides a radio signal navigation aid used by pilots landing at an airport when there is poor weather and/or low visibility.) Most new airplanes, and retrofitted older planes, are equipped with an all glass cockpit. A flight simulator is a wonderful place to learn how to fly with this technology. The old 2½” artificial horizon has quadrupled in size to 10” giving a pilot the feeling
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of looking out the front window. This has made flying an airplane easier while in the clouds, but it has created new challenges; such as how to operate the new system, which button to push and when, learning the auto pilot and flight director, programming the GPS…….. There are pages and pages of electronic information to be found in these systems, all demanding the pilot’s attention. Flying an airplane is fun, challenging, exciting, and satisfying. While some pilots may shy away from simulator training because they just want to fly an airplane, often nothing beats a simulator for learning how to fly on instruments or as an effective tool in becoming a more proficient pilot. We should especially remember two very important features of a simulator: 1. The freeze button. We have yet to find one of these in an airplane even though every pilot would love to have one. 2. The ability to “backup” the simulator and redo something you just did incorrectly. Like number 1, we have yet……… From its humble beginnings, Edwin Link’s efforts with the Link Pilot Trainer launched a company that dominated the military and civilian simulation industry well into the 80’s and 90’s. Truly, Edwin Link must be considered the “Father of Aircraft Simulation.” Many surviving ANT-18’s have been restored and are on display in various museums including the Golden Wings Museum at Anoka County Blaine Airport. 500,000 US pilots were trained on Link Flight simulators, as were pilots of nations as diverse as Australia, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Israel, Japan, Pakistan, and the USSR. It has been designated as a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The Link Company, now the Link Simulation & Training division of L-3 Communications, continues to make aerospace simulators. When comparing the original Link Trainer to today’s flight simulator, one has to wonder....what will the flight simulators of 2050 be like? If you want to know more about Aviation today and the fulfillment needs of tomorrow, contact your local airport public relations department, Anoka County Airport in Blaine or call the Blaine Airport Promotion Group.
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