A new state-of-the-art flight simulator on the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering campus will strengthen the aerospace engineering option (offered within the engineering mechanics major) and enrich students’ educational experience.
There’s a growing student interest in aerospace engineering, as well as strong career prospects in the aerospace industry. That’s one reason Mechanical Engineering Professor Christian Franck and teaching specialist Aidan Butula built the highly realistic simulator.
Christian Franck
Its cockpit and avionics are a one-to-one replica of a modern Cessna 172 Skyhawk, which is one of the most prominent general aviation aircraft. A licensed pilot with an aerospace engineering background, Franck drew on his extensive experience flying the Skyhawk to help create a simulator with a realistic look, functionality and feel. The simulator has wraparound screens to provide a 180-degree view, creating an immersive experience that feels like sitting in a real cockpit.
Franck plans to use the simulator, which he expects will receive FAA certification, to provide students an interactive learning experience in his EMA 523: Flight Dynamics and Controls course.
“In this course, the students learn the physics of controlling a flying aircraft in three-dimensional space. Some of these concepts can be difficult to understand just from working on math problems,” Franck says. “My goal with the new flight simulator is to add a strong hands-on learning component to the course to enable students to gain a better intuitive understanding of the physics and math they’re learning—where the students can directly experience how the equations apply to aircraft control. I think this capability will really enrich the educational experience.”
The custom-built simulator includes additional components, such as a display that gives real-time flight performance data, allowing students to analyze the stability of the aircraft and verify their calculations. Among its many potential uses, it also could enable students in design projects to analyze the performance of new types of experimental aircraft.
Teaching specialist Aidan Butula operates the new flight simulator. It’s cockpit and avionics are a one-to-one replica of a modern Cessna 172 Skyhawk, and it features wraparound screens to provide a 180-degree view, creating an immersive experience that feels like sitting in a real cockpit. Photo: Joel Hallberg.
Franck anticipates that other aerospace courses, and potentially future aerospace research, will also use the simulator. “There’s an appetite for establishing a full aerospace engineering major at UW-Madison, and I think this new flight simulator is an important step on that path,” he says. “We would be the first college in Wisconsin to offer an ABET-accredited aerospace engineering degree.”
Butula (BSEMA ’23, MSEMA ’24) spent summer 2024 designing and building the flight simulator. “I applied the engineering design process and hands-on skills that I learned at UW-Madison to this project,” Butula says. “It was extremely interesting to work on a project of this scale, and I find it rewarding that students will be able to use this simulator to deepen their learning.”
Franck used funding from his H.I. Romnes Fellowship to create the flight simulator. “I’m very grateful for the H.I. Romnes Fellowship, which enabled me to significantly invest in the educational experience for our students,” he says. “Creating a state-of-the-art aircraft experience wouldn’t have been possible without this fellowship. This simulator brings a lot of capability and opportunity to the table from an educational standpoint, and I think the students will be excited to use it.”
The simulator is housed in the Flight Simulator Laboratory, run by Douglas Wiegmann, a professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering.
Christian Franck is the Bjorn Borgen Professor of mechanical engineering.
Featured image caption: Teaching specialist Aidan Butula operates the new flight simulator, which he helped design and build. Photo: Joel Hallberg.