NATALIE SCHWAN | staff writer
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Natalie Schwan
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| Junior ADAM HOFFMAN tried landing the flight simulator built by DR. LYLE REIBLING to make computer science learning more tangible. |
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I slid into a seat of leather, looked up to face three screens and found myself clutching one lever on the right and another controller on the left. I attempted to take off the runway. It was more difficult than I could have imagined.
The levers were impossibly sensitive, and a simple nudge of the finger would cause the aircraft to sway several dozen feet off course. It doesn’t stand to reason that a multi-ton vehicle such as an airbus could be altered with such a small gesture. Finally, I was off the ground.
Swaying side to side, and even turning a complete 180-degree barrel spin, unintentionally, until I finally found equilibrium, I flew for a minute or so, finally getting the hang of the throttle and air controls.
Soon, I was flying over the water and was instructed to try to ditch land on the surface. Turning slightly, or so I thought, I somehow spun out of control and crashed into the nearby city.
On my second try, I was more comfortable with the controls and managed to land on the surface, and flying beneath the bridge without crashing and combusting in flame.
Other students have had similar experiences with the flight simulator on Azusa’s campus. Most APU students have crashed on their first tries with the simulator according to Dr. Lyle Reibling, the creator, but also seem to enjoyed themselves.
In January 2007, Reibling started building and creating the program for his sabbatical project. His goal and vision was to come up with a system that could be used within the courses as a way for the students to become involved and make ideas practical and tangible. The project took an entire semester to complete and is now a part of the computer science department.
His sabbatical project was called FLITESIM: “Facility for Learning Improvement and Technological Education using SIMulators.” The goal was to create a simulator to be used for course assignments and research projects and to increase interest in gaming programs. It is important Reibling believes to “have a correct simulation of the world.”
One of the goals through this project for Reibling is to “attract majors to the discipline.” According to the Bureau of Labor, from 2006-2016 there will be 670,000 new jobs in the computer science field: this is a 30 percent growth.
The math and physics based simulator basically consists of the cockpit, called the “SIMpit,” flight controls, panoramic displays and three computers all running on a Linux operating system.
Dr. Reibling built the program based off of a free software program called “Flightgear,” altering and programming the broader software to fit his own specific purpose. The software can actually be downloaded from the system at flightgear.org, allowing the user to run the flight simulator from their own computer.
Reibling’s first job out of college was building an F-16 (jet fighter) aircraft simulator. And although he has had some pilot lessons, the majority of his aero projects have consisted of engineering assignments building to his resume of 24 years of experience in aircraft simulation.
The simulator first came to APU on April 21, 2008: the day of Dr. Reibling’s expository presentation.
Since then, Reibling’s simulator was presented to LAPC for a demonstration and may continue to be transported to those who request to see one as well.
It was originally designed to imitate the feel of an F-16, a high performance fighter plane, mimicking the same angle of the seat.
Reibling is considering working on grant proposal possibilities and hopes to “eventually grow it [current flight simulator] to more sophisticated simulators.”
On a larger scale, Reibling envisions a game arcade on campus sometime in the future that will be designed and built by APU students. He feels this would be an excellent way to showcase students’ talent and promote interest in the computer science department.
Students can stop by the computer science lab in room 224 of Bldg 1 on West Campus, as long as there is not a class, to fly the simulator.
