Abstract

Multi-projector alignment systems capable of comprehensive alignments within a few minutes per channel were first developed for flight simulation trainers in 2001.  While the maintenance technicians who use these systems respond favorably, the expected cost savings associated with their use have been difficult to demonstrate.  The analyses presented in this paper illustrate that a fast and accurate display calibration system is a necessary but not sufficient means for reducing costs associated with simulation training.  The fast and accurate calibration system is better described as an "enabling technology" that allows the use of other technologies and maintenance procedures that are the source of significant cost savings.  This paper illustrates how the use of a capable display calibration system in conjunction with COTS projectors and a rapid swap maintenance strategy can save the simulation training center operator several hundred thousand dollars over the life of a system.