Using Extended Reality in Flight Simulators: A Literature Review

Area of Science:

• Aviation training and simulation technology
• Human-computer interaction in immersive environments

Background:

• Extended reality (XR) is increasingly adopted in the gaming industry and is emerging for pilot training in military and commercial aviation.
• The study reviews the application of XR in flight simulators, including its use in non-aviation disciplines for teaching and learning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the literature on the use of extended reality in flight simulators using PRISMA methodology.
• To assess the current state and effectiveness of XR in aviation training and related fields.

Main Methods:

• A systematic quantitative literature review (SQLR) following PRISMA guidelines.
• Inclusion of 39 papers across academic, commercial, and military aviation, engineering, and medicine.

Main Results:

• XR is being integrated into commercial and military flight simulators.
• Academic adoption is hampered by hardware constraints, limiting empirical evidence of effectiveness.
• XR shows promise for supplementing traditional training and improving cognitive learning outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Extended reality can augment flight simulator training and classroom activities, yielding positive cognitive outcomes.
• Hardware limitations currently impede widespread academic implementation and empirical validation.
• Further research is needed to evaluate the transferability of skills learned in XR to real-world aviation scenarios.