Low-Cost Strain-Gauge Force-Sensing Sidestick for 6-DoF Flight Simulation: Design and Human-in-the-Loop Evaluation

Modern fly-by-wire (FBW) aircraft demand high-fidelity simulation systems for research and training, yet existing force-sensing solutions are often prohibitively expensive. This study presents the design, development, and validation of a low-cost, reconfigurable force-sensing sidestick. The system utilizes four strain-gauge load cells to capture pure pilot force inputs, integrated with a 6-DoF non-linear flight model. To evaluate its performance, a pitch-angle tracking task was conducted with 16 participants (pilots and non-pilots). Objective metrics revealed that the control strategy was a primary determinant of performance. Participants employing a proactive feedforward control strategy exhibited roughly an order of magnitude lower tracking-error variance than those relying on reactive corrections. Subjective assessments using the Cooper-Harper scale and NASA-TLX corroborated the objective data, confirming the sidestick's ability to differentiate control techniques. This work demonstrates an open-source platform that makes high-fidelity FBW simulation accessible for academic research, pilot training, and human factors analysis at a fraction of the cost of commercial systems.