1 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:12,239 Speaker 1: Welcome to tech Stuff, a production from iHeartRadio. Hey there, 2 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:15,480 Speaker 1: and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host, Jonathan Strickland. 3 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:18,599 Speaker 1: I'm an executive producer with iHeartRadio. And how the tech 4 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:21,720 Speaker 1: are you. It's time for a tech Stuff tidbits episode. 5 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: Been a while since we've done one of those, and 6 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: this one's all about the first light simulator. And you know, 7 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:31,479 Speaker 1: we use computers to do a lot of stuff, and 8 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:33,839 Speaker 1: a lot of the stuff we do with computers is 9 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 1: super cool. Now a lot of it is super uncool too, 10 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:41,839 Speaker 1: but we're gonna focus on the cool bits for this episode. 11 00:00:42,479 --> 00:00:46,240 Speaker 1: And while I can't point at any one use case 12 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:50,280 Speaker 1: of computers as my favorite, like I can't say using 13 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:55,240 Speaker 1: computers to do this is my absolute favorite use simulations 14 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:58,160 Speaker 1: have to be way up there. So for a computer 15 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:00,520 Speaker 1: to simulate anything, it has to take a lot of 16 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: factors into account. A really good simulation won't just figure 17 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:07,560 Speaker 1: out how these factors will impact whatever it is you're simulating, 18 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:11,520 Speaker 1: it'll also figure out how the factors influence each other. 19 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:15,480 Speaker 1: So when you talk about stuff like weather simulations, computer 20 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:19,160 Speaker 1: models that you know crunch tons of numbers to attempt 21 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:24,119 Speaker 1: to predict future weather, it goes a little bit beyond Well, 22 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:27,240 Speaker 1: historically when the weather was like this, then it rained 23 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:29,640 Speaker 1: more often than it didn't. So there's a greater than 24 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:32,920 Speaker 1: fifty percent chance of rain today. That's kind of where 25 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 1: we got started with weather predictions. But you using historical 26 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:38,959 Speaker 1: data to predict future conditions. But now we've got much 27 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: more sophisticated models that run on supercomputers essentially in order 28 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 1: to project out what the weather is going to be. Anyway, 29 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 1: the world of simulations is enormous, right. It covers all 30 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:53,960 Speaker 1: sorts of different things. It's got a very complicated history. 31 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: It's not like we can point to one thing and 32 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 1: say this was the first simulator. There are simulators that 33 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:02,320 Speaker 1: are used for their tainment, you know, like maybe you 34 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:06,160 Speaker 1: drive a virtual car around a racetrack, or maybe you 35 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:10,680 Speaker 1: pit an army of computer controlled zombies against an army 36 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:15,519 Speaker 1: of one a nearly invincible computer controlled john Wick. But today, 37 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:17,280 Speaker 1: like I said, I really wanted to talk about the 38 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:22,160 Speaker 1: origins of the flight simulator, which is interesting because no 39 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:26,519 Speaker 1: computers are involved whatsoever. You see these days flight simulators 40 00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:30,960 Speaker 1: are incredibly sophisticated. There are some that require you to 41 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:35,000 Speaker 1: get into a cockpit that has a virtual screen, it's 42 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:38,560 Speaker 1: got a billion dials and indicators in it. It's got 43 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:43,400 Speaker 1: complex controls that precisely mimic specific aircraft. It's mounted on 44 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:49,519 Speaker 1: a platform that can be precisely controlled by various components 45 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 1: to manage the tilt and all of these factors. Right. 46 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:57,480 Speaker 1: But then there are also some home PC flight simulators 47 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:01,720 Speaker 1: that are really astounding, of the most famous being Microsoft 48 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:05,440 Speaker 1: Flight Simulator. Modern flight simulators can create all sorts of 49 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:09,080 Speaker 1: flight conditions. They can rely on hefty computing power to 50 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:11,679 Speaker 1: get it all done in the process, but again, that's 51 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:15,600 Speaker 1: not how they got started. It's very useful for violets 52 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 1: now to be able to step into a safe space 53 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 1: and practice flying in different conditions. But when it all 54 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 1: got started, it was taking a much less technically sophisticated approach. Now, 55 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:37,000 Speaker 1: what most folks acknowledge as the first flight simulator had 56 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:39,360 Speaker 1: no computer components at all. In fact, it didn't even 57 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:44,640 Speaker 1: rely on electronics. It was a purely mechanical system that 58 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,960 Speaker 1: used air and designed to teach pilots how to fly 59 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:53,240 Speaker 1: by instruments alone. Now by that, I mean pilots would 60 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 1: learn how to read the various instruments in their cockpit. 61 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:00,320 Speaker 1: You know, the various dials and things in order to 62 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 1: understand things like their altitude they're heading, the pitch, the yaw, 63 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:09,720 Speaker 1: the speed at which they were traveling, both you know, 64 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:12,720 Speaker 1: in a forward direction and vertically, and to use all 65 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:15,920 Speaker 1: this information to pilot their aircraft, even if they are 66 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 1: otherwise in conditions that would prevent the pilot from seeing 67 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:24,440 Speaker 1: their surroundings. In the earliest days of heavier than air flight, 68 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:28,000 Speaker 1: pilots relied solely on their own sense of sight to 69 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 1: navigate and take off, and to land, they relied often 70 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:36,160 Speaker 1: on their own body position to control the aircraft. The 71 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:40,000 Speaker 1: Right Brothers built a plane with had some control surfaces, 72 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 1: and that allowed the pilot to have some ability to 73 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:49,880 Speaker 1: control the aircraft in three dimensions, though in many cases 74 00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:53,240 Speaker 1: the pilot was also having to use their own body 75 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 1: to do that, not just like a control but to 76 00:04:56,600 --> 00:05:01,360 Speaker 1: physically shift in order to help move the aircraft where 77 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:04,000 Speaker 1: they wanted it to go. But there were no real 78 00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 1: dials or gauges or anything like that, so these first flights. 79 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:11,000 Speaker 1: The Right brothers first flight was in nineteen oh three, 80 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:14,400 Speaker 1: but over the next two and a half decades, early 81 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:19,200 Speaker 1: aviators and engineers began to build more sophisticated aircraft that 82 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:24,560 Speaker 1: had more control systems so that you could do finer 83 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:28,479 Speaker 1: tuned maneuvers in the air. They also included instruments to 84 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:32,680 Speaker 1: help pilots maintain proper control of their aircraft. Sometimes the 85 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:37,039 Speaker 1: instruments would indicate something that might feel counterintuitive to a pilot, 86 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:39,680 Speaker 1: and then the pilot has to make a choice, right 87 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:45,720 Speaker 1: do they choose to control their aircraft in tune with 88 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:49,400 Speaker 1: how they feel, or do they choose to do it 89 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:53,760 Speaker 1: in tune with how the instruments are reading. And this 90 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:55,840 Speaker 1: did not always turn out so well. When the pilots 91 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:58,560 Speaker 1: chose to go with their gut feeling, that actually would 92 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:02,240 Speaker 1: become an issue because would undergo certain stresses as a 93 00:06:02,279 --> 00:06:05,719 Speaker 1: pilot in an aircraft that would make you feel a 94 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:10,320 Speaker 1: certain way that was convincing you that one thing was 95 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 1: happening when in fact that wasn't happening. But if you 96 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:16,520 Speaker 1: act on that, then you could end up creating a 97 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:21,480 Speaker 1: dangerous situation. The instruments were there to tell the pilot 98 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:24,640 Speaker 1: what's really going on. You know, assuming the instruments are 99 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:26,680 Speaker 1: in working order, which is why you have to go 100 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:32,240 Speaker 1: through that long preflight checklist, then you need to trust 101 00:06:32,279 --> 00:06:35,200 Speaker 1: in that data and make your decisions based on that. 102 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:40,000 Speaker 1: So in nineteen twenty nine, a pilot named Jimmy Doolittle 103 00:06:40,520 --> 00:06:44,760 Speaker 1: performed a pretty daring task. He flew in an aircraft 104 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:48,200 Speaker 1: in which his view of the outside world was obstructed. Now, 105 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:50,599 Speaker 1: some versions of the story say that he flew with 106 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:54,839 Speaker 1: a safety pilot who presumably could see, but Doolittle was 107 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:58,480 Speaker 1: in control for the whole flight and he could not see. 108 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:02,719 Speaker 1: So he felt that pilots were relying too heavily on 109 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:05,200 Speaker 1: their own senses, and as I said, those can be 110 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:08,600 Speaker 1: fooled in the environment of a cockpit. Doolittle recognize that 111 00:07:08,640 --> 00:07:12,520 Speaker 1: pilots encounter situations that can trick them into thinking that 112 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 1: they're heading in a different direction, or that they were 113 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:18,880 Speaker 1: suddenly climbing or diving, when perhaps they're not so. Doolittle 114 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:23,000 Speaker 1: was a big believer in flight instruments and how reliable 115 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:25,640 Speaker 1: they can be, and in nineteen twenty nine he proved it. 116 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:29,280 Speaker 1: He flew by instruments alone, so he couldn't see anything. 117 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:32,480 Speaker 1: He was just using the instruments to figure out when 118 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:35,200 Speaker 1: he could take off, where he was going, how high 119 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:37,560 Speaker 1: he was, how fast he was going. He flew a 120 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:41,760 Speaker 1: course and then came back down and landed the plane 121 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:44,760 Speaker 1: without ever being able to see the world around him. 122 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:49,000 Speaker 1: It actually reminds me of how submarine operators work, right 123 00:07:49,160 --> 00:07:52,440 Speaker 1: Like submarines. You're big submarines, the ones that go deep. 124 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:56,600 Speaker 1: They don't have windows. You can't see outside to the 125 00:07:56,640 --> 00:08:01,119 Speaker 1: world around you. You are basing everything on your instrumentation 126 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:04,880 Speaker 1: and math. You're keeping track of how long you are 127 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:07,640 Speaker 1: on a course and how quickly you're moving, and you're 128 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:11,840 Speaker 1: using charts to understand what the sea around you, what 129 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:15,720 Speaker 1: those conditions are like, and you make your decisions based 130 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:18,760 Speaker 1: off that. Like it's you can't see anything, same sort 131 00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:23,880 Speaker 1: of thing, but in an aircraft, and his point, Doolittle's 132 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:26,480 Speaker 1: point was a really important one. Aircraft travel in all 133 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:30,800 Speaker 1: sorts of conditions. You know, you're not just flying in clear, 134 00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:35,960 Speaker 1: well lit conditions. You could be flying at night, or 135 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:40,760 Speaker 1: maybe there's fog or other precipitation, maybe there's smoke. So 136 00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:43,560 Speaker 1: in those kinds of conditions, the instrument panel might be 137 00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:46,720 Speaker 1: all the information you can rely upon while you're trying 138 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:49,520 Speaker 1: to operate the aircraft. So you have better darnwell know 139 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:54,000 Speaker 1: how to fly by instruments. Now the problem is learning 140 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:58,120 Speaker 1: to fly by instruments is challenging. Typically, you would need 141 00:08:58,120 --> 00:09:00,880 Speaker 1: to secure an aircraft right First, got to have an aircraft. 142 00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:04,640 Speaker 1: Then you need to have an instructor who can help 143 00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:07,600 Speaker 1: you as you are learning, and you have to spend 144 00:09:07,640 --> 00:09:10,400 Speaker 1: lots and lots of hours learning how to trust those 145 00:09:10,480 --> 00:09:14,400 Speaker 1: instruments and to make decisions based on their readings. Plus 146 00:09:14,679 --> 00:09:18,760 Speaker 1: you needed aircraft that actually had those instruments installed. This 147 00:09:18,840 --> 00:09:22,320 Speaker 1: was a non trivial challenge in the early days of aviation. Yes, 148 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:26,479 Speaker 1: we had invented and engineered these instruments, things like altimeters 149 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:29,080 Speaker 1: that would tell you how high you were. Now we 150 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:32,840 Speaker 1: had these things, but a lot of aircraft just didn't 151 00:09:32,880 --> 00:09:36,760 Speaker 1: have them on there. Even the Army Air Corps had 152 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:39,760 Speaker 1: instruments that were kind of sitting in storage waiting to 153 00:09:39,800 --> 00:09:42,560 Speaker 1: be installed an aircraft. But to do that you have 154 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:45,640 Speaker 1: to make time to install it and test it and 155 00:09:45,679 --> 00:09:47,320 Speaker 1: make sure it works and all that kind of stuff. 156 00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:52,360 Speaker 1: And in the meanwhile, the aircraft you are upgrading isn't 157 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:57,480 Speaker 1: in service, and often they were needed in service. So 158 00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:00,160 Speaker 1: there was a long stretch where a lot of the 159 00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:03,480 Speaker 1: aircraft that the Army Air Corps was using didn't have 160 00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:07,800 Speaker 1: these instruments at all. Okay, when we come back, we're 161 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:09,840 Speaker 1: going to talk about the guy who came up with 162 00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:14,480 Speaker 1: a solution or a potential solution for the challenges you 163 00:10:14,559 --> 00:10:20,160 Speaker 1: face training pilots to fly by instruments alone. A guy 164 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:23,200 Speaker 1: named Edwin Albert Link. We'll talk more about him when 165 00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:35,959 Speaker 1: we come back after this quick break. Okay, before the break, guy, 166 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:39,559 Speaker 1: I was talking about Doolittle and how he was demonstrating 167 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:43,160 Speaker 1: that a pilot could fly just using instruments without having 168 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:46,080 Speaker 1: any view of the outside world at all. And then 169 00:10:46,080 --> 00:10:49,199 Speaker 1: I mentioned that there was this enterprising inventor who came 170 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:51,760 Speaker 1: up with a device that would let prospective pilots train 171 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:54,280 Speaker 1: without ever having to leave the ground. And again that 172 00:10:54,400 --> 00:10:58,920 Speaker 1: inventor was Edwin Albert Link. So Link was born just 173 00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:01,800 Speaker 1: one year to the right brothers took flight for the 174 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:04,200 Speaker 1: first time. So by that, I mean he was born 175 00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:07,000 Speaker 1: in nineteen o four, Just in case you forgot that 176 00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:09,560 Speaker 1: I had mentioned the right brothers flew in nineteen o three. 177 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:12,720 Speaker 1: He was born in Indiana, but when he was still 178 00:11:12,720 --> 00:11:15,760 Speaker 1: a young kid, his family moved to Binghampton, New York, 179 00:11:16,040 --> 00:11:20,040 Speaker 1: and his father was the owner of the Link Piano 180 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:25,079 Speaker 1: and organ company. And yes, this does matter, So young 181 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:29,040 Speaker 1: Eddie grew up around mechanical systems, and these were systems 182 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:31,960 Speaker 1: that we're using pumped air to generate results. In the 183 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:36,520 Speaker 1: case of oregans and pianos to generate musical notes. The 184 00:11:36,520 --> 00:11:39,960 Speaker 1: pianos that Link the Elder were making were automatic or 185 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:43,920 Speaker 1: player pianos. Those use air power to work. I've done 186 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:46,280 Speaker 1: episodes about how these player pianos work, so I'm not 187 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:49,040 Speaker 1: going to go over it all again. But if you've 188 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:52,880 Speaker 1: ever seen player piano roles, it's like this long roll 189 00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:55,920 Speaker 1: of paper that has holes punched into the paper in 190 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:59,720 Speaker 1: different spots. Those holes are where air can pass through, 191 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:03,239 Speaker 1: and it was the air that would power the mechanical 192 00:12:03,320 --> 00:12:06,599 Speaker 1: system within the piano to have keys pressed down and 193 00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:11,559 Speaker 1: produce a note. So the pianos and organs were using 194 00:12:11,640 --> 00:12:15,199 Speaker 1: bellows to pump air through systems to generate sound, and 195 00:12:15,320 --> 00:12:20,360 Speaker 1: that would end up being the basis for links invention 196 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:23,160 Speaker 1: later on down the road. In fact, he was using 197 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:28,640 Speaker 1: actual parts from his father's piano and Oregon company in 198 00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:31,880 Speaker 1: order to build this first simulator, so much so that 199 00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:34,600 Speaker 1: later on down the line there was a point where 200 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:39,199 Speaker 1: the Oregon Company needed to salvage parts from a simulator 201 00:12:39,240 --> 00:12:41,640 Speaker 1: in order to repair an organ. So that's kind of 202 00:12:41,679 --> 00:12:47,800 Speaker 1: incredible anyway, link the younger Eddie baby, he was fascinated 203 00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:50,600 Speaker 1: by flying early in the nineteen twenties. He took some 204 00:12:50,640 --> 00:12:53,240 Speaker 1: flying lessons. You know, this is when at this point 205 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:58,080 Speaker 1: he's still a teenager and even purchased Assessna in nineteen 206 00:12:58,120 --> 00:13:01,520 Speaker 1: twenty seven. But he also recognize the challenges I've already 207 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:05,120 Speaker 1: mentioned about flying, particularly about how to learn to fly 208 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:09,120 Speaker 1: by instruments. Like lessons, were also expensive, right, Not everybody 209 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:13,679 Speaker 1: could afford to hire out an aircraft and an instructor 210 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:17,640 Speaker 1: and take all that time to fly up in the 211 00:13:17,679 --> 00:13:20,199 Speaker 1: air and learn how to fly by instruments. He saw 212 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:22,640 Speaker 1: that there was an opportunity here to create something that 213 00:13:22,679 --> 00:13:27,520 Speaker 1: would make the training process simpler, and he knew that 214 00:13:27,559 --> 00:13:30,880 Speaker 1: these skills were really important to be a dependable pilot, 215 00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:33,480 Speaker 1: to be able to be a really capable pilot, you 216 00:13:33,520 --> 00:13:35,360 Speaker 1: needed to learn how to fly by instruments. So he 217 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:38,680 Speaker 1: came up with this crazy idea, and that was to 218 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:44,199 Speaker 1: build a mechanical flight simulator. It consisted of a wooden 219 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:47,240 Speaker 1: cockpit and it was just big enough really to hold 220 00:13:47,240 --> 00:13:53,200 Speaker 1: a person and then have the various instrumentation fed through 221 00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:55,680 Speaker 1: to the rest of the system. But yeah, it was 222 00:13:55,760 --> 00:13:59,000 Speaker 1: not huge. It was little wooden cockpit you'd climb in, 223 00:13:59,360 --> 00:14:02,200 Speaker 1: had a door that you could open and climb through, 224 00:14:02,400 --> 00:14:06,160 Speaker 1: and also had a hardtop cover that would completely enclose 225 00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:09,079 Speaker 1: the pilot inside, and there was no way to view 226 00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:11,480 Speaker 1: the outer world. You could just see the instrument panel. 227 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:14,200 Speaker 1: That's it. But the instrument panel would provide all the 228 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:17,560 Speaker 1: information needed to the pilot inside. The instrument panel actually worked, 229 00:14:18,080 --> 00:14:20,240 Speaker 1: it was connected to the rest of the system. The 230 00:14:20,320 --> 00:14:24,080 Speaker 1: whole cockpit was mounted onto a universal joint that could 231 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:28,640 Speaker 1: tilt in various ways so that the simulator could simulate 232 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:32,240 Speaker 1: changes in pitch. That's when the nose of the plane 233 00:14:32,320 --> 00:14:35,120 Speaker 1: is going up or going down, that's your pitch. And 234 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:38,880 Speaker 1: also roll roll is the rolling to the left or 235 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:43,680 Speaker 1: to the right. The actual base of the apparatus could rotate, 236 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:47,680 Speaker 1: so that could simulate yaw yaws rotating right or left 237 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:52,000 Speaker 1: as opposed to rolling right or left. Air pumps would 238 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:56,200 Speaker 1: supply pressurized air to the bellows underneath the universal joint, 239 00:14:56,400 --> 00:15:00,560 Speaker 1: so by inflating or allowing to deflate bellows, you could 240 00:15:00,640 --> 00:15:04,760 Speaker 1: tilt the cockpit, so you know, you inflate the bellows. 241 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:08,080 Speaker 1: More on one side, and they push up and tilt 242 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:11,040 Speaker 1: the plane in the opposite direction, so the bellows on 243 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:13,640 Speaker 1: the right no up, the plane ends up tilting to 244 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:18,560 Speaker 1: the left, And this was actually controlled by the controllers 245 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:21,800 Speaker 1: stick inside the simulator. As you moved the controllers stick, 246 00:15:22,160 --> 00:15:25,160 Speaker 1: it would allow valves to open and close, and so 247 00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:28,120 Speaker 1: the bellows would get more air or be allowed to 248 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:32,920 Speaker 1: release air, and that would actually change the orientation of 249 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:36,280 Speaker 1: the simulator itself. So the response wasn't immediate because this 250 00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:39,280 Speaker 1: is all air powered, but it would reflect whatever the 251 00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:41,520 Speaker 1: pilot was doing inside the cockpit, so it wouldn't be 252 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:46,280 Speaker 1: quite the same sort of responsiveness you would experience with 253 00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:50,840 Speaker 1: an actual aircraft, but it did simulate it, just at 254 00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:55,160 Speaker 1: a slightly slower response time. Now, officially, the simulator would 255 00:15:55,160 --> 00:15:58,240 Speaker 1: become known as the link trainer, or at least the 256 00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:01,000 Speaker 1: whole line of these would be known as link trainer. 257 00:16:01,520 --> 00:16:04,360 Speaker 1: The more common name, especially in the military when they 258 00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:07,480 Speaker 1: would become popular a little bit later, was the blue box, 259 00:16:08,280 --> 00:16:11,920 Speaker 1: because the cockpit was essentially a box that you would 260 00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:14,280 Speaker 1: get client you would climb into and get shut up in, 261 00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:17,800 Speaker 1: and at least in the United States, they were frequently 262 00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:21,280 Speaker 1: painted blue. In other nations, they would be painted different colors. 263 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:24,720 Speaker 1: Like I said, the instruments inside the cockpit actually would 264 00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:27,680 Speaker 1: give information to the pilot, while the Blue Box would 265 00:16:27,720 --> 00:16:31,360 Speaker 1: never actually get off the ground. It is firmly earthbound. 266 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:34,840 Speaker 1: The altimeter inside the Blue Box couldn't inform the pilot 267 00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:38,240 Speaker 1: of how high they were going via the simulation, so 268 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:41,400 Speaker 1: you could also get readouts for things like horizontal speed, 269 00:16:41,520 --> 00:16:44,960 Speaker 1: vertical speed you're heading, and all that kind of stuff. Now, 270 00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:48,800 Speaker 1: while the Blue Box couldn't crash, thus it was, you know, 271 00:16:48,920 --> 00:16:52,240 Speaker 1: safer than a real aircraft would be, so you could 272 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:56,240 Speaker 1: put pilots through it without worrying about them encountering rough 273 00:16:56,280 --> 00:16:59,120 Speaker 1: air or bad weather and getting out of their depth 274 00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:04,359 Speaker 1: and tragedy following. The blue Box itself was not entirely safe. 275 00:17:05,119 --> 00:17:08,840 Speaker 1: One unfortunate feature of the Blue Box. It's hard to 276 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:11,960 Speaker 1: say that over and over super fast anyway. One unfortunate 277 00:17:11,960 --> 00:17:14,439 Speaker 1: feature of it was that in order to be able 278 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:18,800 Speaker 1: to see these instruments that are meant to be your 279 00:17:18,920 --> 00:17:23,840 Speaker 1: guide when you're flying, Eddie decided to have everything painted 280 00:17:23,880 --> 00:17:28,000 Speaker 1: with radium. So radium it's luminescent, it glows in the dark, 281 00:17:28,440 --> 00:17:32,000 Speaker 1: but it's also radioactive and being exposed to radium for 282 00:17:32,080 --> 00:17:34,720 Speaker 1: prolonged periods could lead to a higher risk of bad 283 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:38,640 Speaker 1: health outcomes over time, So it is entirely possible that 284 00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:42,240 Speaker 1: early trainees encountered serious health issues later on in their 285 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:46,840 Speaker 1: lives in part due to the training simulator. It gets 286 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:53,080 Speaker 1: really tricky to draw firm consequences like you can typically 287 00:17:53,119 --> 00:17:58,920 Speaker 1: talk in terms of chance like probabilities, but it's very 288 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:03,480 Speaker 1: difficult to say deffinitatively X number of people develop say cancer, 289 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:06,760 Speaker 1: as a result of training in these simulators, but that 290 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:09,360 Speaker 1: was a risk and we didn't know about it at 291 00:18:09,359 --> 00:18:12,919 Speaker 1: the time. The link trainer also had a station for 292 00:18:13,119 --> 00:18:16,959 Speaker 1: a human instructor, so they would not be in the simulator. 293 00:18:17,040 --> 00:18:19,920 Speaker 1: They would actually be sitting outside at a desk like 294 00:18:20,480 --> 00:18:23,679 Speaker 1: thing that would have a map, a radio so that 295 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:26,240 Speaker 1: they could talk to the person who is inside the simulator, 296 00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:29,680 Speaker 1: and they would have their own set of instrument readouts 297 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:32,280 Speaker 1: so they could actually see the same readouts that the 298 00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:35,959 Speaker 1: pilot would see, so the instructor could give instructions to 299 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:39,439 Speaker 1: the pilot and then monitor the instruments to see if 300 00:18:39,440 --> 00:18:43,760 Speaker 1: the pilot was performing the maneuvers properly. In order to 301 00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:47,040 Speaker 1: fulfill the instructions, they were given. The pilot in turn 302 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:50,840 Speaker 1: learned to fly by instruments alone while remaining safe on 303 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:53,960 Speaker 1: the ground, so even if they did totally with it, 304 00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:57,600 Speaker 1: they would not come careening toward the ground and crash. 305 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:01,520 Speaker 1: Link opened up a flying school and used a simulator, 306 00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:05,359 Speaker 1: which was called the Pilot Maker, to train students. But 307 00:19:05,480 --> 00:19:08,119 Speaker 1: the timing for this was more than a little bit 308 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:11,720 Speaker 1: unfortunate because remember this was nineteen twenty nine when he 309 00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:15,560 Speaker 1: built the first prototype. Well, nineteen twenty nine also marked 310 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:21,760 Speaker 1: the beginning of the Great Depression, an enormously damaging economic recession, 311 00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:25,159 Speaker 1: not even recession, I mean it was a depression. And 312 00:19:25,359 --> 00:19:28,919 Speaker 1: Link was able to produce some of his simulators for 313 00:19:29,040 --> 00:19:33,880 Speaker 1: amusement parks where they were used for entertainment purposes, but 314 00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:38,399 Speaker 1: it was hard to get students because a lot of 315 00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:42,840 Speaker 1: people just couldn't afford the classes. So things were looking 316 00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:46,080 Speaker 1: a little grim, but they would change due to a 317 00:19:46,280 --> 00:19:52,480 Speaker 1: scandal and a string of tragedies. I'll explain more when 318 00:19:52,520 --> 00:20:04,359 Speaker 1: we come back from this break. Before the break, I 319 00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:09,320 Speaker 1: mentioned that a scandal and some tragedies would end up 320 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:15,760 Speaker 1: changing things for Edwin Link and bring his simulators into demand. 321 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:20,119 Speaker 1: And the scandal was all about mail delivery in the 322 00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:23,840 Speaker 1: United States, as in sending mail or post if you 323 00:20:23,920 --> 00:20:27,679 Speaker 1: prefer letters, packages, that kind of stuff. Several companies that 324 00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:32,080 Speaker 1: would later become big commercial passenger airlines really got their 325 00:20:32,119 --> 00:20:37,400 Speaker 1: start by hauling mail between cities airmail right and this 326 00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:40,720 Speaker 1: was after the Post Office itself had operated its own 327 00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:44,000 Speaker 1: airmail service, a service that was plagued in the early 328 00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:46,680 Speaker 1: days by accidents that led to the tragic loss of life. 329 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:49,840 Speaker 1: More than a dozen pilots in the early years died 330 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:55,000 Speaker 1: as a result of crashes, and eventually the Post Office 331 00:20:55,080 --> 00:20:57,920 Speaker 1: was given permission, this would be in the nineteen twenties, 332 00:20:58,359 --> 00:21:05,960 Speaker 1: to contract with private airlines to carry US mail. It 333 00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:10,800 Speaker 1: got really complicated. It was a process that these private 334 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:14,360 Speaker 1: companies would enter into. They would bid against each other. 335 00:21:14,640 --> 00:21:17,320 Speaker 1: So they're competing against each other for the right to 336 00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:20,800 Speaker 1: carry mail along certain routes because that was like a 337 00:21:20,840 --> 00:21:25,000 Speaker 1: guaranteed revenue source. They were also attempting to turn into 338 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:29,040 Speaker 1: passenger airlines at the same time, and it was really complicated. 339 00:21:29,920 --> 00:21:35,200 Speaker 1: The US government had an interest in supporting this burgeoning institution, 340 00:21:35,359 --> 00:21:39,920 Speaker 1: this new type of industry, so there was this desire 341 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:42,920 Speaker 1: to make certain that you know, the government wasn't going 342 00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:46,280 Speaker 1: to do something that was going to slow down the 343 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:52,600 Speaker 1: adoption of flight, but the process was so closed off 344 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:57,239 Speaker 1: and had some contradictions or at least perceived contradictions in it, 345 00:21:57,840 --> 00:22:02,600 Speaker 1: that a scandal developed, and it involved contract pricing, the 346 00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:06,840 Speaker 1: bidding situation, and it implied that the US government was 347 00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:10,119 Speaker 1: giving favorable treatment to some companies at the expense of others, 348 00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:13,640 Speaker 1: even in cases where one company would offer a more 349 00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:16,520 Speaker 1: competitive bid to carry the mail along a certain route, 350 00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:20,200 Speaker 1: but the route would instead be awarded to a totally 351 00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:23,280 Speaker 1: different company, meaning that the government was going to have 352 00:22:23,320 --> 00:22:26,840 Speaker 1: to pay more to this other company, and that money 353 00:22:26,880 --> 00:22:29,240 Speaker 1: is all taxpayer money. So that's why there was this 354 00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:34,800 Speaker 1: big scandal. The newspapers report, Hey, your taxes are going 355 00:22:34,880 --> 00:22:38,600 Speaker 1: to fund airmail, which is fine, except the government is 356 00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:42,040 Speaker 1: being wasteful because instead of awarding contracts to the most 357 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:45,560 Speaker 1: competitive companies, they're going with these other ones, and it 358 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:49,960 Speaker 1: looks really buddy buddy and corrupt. So this ultimately kind 359 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:53,640 Speaker 1: of forced the government's hand, and in early nineteen thirty four, 360 00:22:54,200 --> 00:22:58,080 Speaker 1: the US would shift airmail duties from the private commercial 361 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:03,040 Speaker 1: sector to the military. Specifically, the Army Air Corps would 362 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:06,520 Speaker 1: take over air mail delivery in the United States. But 363 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:10,480 Speaker 1: there was a huge problem. The Air Corps did not 364 00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:13,439 Speaker 1: have an excess of fully trained pilots with a lot 365 00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:16,600 Speaker 1: of flight experience. In fact, their most highly trained pilots 366 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:20,640 Speaker 1: were busy training the next generation of pilots. They were 367 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:24,359 Speaker 1: all tied up in pilot schools. More than half of 368 00:23:24,400 --> 00:23:28,840 Speaker 1: the pilots that were tapped for airmail service had less 369 00:23:28,840 --> 00:23:32,480 Speaker 1: than two years of flying experience to their names. Most 370 00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:35,720 Speaker 1: of them had never flown in bad weather, most of 371 00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:38,760 Speaker 1: them had never flown at night, and literally only a 372 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:42,880 Speaker 1: couple of them had completed a significant time of flying 373 00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:47,440 Speaker 1: just by instruments. So you've got this job of delivering 374 00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:50,280 Speaker 1: a whole lot of mail, so the demand is there. 375 00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:56,000 Speaker 1: You're relying on inexperienced pilots, and primarily the Air Corps 376 00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:59,600 Speaker 1: was planning on doing night runs, so the mail was 377 00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:02,800 Speaker 1: going to be delivered at night. Again, most of the 378 00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:05,280 Speaker 1: pilots had never even flown at night. Now, as you 379 00:24:05,359 --> 00:24:10,360 Speaker 1: might imagine, this inevitably led to tragic consequences. There were 380 00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:15,120 Speaker 1: numerous crashes and fatalities. Unusually severe weather in the early 381 00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:19,520 Speaker 1: winter months of nineteen thirty four contributed to the problem significantly, 382 00:24:20,040 --> 00:24:23,280 Speaker 1: and you had around a dozen deaths in a couple 383 00:24:23,320 --> 00:24:25,320 Speaker 1: of months, and it was bad enough for the government 384 00:24:25,359 --> 00:24:28,520 Speaker 1: to quickly pass the Airmail Act of nineteen thirty four, 385 00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:33,560 Speaker 1: which would return airmail duties to the commercial industry, not 386 00:24:33,680 --> 00:24:37,720 Speaker 1: the military anymore. However, it also included more rules that 387 00:24:37,720 --> 00:24:40,600 Speaker 1: would allow for better transparency with regard to the bidding 388 00:24:40,680 --> 00:24:44,880 Speaker 1: process in order to avoid the appearance of favoritism. Meanwhile, 389 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:48,040 Speaker 1: the Army Air Corps secured the purchase of half a 390 00:24:48,119 --> 00:24:53,680 Speaker 1: dozen link trainer simulators because they then recognized that they 391 00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:57,800 Speaker 1: were really putting pilots in danger. There were people who 392 00:24:57,840 --> 00:25:01,240 Speaker 1: were calling the approach the Air Corps was using a 393 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:05,960 Speaker 1: death sentence for pilots. So this would allow pilots to 394 00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:12,200 Speaker 1: get more experience and familiarity with flying by instruments without 395 00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:16,400 Speaker 1: having to dedicate aircraft that could otherwise be put into 396 00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:21,760 Speaker 1: other service. So it saved the aircraft for official military use, 397 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:25,840 Speaker 1: and it gave pilots more time to learn these systems 398 00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:29,320 Speaker 1: so that they could operate the aircraft more effectively and safely. 399 00:25:29,760 --> 00:25:33,439 Speaker 1: The value of the simulators was realized right away, and 400 00:25:33,560 --> 00:25:36,439 Speaker 1: Eddie would see his invention go into serious demand in 401 00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:40,160 Speaker 1: the following years because a little thing called World War 402 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:44,920 Speaker 1: Two happened, and pretty much every nation in the Allied 403 00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:49,000 Speaker 1: Forces would end up purchasing simulators from Edwin Link in 404 00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:54,040 Speaker 1: order to train new pilots. He supposedly ended up making 405 00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:57,760 Speaker 1: ten thousand of these things throughout World War two, he 406 00:25:57,840 --> 00:26:00,280 Speaker 1: and his company, And it wasn't just him by himself, 407 00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:03,520 Speaker 1: that would have been insane, but yeah, his company produced 408 00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:08,520 Speaker 1: ten thousand simulators for Allied forces to train pilots throughout 409 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:11,280 Speaker 1: World War Two. Now by this point Link had really 410 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:15,720 Speaker 1: refined his invention. He introduced more instruments to provide students 411 00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:18,440 Speaker 1: the tools they needed to handle their aircraft more precisely. 412 00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:22,520 Speaker 1: It could even simulate a plane going into an engine stall, 413 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:24,919 Speaker 1: because that was something that could happen. You have the 414 00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:28,080 Speaker 1: plane climb too high and the engine's not getting enough 415 00:26:28,119 --> 00:26:31,760 Speaker 1: air for internal combustion to continue. It stalls out and 416 00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:34,639 Speaker 1: it goes into a fall. It could even send the 417 00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:38,679 Speaker 1: simulator into a spin, which would give pilots a safe 418 00:26:38,680 --> 00:26:41,280 Speaker 1: space to learn how to handle these emergencies because they 419 00:26:41,359 --> 00:26:47,200 Speaker 1: could happen while you're operating these aircraft in a war theater. 420 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:55,679 Speaker 1: So yeah, it was clearly a needed asset and giving 421 00:26:55,720 --> 00:26:58,480 Speaker 1: people the chance to learn these ways of how to 422 00:26:58,520 --> 00:27:02,119 Speaker 1: handle aircraft in extremestions without actually putting them in danger 423 00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:06,400 Speaker 1: meant that you were really improving their effectiveness once they 424 00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:11,560 Speaker 1: were out there actually serving. The most common version of 425 00:27:11,560 --> 00:27:13,840 Speaker 1: the simulator at this time was known as the Army 426 00:27:13,960 --> 00:27:19,800 Speaker 1: Navy Trainer Model eighteen aka the ANT eighteen for short. 427 00:27:20,240 --> 00:27:24,360 Speaker 1: There are actually a few of these old link trainers 428 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:27,879 Speaker 1: that survived to this present day in various museums and stuff. 429 00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:31,800 Speaker 1: In fact, there are some that apparently at least let 430 00:27:31,920 --> 00:27:34,720 Speaker 1: people sit in the trainer and feel what it's like 431 00:27:34,760 --> 00:27:38,960 Speaker 1: to fly a simulation. I've seen YouTube videos of people 432 00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:41,560 Speaker 1: being able to do it. There was one museum where 433 00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:45,320 Speaker 1: they were talking about letting kids come in and experience 434 00:27:45,359 --> 00:27:50,200 Speaker 1: what it was. Although they frequently have limited control of 435 00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:55,480 Speaker 1: the simulator. They have restricted the full movement of the simulator, 436 00:27:55,520 --> 00:27:58,600 Speaker 1: so it can't do the full pitch and yaw and 437 00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:02,280 Speaker 1: roll it could have done in the old days, but 438 00:28:02,600 --> 00:28:06,200 Speaker 1: you get a little a little taste of what it's like. Oh. Also, 439 00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:11,040 Speaker 1: they've removed all the radium instruments, which is probably I 440 00:28:11,040 --> 00:28:13,920 Speaker 1: mean it is for the best. So you might find 441 00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:16,960 Speaker 1: one where all the instrument panels are made up of stickers, 442 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:20,320 Speaker 1: which arguably are less less useful when you're learning how 443 00:28:20,359 --> 00:28:23,440 Speaker 1: to fly a plane. If the indicator never changes because 444 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:26,680 Speaker 1: it's just a sticker on the dashboard, that's a problem. 445 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:29,560 Speaker 1: But yeah, that was the first or what most people 446 00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:34,520 Speaker 1: acknowledge as the first flight simulator. Really incredible that it 447 00:28:34,520 --> 00:28:39,360 Speaker 1: could be done with air bellows and Pulley systems, you know, 448 00:28:39,440 --> 00:28:45,080 Speaker 1: just mechanical components to give this ability for pilots to 449 00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:51,160 Speaker 1: learn how to operate an aircraft under suboptimal conditions. It's 450 00:28:52,360 --> 00:28:56,200 Speaker 1: phenomenal to me that Edwin Link figured out a way 451 00:28:56,240 --> 00:29:00,800 Speaker 1: of doing that as early as nineteen twenty nine. Obviously, 452 00:29:01,240 --> 00:29:04,280 Speaker 1: in the years after World War Two we would get 453 00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:10,080 Speaker 1: much more sophisticated flight simulators, including computerized ones. They would 454 00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:12,959 Speaker 1: enter into both the military and the commercial sector, and 455 00:29:12,960 --> 00:29:16,160 Speaker 1: then as well to the consumer sector where we could 456 00:29:16,320 --> 00:29:20,800 Speaker 1: get a game that gamifies flight simulators to some degree, 457 00:29:21,240 --> 00:29:26,120 Speaker 1: some of which were obviously limited in their sophistication, where yes, 458 00:29:26,200 --> 00:29:29,360 Speaker 1: you could fly this flight simulator, but it wasn't maybe 459 00:29:29,840 --> 00:29:33,360 Speaker 1: the most realistic simulation all the way up to the 460 00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:38,000 Speaker 1: more recent ones, where from what I understand it is 461 00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:41,680 Speaker 1: almost precisely what you would encounter if you were going 462 00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:46,720 Speaker 1: to a commercial grade flight simulator. Obviously, with the exception 463 00:29:46,760 --> 00:29:51,880 Speaker 1: of most people don't have all the controls that are 464 00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:55,000 Speaker 1: modeled precisely after the ones that you would find an aircraft, 465 00:29:55,480 --> 00:29:58,160 Speaker 1: nor does the average person have a chair that will, 466 00:29:58,520 --> 00:30:02,120 Speaker 1: you know, pitch and roll the way the aircraft will go. 467 00:30:02,560 --> 00:30:07,240 Speaker 1: But still really cool and honestly, when I tell these stories, 468 00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:08,840 Speaker 1: when I look back at these sort of things and 469 00:30:08,880 --> 00:30:12,280 Speaker 1: I learn more about how this was achieved, it really 470 00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:16,320 Speaker 1: stresses to me how phenomenal human beings are, how inventive 471 00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:21,600 Speaker 1: and innovative they are, and how they can put problems 472 00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:26,080 Speaker 1: solving two tasks where perhaps a year earlier, you would 473 00:30:26,080 --> 00:30:28,360 Speaker 1: just think, well, that's just impossible. There's no way to 474 00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:31,640 Speaker 1: learn how to fly by instruments unless you go up 475 00:30:31,680 --> 00:30:34,800 Speaker 1: into the air yourself, and yet someone figures out a 476 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:37,440 Speaker 1: way to do it. To me, that's just amazing. Maybe 477 00:30:37,480 --> 00:30:41,520 Speaker 1: it's because of my own limited imagination, creativity and invention 478 00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:45,320 Speaker 1: that I'm so flabbergasted by it, but it really, to 479 00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:49,240 Speaker 1: me is just inspiring to think, Wow, humans are really 480 00:30:49,480 --> 00:30:54,239 Speaker 1: creative people who come up with incredible solutions. They can 481 00:30:54,240 --> 00:30:57,760 Speaker 1: also come up with incredible pains in the butt. I mean, 482 00:30:57,800 --> 00:31:01,600 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna sugarcoat everything, but I do find it 483 00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:07,520 Speaker 1: inspiring that we're cabable of tackling a difficult challenge and 484 00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:12,640 Speaker 1: figuring out an interesting way to get past that challenge. 485 00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:15,880 Speaker 1: So I try and think about that whenever I'm feeling 486 00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:20,120 Speaker 1: a little overwhelmed. That No, sometimes it just takes a 487 00:31:20,160 --> 00:31:23,720 Speaker 1: little thinking outside of the blue box to get things going. 488 00:31:24,280 --> 00:31:28,280 Speaker 1: Hope you enjoyed this Tech Stuff Tidbits episode. I welcome 489 00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:31,720 Speaker 1: you to write in and let me know what topics 490 00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:33,800 Speaker 1: you would like me to cover in future episodes. You 491 00:31:33,800 --> 00:31:35,760 Speaker 1: can do so on Twitter. 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Let me know 501 00:32:01,280 --> 00:32:03,320 Speaker 1: what you would like to hear, and I'll talk to 502 00:32:03,360 --> 00:32:14,120 Speaker 1: you again really soon. Text Stuff is an iHeartRadio production. 503 00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:19,360 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 504 00:32:19,480 --> 00:32:21,480 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.