Simulator Sickness in Flight Simulators of the German Armed Forces

We investigated simulator sickness in jet simulators without motion platforms (Eurofighter), and in a helicopter simulator (EC 135) as well as in a reconnaissance aircraft simulator (P-3C-Orion) with motion simulation. In addition, workload, visual fatigue, and vitality of pilots were measured. In contrast to jet simulators, where no flashbacks were reported, the EC 135 and the P-3C-Orion simulators proved to be problematic, causing severe simulator sickness symptoms or flashbacks. In all three studies, simulator sickness correlated positively with workload and visual fatigue, while correlating negatively with vitality. In line with previous findings, compared with no-motion simulators, motion-based simulators evoke simulator sickness more easily. Back assumptions that higher workload can reduce simulator sickness could not be proved, since positive correlations were found.

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