The remit of ICAO, as stated in the Chicago Convention, include “fostering the planning and development of international air transport so as to ensure the safe and orderly growth of international civil aviation throughout the world”. Through the Royal Aeronautical Society, ICAO initiated an International Working Group to revise and harmonise the simulator standards applied by the many National Aviation Authorities around the world. IDT supported that process by creating the Objective Motion Cueing Test for flight simulators.
The OMCT provides a physics-based metric of measuring the quality of motion cues in flight simulators by comparing the performance of the simulator with respect to the expected response of the simulated aircraft under similar conditions. As a result, the simulator manufacturer can optimise the design of the device to the specific use cases (flight maneuvers and tasks), and the operator can be assured that the device is providing cues that support the specific training objectives.
The introduction of the OMCT has led to a more thorough understanding of the role of motion cueing in flight simulation. It has also bred new motion cueing technologies applied by the simulator providers.
OMCT was developed by IDT and AMS Consult through a long-time research and development collaboration. It is incorporated into the ICAO Manual of Criteria for the Qualification of Flight Simulation Training Devices (rev 3 and rev 4). These tests have also been incorporated by National Aviation Authorities, including the FAA and EASA.