I see annually a fully restored original Link Trainer which my company
displays in its training center lobby.  Peeking inside, many
pneumatics, ladder chains, and valves are clearly visible.  These early
trainers, which look like toy airplanes, were used by the army to
introduce aviation cadets to the principles of flight control input and
the resultant aircraft movement.  Also, some basic radio navigation
could be demonstrated.

Today, the simulator is a chamber of horrors. Sight, sound, feel, and
smell can be generated to train aviators to cope with emergencies as
well as routine operations.  The major airlines no longer use real
airplanes to train pilots.  When the pilot makes his or her first real
landing, more than likely there are revenue passengers on board.  The
initial landing experiences were simulated courtesy of Edwin Link and
his successors.

Bob Taylor

 [ Bob is a commercial airline pilot.  He's right about trainers --
 [ recently the commander of the Air Force Flight Test Center,
 [ Edwards Air Force Base CA, told the pilots that the future holds
 [ fewer flying hours and more hours in trainers.  Other speakers
 [ hinted that they might do well to study programming the flight
 [ computer when they weren't flying real aircraft.  That seems fair:
 [ crash the new computer program in the safety of the trainer cockpit!
 [ -- Robbie