One of the most effective tools that pilots and engineers use when learning about aircraft is the flight simulator. Simulators have been around almost as long as airplanes have. Early simulators had pilots training inside wooden barrels suspended off the ground. Simulators have come a long way since then, but the basic idea of making flying safer hasn't changed. Today they are incredibly complex machines that are not only used to help pilots learn to fly, but also run experiments and tests that would otherwise be too expensive or dangerous to attempt in flight.

Johnny Alonso spoke with Marshall Smith at NASA Langley Research Center to find out how flight simulators work.

Additional Information
http://www.lerc.nasa.gov/WWW/ACCL/ENG10/engines.html