NASA builds a flight simulator that shows how it will feel like to fly in air taxis

NASA researchers have developed a custom virtual reality (VR) flight simulator to study passenger experiences in air taxis. This tool will gather data to help design more comfortable aircraft for future air taxi services. Wayne Ringelberg, a test pilot at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, recently completed test rides in the new simulator. His feedback will guide adjustments before the first research study involving other users begins later this year.

Ringelberg explained that the project leverages their research and test pilot aircrew with vertical lift experience to validate the lab's safety and accuracy. The experiments will inform the advanced air mobility community about the acceptability of the motions these aircraft could make.

In the simulator, Ringelberg was secured into a seat on a platform, equipped with a VR headset and headphones. His simulated ride began with a takeoff from a conceptual vertiport atop a parking garage in downtown San Francisco, took him through the city, and landed at another vertiport on a skyscraper. During the ride, he evaluated the realism of the simulation’s visual, motion, and audio cues, providing feedback to the research team.

With the pilot checkouts complete, NASA researchers will conduct a series of human subject research studies over the next four years. These studies aim to gather insights into what makes flying in an air taxi comfortable and enjoyable for passengers. The simulator is part of NASA Armstrong’s VR passenger ride quality laboratory, combining VR visuals, physical motion cues, and spatialized rotor sounds to create an immersive experience.

This project is managed by the Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology project under NASA’s Advanced Air Vehicles Program, supporting NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility mission. This mission aims to deliver data to guide the development of electric air taxis and drones, promoting the growth of advanced air mobility technologies.