Specifications

CT Corsair Final Report May 2, 2014

1 Summary and Overview

Connecticut Corsair has sponsored an interdisciplinary team of senior engineering students to

restore a damaged Gyro IPT flight simulator, developed by Environmental Tectonics

Corporation (ETC), with obsolete components and software to working condition. The ultimate

goal of this project is to have the simulator respond to user input via standard airplane controls

such that the simulator mimics the flight patterns of the F4U-4 Corsair aircraft. The goal for this

year’s senior design team has been the restoration of three-axis motion. To accomplish motion

restoration, the team needed to replace the lower scissor arms and successfully select, calibrate

and install system appropriate motors, drives and gearboxes.

2 Introduction

2.1 Sponsor Background

Connecticut Corsair is a non-profit organization, founded in 1991, dedicated to restoring an F4U-

4 Corsair to flying condition

. The F4U Corsair was used primarily in World War II and the

Korean War as a fighter aircraft. The wings on the aircraft folded upward for storage aboard

aircraft carriers and the pilot was positioned over the wings in a domed cockpit, allowing for a

full view during flight

. Craig McBurney, the founder of Connecticut Corsair, is sponsoring this

project. Craig has helped to maintain vintage aircrafts at more than 400 aviation museums

throughout the country, and is exceptionally knowledgeable in the flight characteristics of the

F4U-4 Corsair aircraft.

Figure 1. F4U-4 Corsair with folded wings

Figure 2. F4U-4 Corsair in flight

2.2 Simulator Background

Connecticut Corsair received a donated flight simulator system from Environmental Tectonics

Corporation® (ETC), a company based out of Pennsylvania specializing in aviation and space

training equipment for both military and civil applications

. The original simulator was a first

generation ETC Gyro IPT

simulator, shown in Figure 3Error! Reference source not found.,

which mimicked the flight patterns of large jets. The simulator has been kept in storage for an

extended period of time, and has had various components stripped to support commercial