Incorporation of a Cloud Simulation into a Flight Mission Rehearsal System: Prototype Demonstration

Abstract

One environmental parameter that has a large impact on aircraft missions for the U.S. military is clouds. This article describes an initial attempt to incorporate physically consistent clouds into a flight mission rehearsal system. A cloud model is used to generate cloud information that is visually incorporated into the PowerScene mission rehearsal system. PowerScene incorporates off-the-shelf hardware to provide photo realism to a wide range of applications, including mission planning, previewing, rehearsing, debriefing, and training. Implementation of this approach would allow the user to train in both clear and cloudy conditions and to evaluate the impact of clouds on the mission. The cloud model is briefly described, as are the basic visualization approach, the prototype implementation, and the work remaining to fully integrate these features into PowerScene.