Florida Atlantic: Jayhawk Flight Simulator Lands at FAU

Florida Atlantic’s College of Engineering and Computer Science received a U.S. Air Force T-1A Jayhawk Mixed Reality (MR) and 3D Motion flight simulator, valued at approximately $4.5 million, through an in-kind grant from the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

The state-of-the-art simulator replicates the cockpit, flight dynamics and operational environment of the T-1A Jayhawk, providing a highly realistic, motion-enabled MR platform for research. Its open-source software architecture allows modifications for a wide variety of experiments, and the system can safely simulate high-risk scenarios that would be difficult or costly to recreate in live aircraft. The T-1A Jayhawk is a twin-engined jet aircraft used by the U.S. Air Force for advanced pilot training.

The simulator (below) will serve as a cornerstone for aviation and interdisciplinary research at FAU’s Center for Connected Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence. Faculty members and students will use it to study human– machine interaction, autonomous decision-making, real-time sensor fusion and cognitive performance under complex, high-stress conditions. It will also support cross-disciplinary work in neuroscience, biomedical engineering, cybersecurity, robotics and systems engineering.

“This is a milestone for our college and for FAU,” said Stella Batalama, Ph.D., dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “Having access to this advanced military-grade flight simulation technology on our campus elevates our research enterprise. The Jayhawk simulator will strengthen our leadership in AI, autonomy, human performance and aerospace systems, while opening new doors for collaboration across the university and our federal and industry partners.”