Quantum3D, a Silicon Valley-based company that develops flight simulation technologies for the aerospace and defense industries, has revealed its first mixed-reality flight simulator for an eVTOL air taxi. The company recently debuted its new simulator at the Airtaxi World Congress in San Francisco, where attendees had the opportunity to try their hand at piloting the LimoConnect, an eVTOL air taxi being developed by Limosa.
Limosa, a Montréal-based start-up, also brought a subscale technology demonstrator to the Airtaxi World Congress for a public flight demonstration on October 5. It aims to have the seven-passenger aircraft certified for commercial operations in Canada by 2028.
Limosa is the first eVTOL manufacturer to partner with Quantum3D on the development of a mixed-reality flight simulator, which combines elements of virtual and augmented reality to create an immersive experience.
The mixed-reality headset provides a simulated, high-resolution, 360-degree view of the surrounding environment, including the aircraft’s interior. However, the user can still see and touch the physical flight deck and all the controls within the simulated environment. The mixed-reality simulator utilizes Quantum3D’s proven Independence IDX image generation and visualization hardware, which runs on the company’s Mantis software platform.
Quantum3D has been developing simulation and training technologies for more than 25 years, serving customers in the defense, commercial aviation, and spaceflight industries. Its products have also been used to train pilots for air ambulance, firefighting, and search-and-rescue operations.
In early 2023, Quantum3D announced that it would begin providing products and services for the advanced air mobility (AAM) industry, including eVTOL air taxis. Murat Kose, the company's CEO and CFO, told AIN that Quantum3D "has dedicated several years to the development of advanced eVTOL simulators."
While Quantum3D is developing both the hardware and software for its eVTOL simulators and training devices, the company has also been building what Kose calls "3D virtual training content"—high-resolution 3D models of vertiports, cities, and terrains in the real world.
In addition to the partnership with Limosa, Kose told AIN that the company is working with at least five other unnamed eVTOL manufacturers and several vertiport developers to produce flight simulation and training tools for AAM. In addition to the mixed-reality simulators with headsets, Quantum3D also offers advanced turnkey eVTOL simulators and dome projection simulator systems that can be customized for any aircraft.
Kose said a mixed-reality simulator such as the one it created in partnership with Limosa would cost less than $50,000 for flight schools or operators to purchase for pilot training purposes.
Time spent in such a simulator will not count toward the flight hours required to obtain a pilot's license anytime soon, because it isn't an FAA-certified simulator. "Rather, it serves as a foundational showcase of the emerging eVTOL technology," he said, adding that the simulator can provide a "firsthand understanding of how eVTOL aircraft would truly operate in flight."
For now, the FAA and eVTOL manufacturers must focus on getting the actual aircraft certified before turning their attention to the certification of flight training devices and simulators, Kose explained.
However, Quantum3D has already taken the first steps toward certifying its mixed-reality simulator—but without the added complication of eVTOL aircraft. The company is collaborating with Redbird Flight to develop and certify a basic aviation training device that incorporates its mixed-reality headset and image generation system. "We are confident that obtaining certification for a traditional mixed reality simulator will serve as a vital milestone in our journey towards achieving the same for our eVTOL simulator," Kose said.
