A motion simulator optimized for flight sensations authenticity

Focused on Pitch, Roll, and Heave Degrees of Freedom

From the beginning, our goal with the MP5 was to deliver the most realistic flight sensations for the best value. That meant concentrating on the three degrees of freedom that matter most during flight : pitch, roll, and heave.

The importance of Heave for a good flight experience

Heave motion is a crucial component in a flight motion simulator, providing vertical cues that enhance realism. When an aircraft pitches up or down, heave simulates the vertical forces generated by the change in trajectory—similar in principle to how a car driver feels lateral forces when turning, but in the vertical direction. Heave also plays a key role in conveying turbulence, making the experience more immersive and dynamic. Additionally, it allows pilots to feel the texture of the runway and assess landing smoothness, offering haptic feedback that visual cues alone cannot provide. With the MP5’s generous 450 mm of heave travel, these sensations are convincingly replicated, delivering a truly lifelike flight experience.

Pitch: the unsung hero of motion simulation

Pitch is a key component in motion simulation, serving not only to represent changes in the aircraft’s attitude and angle of attack, but also as a surrogate for longitudinal accelerations. While a surge axis can reproduce brief forward and backward motions, it cannot sustain them over time without quickly reaching its physical limits. Pitching the cabin, however, allows the simulator to create a continuous gravitational tilt that the brain interprets as steady acceleration or deceleration along the flight path. With a pitch range of +35° to −20°, the MP5 has ample authority to accurately convey all phases of flight, from climbs and descents to level flight and approaches.

Roll: the chef’s kiss… when used correctly.

Some motion simulator manufacturers love to showcase dramatic roll angles during aircraft turns. The problem is that this is physically inaccurate. In reality, during a coordinated turn, the pilot initially senses a small roll as the aircraft banks, but almost immediately, centrifugal (lateral) forces counteract this, effectively “flattening” the sensation. Overemphasizing roll in a simulator can therefore create unrealistic cues. In a properly tuned system like the Gravideck MP5, a ±15° roll range is used sparingly, complementing the forces generated by gravity and inertia rather than dominating them, to faithfully reproduce the subtle sensations of turning in flight.