Abstract: A system for calibrating a camera for use aboard a fuel-supplying aircraft (“tanker”) for an automated air-to-air refueling (“A3R”) process in which the tanker offloads aviation fuel to a fuel-receiving aircraft (“receiver”) includes an electronic control unit having a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium on which is recorded instructions for calibrating the camera. Executing the instructions causes the processor to perform a corresponding method, i.e., to receive boom position data indicative a true position of the boom in free space, and real-time image data from the camera. The instructions also cause the processor to use the boom position data and a 3D model of the boom to project a digital representation of the boom into the image space. The processor then minimizes a difference between the projected and real images of the boom to thereby calibrate the camera.

Abstract: A system for calibrating a camera for use aboard a fuel-supplying aircraft (“tanker”) for an automated air-to-air refueling (“A3R”) process in which the tanker offloads aviation fuel to a fuel-receiving aircraft (“receiver”) includes an electronic control unit having a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium on which is recorded instructions for calibrating the camera. Executing the instructions causes the processor to perform a corresponding method, i.e., to receive boom position data indicative a true position of the boom in free space, and real-time image data from the camera. The instructions also cause the processor to use the boom position data and a 3D model of the boom to project a digital representation of the boom into the image space. The processor then minimizes a difference between the projected and real images of the boom to thereby calibrate the camera.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium are disclosed for simulating an event on an aircraft during a flight using a physical flight simulator capable of simulating the flight and the event on the aircraft. The method includes generating executable code including one or more scripts configured to be deployed on the physical flight simulator to simulate one or more aircraft parameters on the aircraft during the event, the one or more aircraft parameters characterizing a current status of the aircraft or systems thereof during the flight. The method further includes a computer processor executing a simulating application to simulate the event. Furthermore, the computer processor is configured to deploy the one or more scripts to output the one or more aircraft parameters to the physical flight simulator, subject to the one or more aircraft parameters, and receive user input in response to the event thereto.