The term Link Trainer, also known as the "Blue box" and "Pilot Trainer" is commonly used to refer to a series of flight simulators produced between the early 1930s and early 1950s by Ed Link, based on technology he pioneered in 1929 at his family's business in Binghamton, New York.
These simulators became famous during World War II, when they were used as a key pilot training aid by almost every combatant nation. The original Link Trainer was created in 1929 out of the need for a safe way to teach new pilots how to fly by instruments.
A former organ and nickelodeon builder, Link used his knowledge of pumps, valves and bellows to create a flight simulator that responded to the pilot's controls and gave an accurate reading on the included instruments.
More than 500,000 US pilots were trained on Link simulators, as were pilots of nations as diverse as Australia, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Israel, Japan, Pakistan and the USSR.
The Link Flight Trainer has been designated as A Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The Link Company, now part of L-3 Communications, continues to make aerospace simulators.
O termo Link Trainer , ou Treinador Link, também conhecido como "Caixa Azul" e "Treinador de Piloto" é comumente usado para se referir a uma série de simuladores de vôo produzidos entre os anos 1930 e início dos anos 1950 por Ed Link, com base em uma tecnologia revolucionária.
Este simulador fez fama durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial, quando foram fundamentais para o treino e formação de pilotos por quase todas as nações envolvidas no conflito.
O Simulador Link original foi criado em 1929, devido a necessidade de ensinar novos pilotos a voar por instrumentos.
Mais de 500.000 pilotos dos EUA foram treinados em Simuladores Link, assim como pilotos de países tão diversos como Austrália, Canadá, Alemanha, Reino Unido, Israel, Japão, Paquistão e da URSS. As Indústrias Link continuam a fazer simuladores, agora aeroespaciais.
