Blind Pilotage Trainer

Blind Pilotage Simulation System is the latest in a series of training simulators designed by H Scientific and in use with the UK Royal Navy.

H Scientific developed and installed the Blind Pilotage Training Facility at the Submarine Training School, HMS Dolphin, Plymouth. The Blind pilotage system tests the ability of students to navigate only using bridge instruments with no external or plan view showing the vessel position and is essential in training submariners. Depending on configuration, the instruments may include Radar displays, SNAPS table, simulated or real data displays) and may also be able to control the ship. The instructor has overall control over student exercises, including selection of own-ship type and control of target ships and the environment, while each student controls their own ship by mean of the ship control and instrument panel.

The System comprises up to 11 student workstations connected to a single instructor workstation. The System is based on a ship simulator, driving an IMO Certified ECDIS charting system and an IMO Certified ARPA Radar console. The Simulator uses fully modelled instruments with fault conditions for GPS (2), Gyros (2), Doppler Log, Echosounder, and EM log. Many Own Ships can be supplied and configured to model all types including general cargo ships, supertankers, ferries, fast cats, military vessels, hovercraft.

Student Workstation

The Ship Control and Instrument Panel on the Student Workstation may be a photo-realistic touch screen, with each instrument faithfully reproduced from the original. The Control Panel is automatically reconfigured for each ship type.

The Student Workstation may include a number of navigational instruments, including ARPA Radar console, ECDIS, VHF radio, and simulated instrument displays. If required, the ship control interface may include real ship throttle levers and hardware helm control panel which includes:

Manual steering control, Emergency steering control, Autopilot controls, Throttle levers, Telegraph controls, Engine start/stop controls, VHF radio panel, Foghorn signal controls.

Instructor Workstation

The Instructor Workstation software allows the Instructor to create and save exercises before training sessions. All aspects of the exercise can be prepared off-line, including creating up to 99 targets, setting target characteristics, type, course, radar characteristic.

During Training Sessions, the Instructor can snoop on each individual student, may view their Own-Ship as planned on ECDIS, control their instruments, for example, injecting a fault in the instruments or steering, and control their environment.