– We are not a flight school, so we do not teach our students how to fly planes or helicopters, but we teach them how on-board systems work in modern aircraft – explains Dr Maciej Zasuwa, head of the Simulator Laboratory at the Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering of the Warsaw University of Technology. 

Thanks to simulators, lecturers can show students how all the devices placed in the cockpit, the design and construction of which they learn every day, look in practice.

Until now, the PZL SW-4 helicopter simulator, the reconfigurable cabin of a General Aviation aircraft (single- or twin-engine) or light helicopter, and simulators of unmanned systems, have been available. Now a new simulator has appeared in the laboratory – a full-size replica of the Boeing 737 MAX, which is one of the most popular transport planes in the world. The replica is equipped with two pilots' seats, pilot instruments, displays and on-board systems control panels. In addition, the simulator has software that realistically models flight dynamics, so students can learn about the various factors that affect the performance of an aircraft and the behaviour of its systems. The simulator also includes almost all airports from around the world in its database.

– The simulator will be used by aviation and aerospace students to learn how to operate aircraft systems and build simulation tools – says Dr Maciej Zasuwa.

The investment cost PLN 450,000 and was financed by the Warsaw University of Technology and Boeing. The work lasted 5 months and involved a team from WUT, as well as external companies.

The official opening of the new simulator took place on 16 April 2024. The ceremony was attended by U.S. Ambassador Mark Brzezinski, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Science and Higher Education Andrzej Szeptycki, President of the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency Magdalena Jaworska-Maćkowiak, acting Vice President for Aviation Standards of the Civil Aviation Authority Andrzej Kotwica and representatives of Boeing, including Dr Michael Haidinger (President, Boeing Deutschland, Benelux, Zentral & Osteuropa), Linda Hapgood (Vice President of Engineering – Poland and Ukraine Engineering Technology Centers) Honorata Hencel (Managing Director, Poland & Ukraine) and Kristin Culler (Vice President of Engineering). Warsaw University of Technology was represented by the Vice-Rector for Development, Prof. Adam Woźniak.

sources: Nauka w Polsce news site and the Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering