Flight Simulator with Hardware and Virtual Reality for Aeronautical Engineering Education in Higher Education

Flight Simulator with Hardware and Virtual Reality for Aeronautical Engineering Education in Higher Education | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Flight Simulator with Hardware and Virtual Reality for Aeronautical Engineering Education in Higher Education David Santiago Velásquez Cifuentes, Moises Ibarra García, Gabriela Mendoza, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8379682/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 3 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Immersive flight simulators have become a key strategy to optimize learning in higher education programs in aeronautical engineering. This research reports the implementation and evaluation of a system that combines Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 with Meta Quest 3 head-mounted displays and specialized hardware (joystick, throttle, and rudder pedals) to replicate cockpit operations and strengthen the acquisition of theoretical and practical competences. We conducted a quasi-experimental study with 40 undergraduate students randomly assigned to a control group (desktop simulator without VR) and an experimental group (immersive VR). Data sources comprised a 30-item theory test (pre-/post-), simulator-based performance metrics (reaction time to failures, instrument reading accuracy, and maneuver stability), and Likert-type questionnaires on realism, ease of use, perceived utility, immersion, and satisfaction. The experimental group achieved significantly larger gains in theoretical knowledge (mean increase +16.3 vs. +8.1 points; p < .01), reduced reaction times by approximately 30%, and reported higher levels of realism, immersion, and satisfaction. These findings are discussed in relation to digital pedagogy in higher education, highlighting the reduction of the theory–practice gap, increased student engagement, and the transferability of immersive simulation to other engineering programs. We conclude that VR-enhanced flight simulators represent an effective, scalable, and motivating complement to traditional instruction in aeronautical engineering. Flight simulator Virtual reality Higher education Engineering education Student engagement Microsoft Flight Simulator Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 29 Dec, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 26 Dec, 2025 First submitted to journal 26 Dec, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8379682","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":565929848,"identity":"4cf895b2-d13d-48af-bbfd-9415ca5695a2","order_by":0,"name":"David Santiago Velásquez Cifuentes","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"Fundación Universitaria Los Libertadores","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"David","middleName":"Santiago Velásquez","lastName":"Cifuentes","suffix":""},{"id":565929849,"identity":"e8b773ec-4d5f-4c9a-b861-d31352ca7dd1","order_by":1,"name":"Moises Ibarra García","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Fundación Universitaria Los Libertadores","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Moises","middleName":"Ibarra","lastName":"García","suffix":""},{"id":565929850,"identity":"e7cd690d-7148-473b-b454-d469ac0531a6","order_by":2,"name":"Gabriela Mendoza","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Fundación Universitaria Los Libertadores","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Gabriela","middleName":"","lastName":"Mendoza","suffix":""},{"id":565929851,"identity":"ae2dc126-71f0-4ce2-a61d-4821297c0c5f","order_by":3,"name":"Kevin Peña","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Fundación Universitaria Los Libertadores","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kevin","middleName":"","lastName":"Peña","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-12-16 20:38:41","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8379682/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8379682/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":99316184,"identity":"85299024-bae3-464d-94c1-4d805177df92","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-31 16:27:52","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":752863,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"RevisedManuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8379682/v1_covered_6ff6735d-6a7f-4dcc-9c08-00d60521648e.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eFlight Simulator with Hardware and Virtual Reality for Aeronautical Engineering Education in Higher Education\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-education","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"diedu","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Education](https://www.springer.com/journal/44217)","snPcode":"44217","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/44217/3","title":"Discover Education","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Flight simulator, Virtual reality, Higher education, Engineering education, Student engagement, Microsoft Flight Simulator","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8379682/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8379682/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Immersive flight simulators have become a key strategy to optimize learning in higher education programs in aeronautical engineering. 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