Simlog Blog
Simulation for training, as we know it today, began back in 1934 when Ed Link sold his “Pilot Maker” to the (USA) Army Air Corps to help train people to fly the first airplanes. But simulation for training people to operate heavy equipment in forestry, construction, mining, and material handling, continues to be something “new”, and so this blog is meant to help you learn more.
The fact is, after more than 25 years as Simlog’s President (and Founder), and 15 years of work before that in engineering and university research, I’ve developed a unique perspective on what’s really important (and what’s not), and so I hope that you’ll find these entries informative.
Paul Freedman, Ph.D., P. Eng.
Jun 12
2020
2020
 Time was, training to become a blacksmith, baker, or candlestick maker required person-to-person interaction. Today, that’s just as true for heavy equipment operators. And that’s because developing any kind of skill means first showing me what to do, and then watching what I do to help me learn to (...)
Jan 8
2020
2020
As part of a previous blog post, I indicated that women are few and far between in the construction trades, especially at the controls of heavy equipment (just 2% in my part of the world). Perhaps there’s some kind of “biological handicap” at work? Well, industrial psychologists have identified three (...)
Nov 15
2019
2019
Typical operator training programs combine classroom-based instruction with real-world seat-time but the results are often discouraging, because there are three kinds of uncertainty. Are you choosing the right people to train? Are your trainees learning properly? Are your new operators working well enough? We can summarize the current arrangement in (...)
Oct 4
2018
2018
Learning to operate heavy equipment is like learning to play a musical instrument. Really? Well as one example, operating a backhoe and playing the banjo do seem rather different, as the following table makes clear. Description Operating a Backhoe Playing the Banjo Need two hands Yes Yes Need two feet (...)
May 28
2018
2018
An early airplane flying enthusiast, Ed Link developed his “Pilot Maker” in 1929 by combining state-of-the-art technology (for that time) consisting of motors, pumps, and bellows from the electric pianos and movie theatre pipe organs manufactured in his father’s factory.