This paper adds data to help establish fidelity criteria to accompany the simulator motion system diagnostic test specified by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Twelve airline transport pilots flew three tasks in the NASA Vertical Motion Simulator under four different motion conditions. The experiment used three different hexapod motion configurations, each with a different trade-off between motion filter gain and break frequency, and one large motion configuration that utilised as much of the simulator's motion space as possible. The motion condition significantly affected (1) pilot motion fidelity ratings, and sink rate and lateral deviation at touchdown for the approach and landing task, (2) pilot motion fidelity ratings, roll deviations, maximum pitch rate, and number of stick shaker activations in the stall task, and (3) heading deviation after an engine failure in the take-off task. Significant differences in pilot-vehicle performance were used to define initial objective motion cueing criteria boundaries. These initial fidelity boundaries show promise but need refinement.
