The Link Trainer was produced from the 1930s to the 1950s by Link Aviation Devices, founded by Edwin Link. Mounted on a turntable, the Link Trainer could turn and tilt, climb and descend in replicating aircraft movement to give the feel of flying. A panel with instruments found in an airplane cockpit helped to complete the simulated flight.
Excerpt from Alberta Aviation Museum – 30 Years of Progress
Thousands of pilots learned instrument flying in Link Trainers during the Second World War. British Commonwealth Air Training Plan schools across Canada employed the simulator starting in 1940, contributing to the production of 10,000 units by the war’s end, including 5,000 built in Canada. Both No. 16 Elementary Flying Training School and No. 2 Air Observer School in Edmonton used Link Trainers. The latter employed Margaret Littlewood, a fight instructor from Ontario who was the only woman Link instructor in Canada.
You can learn more about this aircraft trainer by purchasing a copy of our 30th Anniversary Souvenir Book or by visiting the museum today!
