Dr. Ed Cook, FAA
The visual system displays and the content of the visual scenes presented on those displays, are probably one of the most alluring features of modern aircraft flight simulators - blowing snow; waving palm trees; intricate cloud formations blowing overhead; water movement in the river or creek paralleling the runway; people waving at the arriving airplane in the terminal building windows adjacent to the jetway; neon signs advertising "Fly Delta Jets" or "Fly United" and complicated patterns of highways and byways surrounding the airport - complete with lighted intersections and moving traffic - moving in the correct direction and on the correct side of the road depending on your location (the US or the UK, for example). All of which are examples of very innovative and very talented simulation modelers. All of which are examples of the capabilities of today's visual system computers and displays. All of which appear to be normal, everyday features expected in today's aircraft flight simulators, but none of which are necessary to train, test, or check
the pilots using those simulators.
Dr. Ed Cook has a Bachelor's degree in Education, and a Master's degree and a Doctorate in Management. He served in the US Air Force, as a pilot and evaluator on KC-135's. When he left the Air Force, Dr. Cook joined the FAA as an air traffic controller, and served in a Flight Standards District Office as an airman certification specialist and Principal Operations Inspector. Ed left the FAA in 1980 and served as the Director of Training and as the Vice President of Operations for two Part 121 airlines. When he returned to the FAA in 1985, Dr. Cook served in various positions including a Certification Unit Supervisor in a district office, a staff specialist in Washington HQ, and as a specialist in the Southern Region HQ. Dr. Cook joined the National Simulator Program (NSP) staff in December 1987 as the supervisor of the Project Development Section, and served as the NSP manager from April 2000 to July 2005. Ed is currently serving as the Senior Advisor to the Air Transportation Division Manager, focusing on Flight Simulation and Training. He is also a trained and qualified FAA mediator. Dr. Cook's training and experience has been focused on training, simulation training systems, and education management throughout his professional career. He has taught mathematics at the high school and college undergraduate levels and aviation accident investigation to graduate students. Dr. Cook has also instructed pilots from the private pilot license all the way to the Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) levels and he holds a Flight Engineer and ATP certificate, with type ratings on the B-707, B-720, B-737, B-747, and the DC-9.