How AXIS Flight Simulation earned its AX-D Flex patent

When Helmut Haslberger, Daniel Köck, Benjamin Binder and Robert Marterer first began sketching out what would become the AX-D Flex, they asked themselves: what if flight simulators could adapt as quickly as the people who train in them?

Two years later, that initial thought has led to a patent, officially recognising the AX-D Flex as a breakthrough in modular flight simulation.

The process of earning the AX-D Flex patent

It began as a simple idea shared in a team meeting: what if the cockpit of a full-flight simulator could be swapped out in a matter of minutes?

“I still remember when we first talked about the modular cockpit concept,” says Daniel Köck, one of the inventors. “We knew that if we could make it work, it would completely change how we think about flight simulation.”

At the time, most Roll-on/Roll-off simulator systems required removing entire balcony structures and dismantling the Non-Simulated Area (NSA). This was a laborious and time-consuming process. AXIS’s engineers decided to rethink that from the ground up.

The answer was a front-loading Roll-on/Roll-off mechanism that allows the cockpit (or Swap Unit) to slide seamlessly into the simulator’s main body, something that the team affectionately calls the ‘Mothership’.

What goes into the AX-D Flex?

The AX-D Flex comprises two main components:

• The Mothership: The generic core structure that holds the motion and visual system, outer shell and non-simulated area
• The Swap Unit: A fully equipped cockpit unit with integrated simulation computers, control loading system and other simulation-relevant sub-systems, all mounted on a smart carrier frame. Thanks to its front-loading design, the Swap Unit makes cockpit exchange easier.

“I’m especially proud of that,” says Robert Marterer. “It’s a simple but ingenious idea that saves costs and makes the system incredibly flexible.”

This small change in design philosophy delivers enormous operational benefits. Training centres can switch aircraft types faster, minimise downtime and maximize simulator utilisation. In an industry where simulators often sit idle up to 70% of the time, AX-D Flex transforms efficiency into opportunity.

Patent recognition

The patenting process for AX-D Flex began with the CL650 Rega full-flight simulator in Zurich. Timing was critical; had the system been seen publicly before filing, the innovation could have been exposed.

“This wasn’t just an engineering milestone, it was a statement,” says Helmut Haslberger, one of the project directors. “Trust, expertise and collaboration built something that truly changes what’s possible in simulation. AX-D Flex is, for me, a flagship project that shows where technological vision can lead.”

What does the patent cover?

As well as protecting the concept of Roll-on/Roll-off simulation, the patent also safeguards the specific technical innovations that make AX-D Flex unique.

Together, these features define a simulator system that is faster to reconfigure, easier to maintain and more cost-effective than any comparable solution.

The people behind the AX-D Flex patent

Innovation at AXIS is always human-driven. The team brought deep technical insight and relentless curiosity to every stage of development.

“We all had that moment when we realized how big this could be,” recalls Benjamin Binder. “When we saw the first successful cockpit change, fast, safe and with no errors, we knew we were building something special.”

Their collaboration exemplifies the AXIS culture: give great people the space and freedom to think boldly and the new ideas will follow.

Who was the AX-D Flex designed for?

The global demand for flexible flight simulation solutions is growing rapidly. This is mainly driven by the need to train more pilots across multiple aircraft types while optimising costs and improving sustainability.

AX-D Flex directly addresses this need, enabling training providers to:

• Host multiple aircraft configurations in one simulator bay
• Increase operational uptime
• Reduce maintenance complexity
• Future-proof their investment through modular adaptability

AX-D Flex delivers a smarter, more sustainable and more economical way to train, and now, it’s officially patented.

The patent is valid for 20 years, securing AXIS’s leadership in front-loading Roll-on/Roll-off flight simulator technology for decades to come.