During World War II, they were used as a key pilot training aid by almost every combatant nation. The term Link Trainer, also known as the 'Blue box' and 'Pilot Trainer' is commonly used to refer to a series of flight simulators produced between the early 1930s and early 1950s by Link Aviation Devices, founded and headed by Ed Link, based on technology he pioneered in 1929 at his family's business in Binghamton, New York.
Link trainer in use at a British Fleet Air Arm station in 1943
