Synchronized video and synthetic visualization system and method

A synchronized video and synthetic visualization system for a mobile object comprising an aircraft traversing a flight path, which system comprises:

• a mobile video recorder associated with the aircraft and adapted to record video images from different camera angles along the flight path;
• a data recording device associated with the aircraft and adapted to record navigational and flight information;
• a secondary computer system adapted for creating a 3-D recreation of a flight path of the aircraft based on the navigational and flight information;
• a digital terrain model stored onto the data recording device and including an area of the Earth's surface including at least a portion of the flight path;
• a graphics software engine on the secondary computer system;
• a first 3-D display of a 3-D recreation including:
• the terrain model;
• a representation of the aircraft superimposed on the terrain model;
• and a data ribbon representing the flight path superimposed on the terrain model;
• altitude readings computed from the navigational and flight information at pre-defined intervals along the flight path;
• a second 3-D display comprising a vertical synthetic flight wall extending downwardly from the flight path data ribbon to a ground level on the terrain model computed using the altitude readings and the navigational and flight information;
• the flight wall being subdivided graphically into a vertically-oriented checkerboard configuration comprising multiple rectangular segments separated by multiple, horizontally-spaced vertical striations each representing a pre-defined horizontal distance and multiple, vertically-stacked horizontal striations each representing a pre-defined vertical distance, the pre-defined vertical and horizontal distances corresponding to altitude and distance of travel flight along the flight path respectively;
• a display device adapted for dynamically displaying in 3-D with the graphics software engine the flight wall including the vertical and horizontal striations below the flight path data ribbon;
• wherein the display device is adapted for dynamically displaying in 3-D with the graphics software engine the progress along the flight path of the aircraft on top of the flight wall and over the terrain model;
• and dynamically displaying aircraft altitudes at respective rectangular segments along the flight path;
• a synchronizer connected to the video recorder and the secondary computer system, the synchronizer being adapted for synchronizing video images from the video recorder with the 3-D recreation of a flight path;
• and
• the simulator adapted for analyzing the vehicle flight path.