Soon we bought four used Links from TWA and put them in a room on the second floor of the
Marine Air Terminal. To these we added some Dehmel Duplicators, which we also bought from
TWA. The Duplicator was a real instrument trainer and much more advanced than the rather
simple Link.
At the time, the Curtiss-Wright Company, which manufactured the Duplicator, claimed it was
the exclusive patent holder of all aircraft simulation. Ed Link doubted that claim and was
eager to challenge it with an even more capable trainer. Well, FlightSafety helped him get
his wish by becoming the first customer for his new training device, a piston twin machine
similar to a Convair.
We called the thing a translator rather than a duplicator or simulator to keep
Curtiss-Wright off our backs, but we knew the company would eventually see through the
ruse and take all of us to court. That's exactly what happened. And Link won.