We consider the deterministic modeling, calibration, and model parameter estimation of two commonly employed inertial measurement units based on real test data acquired from a flight motion simulator. Each unit comprises three tri-axial devices: an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a magnetometer. We perform the deterministic error modeling and calibration of accelerometers based on an improved measurement model, and the technique we propose for gyroscopes lowers costs by eliminating the need for additional sensors and relaxing the test bed requirement. We present an extended measurement model for magnetometers that reduces calibration errors by modeling orientation-dependent hard-iron errors in a gimbaled angular position-control machine. While we employ the model-based Levenberg-Marquardt optimization algorithm for the parameter estimation of accelerometers and magnetometers, we use a model-free evolutionary optimization algorithm (particle swarm optimization) for estimating the calibration parameters of gyroscopes. Errors are considerably reduced as a result of proper modeling and calibration. © 2016 Elsevier B.V.