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Introduction To Flight Test Engineering: Dan Hrehov

Flight testing is conducted to verify that new aircraft designs work as expected, demonstrate safety to regulators, and collect data for manuals. Engineers use empirical formulas, modeling, and experimentation to solve problems. Flight testing is the experimental method used to gather critical data on aircraft functions. A flight test engineer plans and conducts tests, analyzes collected data on aircraft performance and systems, and documents results. The film showed different types of flight tests conducted for various certification requirements and design evaluations.

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msraju
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135 views

Introduction To Flight Test Engineering: Dan Hrehov

Flight testing is conducted to verify that new aircraft designs work as expected, demonstrate safety to regulators, and collect data for manuals. Engineers use empirical formulas, modeling, and experimentation to solve problems. Flight testing is the experimental method used to gather critical data on aircraft functions. A flight test engineer plans and conducts tests, analyzes collected data on aircraft performance and systems, and documents results. The film showed different types of flight tests conducted for various certification requirements and design evaluations.

Uploaded by

msraju
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to Flight Test

Engineering

Dan Hrehov
Flight Test Engineer

Flight Test Introduction 2016


Agenda
• Engineers as Designers
• Engineers as Problem Solvers
• Reasons for Flight Testing
• Purpose of Flight Test Data
• Flight Test Movie
• Activities of a Flight Test Engineer
• Review of Flight Test Data
• Wrap-up
Flight Test Introduction 2016
Engineers as Designers
• Use the laws of nature and apply them to practical
applications
• Society looks to engineers to solve technical
problems affecting their lives; energy, pollution,
etc.
• Engineers design and build what other people
dream

Flight Test Introduction 2016


Engineers Use Math and Science
to Solve Problems
• Empirically
– Solutions derived using formulas and calculations
• Modeling or Simulations
– Computers that rapidly calculate many possible
outcomes
• Experimentally
– Solutions obtained from performing experiments
• Which one to use?

Flight Test Introduction 2016


Will this fly?

Flight Test Introduction 2012


Will This Airplane Fly?

Flight Test Introduction 2016


This One?

Flight Test Introduction 2016


What About This One?

Flight Test Introduction 2016


What method would you use?
• Empirical?
• Modeling?
• Experimental?

Flight Test Introduction 2016


Perform the Experiment
• For critical airplane functions, Boeing does
all three.
• In Flight Test, we ‘Perform the experiment’
• In many ways, there is no better way than
flight testing to obtain that data

Flight Test Introduction 2016


Reasons for Flight Testing
• Verify that the new design (or change to the
airplane) works as expected
• Demonstrate to the FAA the airplane is safe
for airline use.
• Collect flight test data to develop the
operating manuals and handbooks

Flight Test Introduction 2016


Flight Test Film

• Flight tests in the movie are just as valid


today as when the film was made
• You will see many different types of tests
• Record the different types of tests
• Can you determine what are the specific
reasons for those tests?

Flight Test Introduction 2016


• Show film

Flight Test Introduction 2013


Flight Test Film Recap
• What were the types of testing did you see?
• Why were those tests performed?

Flight Test Introduction 2016


Activities of a Flight Test Engineer
• Plan and prepare for the tests
• Specify the Instrumentation
• Schedule the testing
• Configure the airplane
• Prepare the test plan
• Fly/conduct tests
• Analyze data (during and after flight)
• Write reports
Flight Test Introduction 2016
Flight Test Data Analysis
• Look at the time history strip chart example
• Identify the parameters and scales
• Identify the time scale
• Start on the left and work toward the right
• Can you identify the maneuver?
– What did the pilot/airplane do?

Flight Test Introduction 2016


FT Data Titles/Units
• Vtrue (mphgs) - True Airspeed in Miles/hour
• alt (Ftagl) - Altitude in feet above ground level
• N11 (percent) - #1 Engine speed in %, 0 is off,
and 100% if full power
• Pitch (deg) - Pitch of the airplane in degrees,
the angle the nose makes with the horizon
• real (time) - Seconds

Flight Test Introduction 2014


Guess the FT Maneuver

Flight Test Introduction 2016


Wrap-up
• Engineers design solutions to help society
• Engineers solve problems
• Summary of Flight Test Engineering
• Review of Flight Test data

Flight Test Introduction 2016


Duties of a Test Pilot
• Perform the airplane maneuvers to collect
the required test data
• Verify the airplane can be flown without
exceptional effort or skill
• ‘Teaches’ the airplane, autopilot, flight
control systems to ‘fly’
• Trains other pilots

Flight Test Introduction 2016


Refused Takeoff
• In the film the airplane had its brakes catch
fire on the ground. What happened?

Flight Test Introduction 2016


Refused Takeoff
• In the film the airplane had the brakes catch
fire on the ground. What’s going on?
• The pilot overshot the cut speed by 5 knots
(6 miles/hour). Would that make a
difference?

Flight Test Introduction 2016


Refused Takeoff
• In the film and airplane had the brakes catch
fire on the ground. What happened?
• The pilot overshot the cut speed by 5 knots
(6 miles/hour). Would that make a
difference?
• The kinetic energy of ‘moving’ is converted
into heat energy of ‘stopping’.
• KE=½mv2
Flight Test Introduction 2016
Let’s go flying in a C-150…
• But before you go….
• What specific information about an airplane
would you as a pilot need to know before
you went flying?

Flight Test Introduction 2014


C-150

Flight Test Introduction 2014


Airplane ‘Owners’ Manual

Flight Test Introduction 2012


Takeoff Distance

Flight Test Introduction 2012


Climb Speeds

Flight Test Introduction 2012


Range Data

Flight Test Introduction 2012


Landing Distance

Flight Test Introduction 2012

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