DETERMINATION OF DRAG POLAR FROM FLIGHT TEST DATA

I) Area of Study
Lift & Drag Coefficient Estimation, Drag Polar Estimation

II) Learning Objectives

By completing this assignment, students will be able to learn about

a. Theoretical Models, Principles and Concepts

Aircraft Aerodynamics

Steady &Level Flight Performance

b. Numerical Techniques
Extraction of useful data from raw dump of flight test data

c. Data Analysis
Lift and Drag coefficients
Drag Polar
Some Steady & Level Flight Performance measures
 DETERMINATION OF DRAG POLAR FROM FLIGHT TEST DATA

1 INTRODUCTION
An aircraft is a multi-disciplinary engineering product that is designed and developed to meet
certain performance requirements based on the mission objectives. However, since engineering
is not really exact by nature and compromises have to be taken along the way in the
development phase, the end product needs to be validated against the specified performance
requirements. The validation of the flight performance aspects of an aircraft with respect to
design is known as Flight Testing.
The primary purpose of the flight testing is to determine if the performance characteristics
of the aircraft are sufficient to safely accomplish its intended mission. Other purposes include
the validation of the aerodynamic properties, power plant characteristics or systems data,
and investigation into other related fields.
In this assignment, some b a s i c principles of flight testing are used to extract useful
aerodynamic properties and to predict performance characteristics of an airplane.

2 OBJECTIVES
This assignment is intended to enhance the understanding of the students to the concept
of aircraft performance. Specifically, this experiment aims to:
 Enhance understanding of fundamental forces in flight and their effects on flight
performance,
 Help the students appreciate the course contents and visualize real life scenarios in
aviation