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?

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Will this fly?

Flight Test Introduction 2012

Will This Airplane Fly?

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This One?

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What About This One?

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

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 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

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 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?

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• Show film

Flight Test Introduction 2013

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

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 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

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

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 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
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 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?

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 C-150

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Airplane ‘Owners’ Manual

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Takeoff Distance

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Climb Speeds

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Range Data

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Landing Distance

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