Introduction to Flight Testing

Provides an introduction to the basic flight testing methods employed on general aviation aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles Introduction to Flight Testing of Light Aircraft and UAVs provides a concise introduction to the basic flight testing methods employed on general aviation aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles for courses in aeronautical engineering. There is particular emphasis on the use of modern on-board instruments and inexpensive, off-the-shelf portable devices that make flight testing accessible to nearly any student. This text presents a clear articulation of standard methods for measuring aircraft performance characteristics. Topics covered include aircraft and instruments, digital data acquisition techniques, flight test planning, the standard atmosphere, uncertainty analysis, level flight performance, airspeed calibration, stall, climb and glide, take-off and landing, level turn, and static and dynamic longitudinal stability. Unique to this book is a detailed discussion of digital data acquisition (DAQ) techniques, which are an integral part of modern flight test programs. This treatment includes discussion of the analog-to-digital conversion, sample rate, aliasing, and filtering. These critical details provide the flight test engineer with the insight needed to understand the capabilities and limitations of digital DAQ. Key features: * Provides an introduction to the basic flight testing methods and instrumentation employed on general aviation aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles. * Includes examples of flight testing on general aviation aircraft such as Cirrus, Piper, and Cessna aircraft, along with unmanned aircraft vehicles. * Suitable for courses on Aircraft Flight Test Engineering. Introduction to Flight Testing of Light Aircraft and UAVs provides resources and guidance for practitioners in the rapidly-developing field of UAV performance flight test and the general aviation flight test community.