APPLICATION OF ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES TO FLIGHT EVALUATIONS IN CRITICAL CONTROL AREAS

Abstract : Flight data can be dangerously misleading in the absence of careful interpretation. This report discusses test results pertinent to a variety of typical flight-control problem areas of the current generation of airplanes. The results presented were obtained from flight investigations of many research and operational aircraft. The report considers basic stability problems such as pitch-up, roll coupling, and marginal directional stability. Development of augmentation systems and control system evaluations are also discussed in some detail. Throughout the report, the importance of coordinating flight and similar results are very much stressed and it is shown that in many areas even the most painstaking interpretation of flight data can lead to possible disaster if flight tests are not adequately supported by simulator studies using realistic stability and control derivatives.