Introduction to Flight Testing. James W. Gregory
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Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data
Names: Gregory, James W., author. | Liu, T. (Tianshu), author.
Title: Introduction to flight testing / James W. Gregory, The Ohio State University; Tianshu Liu, Western Michigan University.
Description: First edition. | Hoboken, NJ : Wiley, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020048350 (print) | LCCN 2020048351 (ebook) | ISBN 9781118949825 (hardback) | ISBN 9781118949795 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9781118949801 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Airplanes--Flight testing--Textbooks.
Classification: LCC TL671.7 .G74 2021 (print) | LCC TL671.7 (ebook) | DDC 629.134/53--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020048350
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020048351
Cover Design: Wiley
Cover Image: © NNehring/Getty Images
Dedicated to
Deb, Alina, and Maggie – J. W. G.
Ruomei and Ranya – T. L.
About the Authors
James W. Gregory is professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at The Ohio State University (OSU). He received his Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech in 1999 and his PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Purdue University in 2005. He has been a faculty member at OSU since 2008 and served as Director of OSU's Aerospace Research Center from 2017 to 2020. In 2017, he led a team of research staff and students to set FAI/NAA‐sanctioned world records for speed and distance for an autonomous drone. He teaches classes at OSU on Flight Test Engineering and Introduction to Aerospace Engineering. Prof. Gregory also recorded a series of video lectures on the Science of Flight, produced by the Great Courses. He is an instrument‐rated commercial pilot and holds a remote pilot certificate.
Tianshu Liu is a professor in Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Western Michigan University (WMU). He received a PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Purdue University in 1996. He was a research scientist at NASA Langley Research Center from 1999 to 2004. His research focuses on experimental aerodynamics and fluid mechanics, particularly on global measurement techniques for various physical quantities such as pressure, temperature, heat flux, skin friction, velocity, aeroelastic deformation, and aerodynamic force. He teaches classes in aerodynamics and flight testing at WMU.
Series Preface
The field of aerospace is multidisciplinary and wide‐ranging, covering a large variety of platforms, disciplines, and domains, not merely in engineering but in many related supporting activities. These combine to enable the aerospace industry to produce innovative and technologically advanced vehicles. The wealth of knowledge and experience that has been gained by expert practitioners in the various aerospace fields needs to be passed onto others working in the industry and also researchers, teachers, and the student body in universities.
The Aerospace Series aims to be a practical, topical, and relevant series of books aimed at people working in the aerospace industry, including engineering professionals and operators, engineers in academia, and allied professions such as commercial and legal executives. The range of topics is intended to be wide‐ranging, covering design and development, manufacture, operation and support of aircraft, as well as topics such as infrastructure operations and current advances in research and technology.
Flight testing is a vital part of the certification and validation phase of all new aircraft and is performed to determine or verify the performance and handling qualities. Although the flight characteristics are predicted in the design and development stages of new aircraft programs, the real‐world capabilities are not known until the aircraft is flown and tested. Most aircraft flight testing programs are focused on meeting airworthiness certification requirements and demonstrate all aspects of the flight vehicle's performance and handling characteristics to ensure flight safety.
This book, Introduction to Flight Testing, is aimed at advanced‐level undergraduate students, graduate students, and practicing engineers who are looking for an introduction to the field of flight testing. With a focus on light aircraft and UAVs, the book covers the engineering fundamentals of flight, including the flight environment, aircraft performance and stability and control, combined with the piloting, sensors, and digital data acquisition and analysis required to perform flight tests. This book is a very welcome addition to the Wiley Aerospace Series.
October 2020 Peter Belobaba, Jonathan Cooper and Allan Seabridge
Preface
The goal of this book is to provide an accessible introduction to the fascinating and intriguing world of aircraft flight testing. This unique discipline directly straddles the domains of engineering and piloting, requiring knowledge of both the theory and practice of flight. Our target audience is advanced‐level undergraduate students, beginning graduate students, and practicing engineers who are looking for an introduction to the field of flight testing. Flight testing professionals (engineers, pilots, managers, etc.) may also find this to be a helpful resource if they wish to solidify their understanding of the fundamentals beyond what is provided in most other flight testing resources. We have attempted to write this book in an engaging, conversational style that invites the reader into understanding the fundamental principles.
Both authors teach a senior‐year technical elective course at our home universities on the topic of flight test engineering. Within this context, we have found that students best learn the material when they actively engage with flight testing practice. Experiencing flight in an aircraft is the best way to develop a tacit understanding of the principles of flight, to augment and deepen the intellectual knowledge of engineering practice that students receive in the classroom. In working with our senior‐year engineering students, we have developed the following learning objectives for our courses, as well as for this book. Our aim is that readers of this book will:
Have an appreciation for the purpose, scope, and magnitude of historical and modern flight test programs in the commercial and military aircraft sectors.
Understand the theoretical foundations of the flight environment, aircraft performance, and stability and control as it applies to flight testing.
Be familiar with aircraft cockpit instrumentation, supplemental sensors for flight testing, and digital data acquisition techniques.
Be able to plan a flight test to evaluate the performance or handling qualities of a general aviation or unmanned aircraft.
Have the ability to coordinate with an experienced pilot to successfully conduct the flight test.
Have the knowledge and background needed to perform postflight analysis and data reduction.
Be able to professionally and succinctly communicate the findings of a flight test program via oral and written communication.
Have a general familiarity with piloting, aviation weather, and flight planning.
Thus, this book is best approached in conjunction with flight in an actual aircraft. No specially instrumented aircraft are needed in order to do most of the flight tests in this book.