NASA F-15B Supports Experimental Inlet Tests

Whenever anyone thinks NASA, they think space, but the folks at places like Dryden Flight Research Center are still in the business of advancing aeronautics.  Several airframe manufacturers are hoping to produce supersonic business aircraft when the current economic problems subside.  This inlet work could make the difference between success and failure as fuel prices rise.

http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1112447031/nasa-propulsion-experiment-provides-data-for-more-efficient-jet-engines/

Marine Takes Over Navy Test Wing Atlantic

This entry isn't really about active flight test, but the message sent by this appointment sends great signals about the future of the Navy's West Coast testing operations.  A guy with a lot of F-35 experience and multiple western test tours is exactly what you'd expect, but the real gravy is his experience running the Navy Test Pilot School.  This guy is going to know every test toad that comes in the door personally.  I suspect Navy Test West will be hitting on all cylinders for quite a while to come.  Congrats!

http://www.thebaynet.com/news/index.cfm/fa/viewStory/story_ID/25645/d/12282011

Airbus A400M Rounds Out Test Fleet

It looks like the last flight-test Grizzly is now on the line.  The article at the link below mentions a few of the test disciplines that the aircraft will investigate.  It is apparently a full-up or near full-up avionics bird, since part of its job will be EMI work.  The article also mentions the progress of testing in several other disciplines, to include stalls and rejected takeoffs.

http://www.defpro.com/news/details/30853/?SID=4edfa78bc454ad5c4705899e42b0c738

Raytheon SDB II Tests Multi-Spectral Seeker on UH-1

With millimeter-wave radar, imaging infra-red, and semi-active laser all on a single seeker-head, this guidance system for a stealth-compatible weapon can give a "go anywhere in any weather" punch to penetrators like the Raptor or F-35.  Add their networked information systems and it will be tough to hide.  If anyone sees you, everyone sees you.

http://www.thestreet.com/story/11342882/1/raytheon-sdb-ii-flight-test-keeps-program-ahead-of-schedule.html

Sorocco's Sirocket Makes First Flight

I'm not very smart on ultralights, having gone hang-gliding exactly one time in my life, but it souinds like a lot of changes were made to this airframe to increase the maximum speed.  What I have to wonder, though, is if they were really planning to go straight to the maximum design speed on the first flight.  I'm glad the issues presented themselves in a way that allowed the team to adjust the plan.

http://www.eaa.org/ehotline/issues/111216.html

Anyone Want to Help Certify the AW-609?

If the job offer at the folloing link is any indication, Augusta will be doing their FAA certification tests in Arlington Texas starting pretty soon.

http://www.agustawestland.com/job-posting/aw-609-faa-certification-manager-arlington-tx

Boeing Proves out B-52 CONECT Upgrades

To an ever-greater degree, every military aircraft is becoming just another node in an extremely pervasive web of data capture, transmission, and utilization.  This system has been under evaluation for a while now, and has apparently convinced planners that it is ready for Low-Rate Initial Production.

http://www.4-traders.com/THE-BOEING-COMPANY-4816/news/THE-BOEING-COMPANY-Boeing-B-52-CONECT-System-Completes-Flight-Test-Milestone-13930358/

P&W PurePower Geared Turbofan Gears Up

There is good reason that Time Magazine would place this so high on their list of 2011 aviation contributions.  I don't know that I would necessarily place it number one, but the concept promises to be very powerful in improving fuel efficiency without having to go to noisy (and from the passengers' point of view outdated) turboprop configurations.  The difference with this fan is that instead of using exhaust gases coming off the high temperature turbine to spin the fan, this concept uses a (potentially) higher efficiency gearbox to do the same thing.  It becomes basically a shrouded turboprop or ducted fan configuration.

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/12/05/4100907/geared-for-success-landmark-year.html

(Photo Credit: P&W)



Turkish TAI ANKA UAV Testing Continues

It's amazing how much the shape of an aircraft is dictated by the mission.  This one is not a dead ringer for the Predator by any means.  Still...   Anyway, perhaps they can lend DoD the source code for their autoland capability.  Maybe we could stop putting so many of them in the dirt off the edge of the runway.

http://www.uasvision.com/2011/11/29/turkeys-anka-completes-6-hour-test-flight/

NASA Dryden F-18 Helps to Define "Quiet Enough"

A lot of airframers, both commercial and military, have good reasons to figure out how to travel supersonically in a quiet manner.  The folks at Dryden have specialized in this kind of flight research for a while and are still at it.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201221131.htm

GE's nx-1B Engine Moves Closer to Cert with ETOPS Success

You can't get the best efficiency with a twin unless you can fly the best routes, and you can't fly the best routes unless you can prove that the remaining engine will get you home from "feet wet" if one of them has a problem.  General Electric has jumped another hoop in the effort to prove that and certify the 787.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/genx-1b-earns-330min-faa-etops-certification-365510/

Chinese J-20 Back in the Air?

It apparently flew again nearly three weeks ago, but I have found very little information on test objectives or results.  It is not easy getting even the most basic information on programs like this one, but the link below has a bunch of fairly interesting flight test related videos.

http://www.military.com/video/aircraft/jet-fighters/chinas-j20-performs-new-test-flight/1302972546001/

Northrop/Navy X-47B Sets Blistering Test Pace

The only link I have for this is the membership-required URL below, but word on the street (courtesy AvWeek, which is never a surprise) is that the Edwards team accomplished 49 flights worth of data points in only 16 flights, which is a better than three-fold improvement in test efficiency.  How did you guys do that?  (Hopefully not the old standard of "padded" test planning.)  If you can get in, the link has some excellent info on progress of the test program and plans for next steps.

http://www.aviationweek.com/publication/awst/loggedin/AvnowStoryDisplay.do?fromChannel=awst&channel=awst&pubKey=awst&issueDate=2011-12-05&story=xml/awst_xml/2011/12/05/AW_12_05_2011_p54-398723.xml&headline=X%2d47B+Heads+To+Pax+River+En+Route+To+Carrier+Demo