Test Pilot Students are Doing the Real Thing

An interesting story at the link below describes the kind of real-world flight tests that a recent class of Test Pilot School students performed.  This is not just fluff.  As a former Deputy Commandant of the USAF Test Pilot School, I can tell you that the services are wringing every last dollar out of their training by putting them to work answering real-world questions while they train.  An interesting list of projects is provided in the article, and while the risk is generally low, it is NOT zero.

http://www.edwards.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123330597

UPDATE: Virgin Galactic / Scaled Composites SpaceShipTwo Now Configured for Boosted Flight

SpaceShipTwo is back in the air.  Judging from the story at the second link, it looks like the plane has had an engine installed along with associated hardware, to confirm the aerodynamics and center of gravity.  Oddly, an FAA N-number inquiry still lists the craft as a glider, which is normal for a motorglider, but (if you want to get technical) it should also list engine type for when it is dropped as a motorglider for a powered flight.  In any case, it looks as though we are getting close to lighting that bad-boy off, so stay tuned!

http://www.virgingalactic.com/news/item/spaceshiptwo-completes-first-glide-in-powered-flight-configuration/

http://www.space.com/18994-virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-flight-test.html

A few more details are offered at this third link.  Apparently the team is looking at a modified approach and landing profile.  2013 light-off?

http://zeenews.india.com/news/space/virgin-galactic-s-spaceshiptwo-passes-key-flight-test_818506.html

Boeing Bakes Potatoes... Very Slowly

This story has almost nothing to do with flight test, but I couldn't resist.

(Boeing Photo, courtesy of CNN)

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/19/travel/potatoes-wireless/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+(RSS%3A+Top+Stories)

NASA Dryden Research F-18 Advances Aero Efficiency

The airlines are so desparate for fuel savings that aerodynamic changes to airframes that result in only 1 or 2 percent fuel savings are considered worthwhile investments.  But given that more and more aircraft are being fitted with fly-by-wire flight controls, this ongoing work at Dryden could open the door to those kinds of efficiency improvements by only changing a few ones and zeroes in the flight control computers.  This stuff won't get you a Kinchloe, but it will be very exciting to the ultimate customer.

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2012/12/nasa-f18-fuel-burn-research/

Diamond DA-42 Fly-By-Wire?

So far I haven't found any details on the results of these tests, but reports are that Diamond has already flown a fly-by-wire version of their DA-42 twin and has set their sights on certification.  Just like Embraer (discussed in an earlier post) I think this could cause a major paradigm-shift across the industry.  Let's see where it goes!

(Photo courtesy golfhotelwhiskey.com)



http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/diamond-tests-fly-by-wire-on-da42-380035/

Airbus A400M May Reach IOC in Early 2013

After 300+ hours and over 50 sorties in the "ilities" phase of testing (reliability, supportability, deployability, maintainability, etc) it looks as though the Grizzly has gotten over its growing pains in the area of propulsion.  Counter-rotating props on both wings?  Interesting.

http://www.shephardmedia.com/news/mil-log/a400m-completes-fr-flight-test-phase/

Northrop-Grumman X-47B UAV Inches Toward Carrier Trials

It turns out that the team has just completed the initial ground-based catapult launches.

http://www.militaryaerospace.com/articles/2012/12/x47b-drone-catapult.html

Sikorsky Delivers CH-53K GVT Vehicle

Sikorsky has delivered the first prototype, a ground test article, to the test team.  While it will probably never get airborne, its arrival is still a major adrenaline rush for the team, because it says "This is real!"  The program is no longer vaporware, and the test team will certainly be crawling all over this GVT bird as they prepare for flight test.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/sikorsky-delivers-first-ch-53k-prototype-heavy-lift-helicopter-to-flight-test-team-2012-12-04

Dassault Neuron UAV makes Maiden Flight

I guess this one is intended as a stealth technology demonstrator, and yes, it looks very familiar.  But like the DC-8 and the B-707, the mission and the available technology together pretty much dictate the ultimate configuration.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/First-European-Stealth-Drone-Makes-Test-Flight-311569.shtml

Northrop-Grumman X-47B Prepares for Shipboard Trials

While this won't be the first unmanned aircraft to operate from a carrier, this one is starting to get pretty big, and will be coming aboard with a lot more kinetic energy that many previous UAVs.  It should be exciting since it will be autonomous.  The good news is that ground trials must have shown pretty stable behavior to make the team feel ready to hoist it on-board ship.

http://www.cbs8.com/story/20197640/combat-drone-takes-first-test-flight-off-aircraft-carrier

Augusta-Westland Adds third AW169 test Aircraft

I've never been a rotary-wing tester, but with two aircraft flying since this past summer, 100 hours total time to date feels a little low to me unless there have been some technical surprises.  Any of you rotary-wing guys out there have a different take?

http://www.shephardmedia.com/news/rotorhub/aw169-continues-successful-flight-test-programme/

Embraer Legacy 500 Maiden Flight

Embraer looks at this aircraft as a game-changer in business aviation, perhaps even to the degree that Gulfstream hopes to make a similar change with their future supersonic bizjet.  I tend to agree, if only to acknowledge that fly-by-wire opens up a lot of doors to navigation, flying qualities, and even failure mitigation, that are a lot harder with other systems.  There is little details on the first flight, but a video put out by the company implies that the gear came up and a larger-than-typical portion of the planned envelope was explored on the first flight.  As happens so often, FlightGlobal had a very early story.

http://www.flightglobal.com/airspace/forums/embraer-legacy-500-makes-flawless-first-flight-90660.aspx

Chinese J-15 Lands on Aircraft Carrier

This was certainly a high-pucker-factor series of tests.  As usual, there is not a lot of detail in the article, but the video shows a few interesting features.  On short final, the plane is shown making fairly large pitch excursions on the strength of the large horizontals.  It's not clear whether or not the pitch control in that shot, which seemed a bit "loose" for comfortable carrier ops, was actually taken as the plane came aboard, or if that was from another pass.  The ski-jump takeoff seemed to go smoothly, with the plane sustaining what looked like a 10-to-15 degree climb angle, but there is no way to tell what the gross weight was during that sequence.

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1090483/china-announces-successful-flight-test-aircraft-carrier-it-unveils-new

F-35A Begins AMRAAM Integration Flights

The F-35 continues its gradual morph from being a new aircraft to being a new weapon system.

http://www.edwards.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123327065

Lockheed Martin F-16 Tests Auto-GCAS

As the article mentions, testing on ground collision avoidance systems has been going on for a while, but we are now talking about being operational in less than two years.  Having lost half a dozen friends to CFIT, my input is that it's about time!

http://www.edwards.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123327065

Lockheed Martin F-35 High AOA Test Video

Not a lot of technical details in this youtube clip, but some fun video and commentary.  Looks like a nice stable pass at some AOA in excess of 20 degrees.  Given the tail configuration very similar to  the F-18, I would expect it to be capable of pretty worry-free maneuvering well in excess of 30 or 35 degrees eventually.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfWHHuLILs0

Boeing's Subscale X-48C Reaches Test Milestone

An earlier version with three engines and winglet-style vertical tails has given way to a twin-engined version with a more conventional tail configuration.  The tails are reminiscent of planes like the A-10, whose design was intended to shield the engine exhaust and reduce the plane's infra-red signature.  As it turns out, the same configuration can deflect exhaust noise upward to reduce the audible signature.  Since the gear still seem to be fixed, it would seem that the work being done is still on low-speed handling qualities, even though the ultimate reason for the configuration is to show a lower cruise drag.  Let's get on with this...  Releasable trolley for takeoff and skids for landing?

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/Features/x-48_100th_testFlight.html

J-31: Chinese Carrier-Based Stealth?

It is never easy to separate fact from hype when sources are state-controlled, but it looks as though China's next stealth prototype may have taken its maiden flight.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/China/New-China-stealth-fighter-in-test-flight-state-media/Article1-953140.aspx

Lockheed-Martin F-35A Drops 2000-Pounder, AMRAAM

This is a major milestone.  The typical weapon of choice has been the 500-pound Mk-82 for decades, and the plane was designed to carry the SDB small diameter bomb internally which weighs in at much less than that.  Pickling off a 2000 pounder from the internal bay says a lot about the flexibility of the airframe.  The video in the link below is worth watching, since it also shows a few of the tests that are used to build up to this kind of stores clearance.

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-f-35-lockheed-martin-20121017,0,6197167.story

The same test team apparently followed the air-to-ground clearance work with an air-to-air AMRAAM release just a few days later.

http://blogs.star-telegram.com/sky_talk/2012/10/f-35a-test-aircraft-successfully-completes-air-to-air-missile-release-test.html

Airbus A-400M Begins Air Refueling Tests

The plane takes on more and more of an operational flavor as it performs multiple dry hookups behind a typical refueling platform.  This work can get exciting.  During early C-17 AAR work, the plane entered a very pronounced lateral pilot induced oscillation that required a major rework of the control system in the AAR mode.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/a400m-advances-refuelling-trials-with-french-transall-377753/

Saab Gripen E/F Under Test in Switzerland

In all likelihood, the work they are doing is part of the transition from the developmental testing performed by the manufacturer to operational testing being done by the customer.  The Swiss pilots will begin to develop the tactics and procedures that will work best for their intended use of the aircraft.  The F-5 is a fun little airplane, but it is certainly time to bring a replacement on-line.

http://www.defpro.com/news/details/40241/?SID=68007f8443a23c04d1b4fa3d96b391ed

DoD C-130s Doing Low-Level Container Delivery Work

Cruising along on the deck to test delivery systems at high speed has got to be a hoot.  You can bet the loadmaster is NOT going to step on one of those rollers that close to the ramp.  As a side note, that golfball on the tower in the first picture has been "destroyed" by more simulated weapons deliveries than you could count.  I've "blown it up" at least 50 times myself over the years during avionics systems tests or USAF Test Pilot School training sorties.

http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckBlogId=Blog:27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7&plckPostId=Blog%3A27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3A0ee92bdc-5c4b-4867-ada1-0ce8ecc49699

Gulfstream G-650 Takeoff Crash Blamed Largely on Management

Company spokesmen say that shortcomings asscociated with flight test processes have already been addressed.  One piece of the solution has been the establishment of a flight test safety review board.  This would typically be composed of knowledgeable experts who are not directly involved in the project under review.  Similar boards are used in military and NASA flight test programs to make sure that the teams aren't falling prey to the Project manager version of "Get-there-itis".  Done properly, this alone should help immensely.

http://www.wtoc.com/story/19790058/ntsb-report-on-g650-flight-test-crash-details-multiple-causes

Boeing Uses American 737-800 for Combined Test Program

This link is worth taking a bit of time to examine.  It seems that Boeing is not only testing multiple technologies simultaneously on a single production airplane, but they are using an airplane that has already been delivered to a customer.  Some interesting ways to keep costs down and accelerate testing.

http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/AW_10_08_2012_p40-499957.xml&p=1

NASA Northrop-Grumman Global Hawks Prepare for Automated Air Refueling

NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center has gained a reputation for being near the leading edge on automated air refueling, so it's no surprise that DARPA has asked them to help figure out how to do it with their long-duration UAVs.  At $33M just to perform the tests, it starts to provide a feel for just how expensive the sensor suites on the proposed real-world missions must be.  Otherwise, you'd just swap out aircraft on patrol and they would both carry the needed sensors.  If the test articles are operated in a manner like operational specimens, the automated system reliability must be high, because operational pilots typically "fly" these airplanes from a keyboard with little opportunity for actual "stick and rudder" inputs.

http://www.nasdaq.com/article/multimedia-release----two-global-hawk-unmanned-aircraft-fly-in-close-formation-move-ahr-program-cl-20121005-00556

Budget Realities Forcing Changes to Military Flight Test

Although the article at the link below appears in "Air Force" magazine, the realities it describes began making themselves felt across the entire DOD several U.S. administrations ago, when Dick Cheney cancelled the U.S. Navy's planned stealthy attack aircraft for budget overruns.  The history behind the Air Force's current approach to flight test, and the sobering forecasts for its future, are very illuminating.  This article includes no active flight testing, but it is very much worth the time to read, nonetheless.

http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2012/October%202012/1012test.aspx

UK CAA Runs First Autogyro Flight Test Course

I'm sure that this is not being done in any of the military test pilot schools, and I have heard of nothing to indicate that civilian schools like the National Test Pilot School are doing a specialized autogyro class.  (Although I imagine that gyrocopters and such are at least mentioned during the NTPS Rotary Wing flight test course.)  Perhaps the EAA should take a look?

http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=14&pagetype=65&appid=7&mode=detail&nid=2174

Augusta-Westland AW-101 Begins Avionics Sea-Trials

Lockheed-Martin is prime for a major series of upgrades to the Merlin fleet.  Recent flights have begun to put nav systems through their paces.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/picture-royal-navys-merlin-hm2-helicopter-clears-carrier-trials-377118/

Lockheed-Martin F-35B Loads Work Underway

This is the day-to-day, "get it to the customer" grunt work of flight test.  Structural loads, stores compatibility, handling qualities...  Not a lot of glory, but this is what gets a plane to the customer with the capabilities that they need.

http://www.defpro.com/news/details/39803/?SID=f09ad850f135f5688f21376560047fa9

Ukrainian-Designed Antonov AN-70 Back in the Air

The tactical transport has apparently had technical issues that have stretched out development for quite a while, but Russian and Ukrainian customers are still declaring commitment to the project.  What I find most interesting is the (apparent) practice of performing flight test as part of airshows.  To me the two endeavors are fundamentally incompatible.  You don't do something in front of a crowd of onlookers unless you know for sure what will happen.  But if you know for sure what will happen, then you aren't really doing flight test.

http://en.ria.ru/mlitary_news/20120927/176265713.html

Second Sukhoi SU-30SM Added to Test Program

There are not a lot of details about test objectives on this maiden flight, but they most likely included core flight systems and avionics, since the basic airframe is a tme-tested aircraft.  I could not get the link to load completely, but the basic facts were still there.

http://www.defenseworld.net/go/defensenews.jsp?id=7592&h=Second%20Sukhoi%20Su-30SM%20Fighter%20Jet%20Completes%20Maiden%20Test%20Flight

UPDATED: Australia and Norway Partner on HiFire Hypersonic Flight Test

While small, unpiloted vehicles like this one are often ignored (unless they crash, of course), this kind of research really does extend the boundaries of aeronautics, and the stakes are high on every launch.  At this point it isn't clear if the flight was a success, or had problems like recent X-51 flight trials.

http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2012/09/21/australian-defence-scientists-conduct-successful-test-flight-of-experimental-hypersonic-vehicle/

UPDATE:  Apparently the flight was a success, reaching altitudes above 200 miles and speeds above Mach 8.

http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2012/09/28/Australian-hypersonic-test-a-success/UPI-83401348828200/?spt=hs&or=si

Canadian Falcon-20 Prepares for 100% Biofuel Flight

You've read here about previous flights using biofuel blends.  This is apparently the very first flight planned to fly on 100% biofuel.  Personally, I remain a huge supporter of finding alternative fuels, but I am an even bigger skeptic regarding when they might be commercially viable.  That said, it has to start somewhere.  Leave it to the Canadians to expand the biofuel envelope.

http://skiesmag.com/news/articles/17188-canadian-contribution-key-to-upcoming-100-percent-biofuel-te.html

Bombardier Easing Toward C-Series First Flight

Rirst flight could happen later this year if final assembly is completed on the expected timeline.  Good looking airplane, but the perspective in the link makes the tail look awfully small.  They have apparently gone to digital flight controls, which is good, because if they had not, I'm thinking the yaw damper was going to be a must-have item to fly.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/bombardier-s-cseries-test-aircraft-parts-due-to-arrive-in-coming-weeks-1.955888

NASA Cirrus SR-22 Mimics UAV to test Collision Avoidance Systems

The article at the link below spotlights software tests being performed in NASA Langley's UAV-Surrogate aircraft, but it leaves a lot of questions unanswered.  A few years back this type of work was a major focus out at NASA Dryden in California.  It is not clear whether they are also involved as the work has progressed.  What is also not clear is what hardware besides ADS-B is being used to inform the avoidance software.  The sense-and-avoid problem is hugely complex, and no one is likely to bet the farm on a single-string system that is wholly dependent upon ADS-B.  I wonder what else is in the eventual plan?  About a million years ago, I suggested to the FAA that airliners could potentially use sound to help them avoid general aviation aircraft.  They actually took it seriously enough to get back to me with a very solid analysis of the concept.  Acoustic sensors and signal extraction software are even better now.  Guess we'll see.

http://www.generalaviationnews.com/2012/09/11/69138/

Virgin Galactic / Scaled Compsites SpaceShipTwo Engine Going In

The story at the link below indicates that Virgin considers most of the unpowered testing to be complete.  The plane is now down for a few months to prepare for powered flight.  You'll recall some of the frantic moments early in the SpaceShipOne test program when they were still learning how the rocket motor and flight controls interacted.  No one who saw it can forget the unplanned aileron rolls that occured on one of those early flights.  If you live in the Antelope Valley, you'll want to keep your VHF scanner plugged in!

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/virgin-galactic-finishes-unpowered-flight-test-376475/

Boeing Tests New FA-18E/F Mission Computers

More and more these days, the fundamental ability of an aircraft to do its job is as dependent upon the onboard systems as it is on the airframe itself.  You can bet that these new computers will add a lot of punch to the fleet, in ways that most of us can only imagine.

http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=2407

Lockheed-Martin F-35B Follows A-Model into Airstart Testing

A lot of good info about the planned testing is available at the link below.  Apparently the A-model is done or nearly done with its airstart program.  Now the STOVL version will be doing the same prior to getting into serious high AOA testing.  27 different conditions are on the matrix.  I'm sure there will be some surprises, but the good news is that there are a LOT of landing options out at Edwards.

http://www.yumasun.com/news/air-81522-aircraft-test.html

Chinese K-8 Military Trainer Cleared for High Altitude Airport Ops

The plane is used by multiple air forces and is a joint venture with Pakistan.  Now it seems an international test team has flown from an airfield whose elevation is over 13,000 feet.

http://www.defpro.com/news/details/38831/?SID=b82bb44cedf221e6bbb0691945695ec0

 



USAF-Boeing-Pratt&Whitney X-51 Flight Control Failure?

The first substantial reports from yesterday's mach-6 attempt point at a flight control structural failure as the cause of a lost X-51.  So far I haven't seen anything official from USAF.  Leave it to AvWeek to have the first snippet of information.

http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckBlogId=Blog:27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7&plckPostId=Blog%3A27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3A364ef945-4d56-499f-9359-f205eca3e0bf

Lockheed-Martin F-35B Weapons Separation Tests Begin

The article at the link below doesn't mention where the weapon release test took place, but these are typically done at China Lake NAS just north of Edwards AFB in Central California.  The data are being reviewed at Pax River, so it may have taken place there instead.  What I find most interesting about this test is that the weapon used in this first-ever F-35 bomb release was so big.  The military staple over the last 30 years has been the 500-pound Mk-82, including many guided and unguided variants.  The SDB, as smaller and lighter weapon, was specifically designed for internal carriage in stealth aircraft like the F-35.  I've got to wonder what motivated the Navy to start by clearing a 1000-pounder.  There's a message here, but I'm not sure what it is.  If I remember correctly, the 1000-pound weapon was a favorite of the F-117.  Are we going back to that?  Any theories?

http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/08/12/4176530/f-35-drops-its-first-test-bomb.html

Northrop-Grumman LEMV Makes Maiden Flight in Manned Mode

Another "optionally piloted" vehicle progresses forward.  In my opinion, any airship-based intelligence gatherer will be somewhat of a gamble.  It will do a great job of supplementing intelligence from other sources, but it is awfully big and awfully slow.  Not only that, if it can see you, then you can see it, and a multitude of recent conflicts have proven that if unfriendlies have any weapons at all, some of them will be MANPAD surface-to-air systems.  This guy will need a lot of self-protection systems.

http://blog.al.com/huntsville-times-business/2012/08/armys_giant_unblinking_eye_air.html

NASA Boeing X-48C Makes Maiden Flight

While the articles at the links below doesn't provide many details regarding the test objectives, flights at a similar point in the X-48B test program focused on controllability in the heart of the flight envelope.  The two planes look a lot alike, but the C goes with only two engines and a more conventional "Bonanza-style" V-tail.  For you historically-minded readers, can anyone tell me when the last (unclassified) manned X-Plane flew and what its designation was?  Most recent "X's" have been UAVs.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57488507-76/nasas-futuristic-x-48c-hybrid-wing-body-plane-takes-flight/

http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1112671679/nasa-x-48c-flight-080812/

Aurora and Rockwell Collins Team for Automated Takeoff and Landing

Optionally-piloted vehicles are still looking for their niche, but I suspect that they will prove their value in the long term.  They will allow easy transition from the "Triple-D" set of UAV missions (anything that is dull, dirty, or seriously dangerous) and back to the manned mode for other missions without needing a second aircraft on the ramp.

http://www.aviation.ca/2012080712286/news/international/us/12286-rockwell-collins-autopilot-performs-successfully-during-aurora-centaurs-first-fully-autonomous-takeoff-and-landing-test-flight

EAA Homebuilt Flight Test Forum

There is an entire spectrum of flight test, and most of what is going on never captures public attention.  Sounds like this forum was an excellent chance to get tips from power-hitters in the game.

http://www.airventure.org/news/2012/120725_paul-poberezny-hosts-test-pilot-all-stars.html

Lockheed-Martin F-35B to Begin Airstart Tests at Edwards

For those SoCal baby-boomers among the readers, this one is an "E-Ticket"!  Shutting down your only engine in what is really about a quarter-billion dollar test aircraft - in the hope that you'll be able to get is started again - is right at the top of the list of white-knuckled things to do!  I suspect the folks in the control room will be even more nervous than the pilot.  The huge lakebeds at Edwards make the Antelope Valley the perfect place to do this kind of stuff, no matter who the ultimate users will be.  Have fun guys!  Practice those SFOs!

http://www.edwards.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123311441

FOTC Long-ESA Sets Battery Speed Recorde

We'll have to watch to see where this concept goes.  Yates' issue with the early return is not unusual, because despite the battery level indicator that you have on your laptop, it is not easy to figure out how much energy is really left in most batteries.  Applications like motor vehicle or computer can simply be conservative, recognizing that there is ample weight budget for the unused energy, but airborne applications don't want to waste weight.  They need a more precise evaluation of energy remaining.  Last time I checked, the folks at NASA Dryden, right up the road from these flights, were working on a technology to do that.  Meanwhile, what's all this about changing the batteries in flight?

http://phys.org/news/2012-07-record-setting-electric-airplane-mph-video.html

F-15E Teams with Raytheon to Place SDB onto Moving Target

This is the fun stuff!  The small diameter bomb is important because it gives a better air-to-ground capability while retaining stealth through internal carriage.  But any bomb is only as good as the guidance system that gets it to the target, whether internal to the delivery vehicle (CCIP and similar systems) or carried on-board the weapon (like GPS) or a combination (like seeker/laser designator).  A multi-mode seeker like this one, if small enough, is a killer.  Great stuff!

(Photo Credit: shephardmedia.com)

http://azstarnet.com/business/local/raytheon-guided-bomb-scores-hit-in-first-flight-test/article_f4c6923c-d148-11e1-93c1-0019bb2963f4.html

Redstone Arsenal Upgrading Army Flight Test Support Fleet

After last year's move (from Ft Rucker, I believe) the Aviation Flight Test Directorate continues to refine the facilities and resources at Redstone.

http://blog.al.com/huntsville-times-business/2012/07/army_fields_three_uh-72a_lakot.html

Terrafugia Transition Moves into Road Tests

Given the order backlog, it would seem that Terrafugia's strategy of getting the initial flight trials into the books early is working.  This lets them make some credible promises to prospective buyers regarding performance. At this point, I've got to believe that road tests will be anti-climactic.  What we are really waiting for now is reliability stats, but we won't get those until a bunch are on the road (or in the air).  The vehicle is starting to look unstoppable.  The real question is whether it will sell enough to make a profit.  My opinion: If you watch the total bizjet market as the economy thaws, there is probably a multiplier that you could use to predict Transition sales.  Anyone want to guess the multiplier?

http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/flying-car-2012-08-03

Northrop-Grumman X-47B Now at Pax River

The recent move of this UAV to the busy airspace around the Navy's test base at Pax River is a strong vote of confidence in the guidance and control systems of the vehicle.  UAVs have become almost commonplace in the airspace over the USAF test facility at Edwards AFB in California's Mojave Desert - the X-47 has already flown in that area - but that airspace is very isolated.  The Eastern Seaboard is very densely populated with air traffic.  This transition to Pax says that we have a lot of faith in the X-47s young systems.

http://www.azorobotics.com/news.aspx?newsID=3063

EPI and Airbus Continue to Wrestle with A400M Gearbox Issues

If the story at the link below is reliable, it would seem that the engine manufacturer thinks the problem is isolated to test vehicles.  That is good as far as it goes, but it doesn't generate a lot of confidence in either company to show up twice at major international airshows with this kind of issue lurking in the system.  Hopefully the solution is relatively straightforward and Airbus won't show up again in public without fully proving the solution in advance.

http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/2012-07-11/farnborough-a400m-engine-glitch-only-test-aircraft

Boeing P-8I Sub-Chaser Tests Begin

The performance and flying qualities work on the current test cards should be fairly routine.  The real focus now will probably be the India-specific GN&C software.  The real testing will begin when full-up systems and weapons integration get started.  Unfortunately, we won't hear very much about how that goes.  The only clue will be how closely the work adheres to the schedule.

http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=2334

F-35 Flight Test Update

Recent testing has focused on takeoff and landing work, software V&V, and weapons clearance, in addition to other disciplines.  The regular company updates can be found at the link below.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/lockheed-martin-f-35-flight-test-progress-report-2012-07-10

Sikorsky S-92 Achieves Amphibious Milestone

I'm neither a helicopter tester, nor an amphib guy, but this comes across to me as one of those "ground" tests that could be more risky than most flight tests.  Like max performance braking or Vmcg, I suspect that this one can turn to dirt in a New York nanosecond.  How would you like to be on the water, in weather conditions where few can come to your aid, trying out an unproven set of floats, pitching and rolling in all axes, with the rotor still turning?

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/10/idUS94014+10-Jul-2012+PRN20120710

Chinese COMAC ARJ21-700 Certification Testing Continues

This most recent series of tests, involving water ingestion during high speed ground operations, is neither particularly complicated nor dangerous as compared to high AOA or flutter, for example.  But the test is not easy to set up, and the plane still has to pass.  The engine manufacturer is typically the one swetting bullets.  The good news is that often doing something as simple as going to a different nose wheel tire can make a big improvement in how the plane performs.  No report on how this one went, but that sure looks like a lot of water going down the intakes to me.

http://english.comac.cc/home/photo/201207/03/t20120703_563635.shtml

Austrian Trixy Gyrocopter Makes Maiden Flight

As a fixed-wing guy who has just enough helicopter time to hover light copters with relative confidence, I have always had a special respect for rotary-wing flight test.  There are so many dark corners of the flight envelope in which nothing better go wrong or you really have no way to recover without bending some metal.  Looks like Trixy has been fairly prolific at creating new rotary vehicles recently.

http://www.eaa.org/news/2012/2012-07-05_trixyzero.asp

Is NASA Aeronautics Too Far Behind Industry to Catch Up?

As a guy who spent eight of the last nine years working at NASA's premier flight research facility, I've got to admit I see a lot of worry-lines in the mirror on this topic.  The story in the link below asks the same question, and Dr. J. Shin, boss of NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, seems close to capitulating in the battle of the NASA budget, even though it wouldn't take all that much to re-establish some real flight research compared to the bucks involved in the James Webb Space Telescope budget over-run.

http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2012/07/03/recapturing-nasas-aeronautics-flight-research-capabilities/

A-10 Flies with Gevo Biofuel Blend

I'm still trying to decide if tests like this are truly steps toward the future or if they are basically just stunts.   Right now pretty much all biofuels cost significantly more than the petroleum-based products they hope to replace.  This is to be expected, since they can't yet benefit from economies of scale.  Still, with 7 billion people looking for something to eat, I have to wonder what percentage of the world's arable land would have to be planted for biofuel to make a significant dent in petroleum usage, and how that would play when the Secretary of State visits some of the hungrier countries.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/gevo-flies-high-with-usaf-alcohol-to-jet-test-flight-2012-07-03

Lockheed-Martin F-35C Carries Sidewinders

Lock-Mart seems to have backed away from the chest-pounding press releases that characterized the last couple of years, so information on F-35 test progress requires a bit more digging.  The link below is to a short piece that just shows the plane carrying the air-to-air ordnance.  The picture does do a great job of highlighting the significant increase in C-model wingspan as compared to its sisters.  That wing fold where the ailerons meet the flaps is going to be needed!

http://www.thebaynet.com/news/index.cfm/fa/viewstory/story_ID/28441

Terrafugia Inches Closer to First Deliveries

While the article at the link below is mostly photographic, you will find a few details about recent flight test objectives.  Apparently both ends of the planned flight envelope have been cleared and the company is looking to move forward on ground tests in the roadable mode.  It is interesting that they chose to get the flight envelope cleared before focusing on the ground envelope.  Another aspiring U.S. company is working on a flying motorcycle, but they chose to do these in the opposite order, and recently seem to have stalled, so Terrafugia's approach seems to be more effective.

http://www.gizmag.com/terrafugia-flying-car-test-flight/23141/

Virgin Galactic / Scaled Composites SpaceShipTwo Completes Glide Flight

It looks as though they also did a ground test firing of the rocket motor on the same day.  This brings us a couple of steps closer to the birth of a new industry.  Will they make a powered flight by the end of the year?  Passengers next year?

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=37626

Boeing and NASA Team up Again on HWB X-48

The C-Model will have two low-bypass engines and is to begin testing in the near future.  This one also appears to be fixed-gear, so with the "wrong" gear and the "wrong" engines, odds are the focus will remain low-speed handling qualities.

http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckBlogId=Blog:27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7&plckPostId=Blog%3A27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3Ad9451693-fdd3-47b3-9639-1656b5b0aac0

FlyNano Ultralight Amphibian Takes to the Air

The Finnish company has achieved first flight on a tiny aircraft that could be quite a success if it can do all the things they are hoping it will do.  A few more details are available at the link below.

http://www.gizmag.com/flynano-first-flight-video/22968/

Gulfstream G650 Mishap Causal Factors Continue to Emerge

Gulfstream is amazingly candid in the link below regarding some of the causal factors for last year's G650 flight test mishap.  The information in the link is truly a set of "lessons re-learned" for future testers and deserves a review.  I suspect more complete details will be available when the NTSB report is finally released.

http://savannahnow.com/exchange/2012-06-08/fatal-flight-detailed

Boeing PhantomEye UAV Begins Flight Test

That big lakebed out in the Antelope Valley continues to be the go-to location for large UAV testing.  The link below carries very little details about the test objectives or results, but the video clip is interesting.  The plane launched from a dolly and once airborne had no visible landing gear.  Presumably it lands on a set of retractable skids as shown in an early concept drawing, but that's only a guess.  What I found interesting was that there was no discernable movement of the horizontals prior to liftoff.  That tells me that the plane was already trimmed for takeoff and some kind of downlocks were simply released to initiate the launch.

(Art Credit: Boeing, via coolnewstuff.com)

http://www.military.com/video/aircraft/pilotless-aircraft/first-test-flight-for-mega-drone/1674586993001/

Solar Impulse Flight Trials Expand

This time the huge single-seater has flown from Europe to Africa, partly in daylight and partly at night.  Ultimately, this is a propulsion system test program, but hidden behind that are some serious human-factors issues that will need to be solved for it all to work.  Is this really going to be a UAV with a person aboard?

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/green/solar-plane-completes-intercontinental-test-flight/21359

SNC Dreamchaser Spaceplane Gets Airborne... Sort of

Every flight test program has to start somewhere.  This was apparently an unmanned captive carry flight test of aerodynamic characteristics before the eventual first free flight.  Will that flight be manned, a la SpaceShipOne, or unmanned, as was the Dragon?  Time will tell.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47649718/ns/technology_and_science-space/

Icon A-5 Spin Resistance

The flight testing involved here has already been done, but the video at the link below is very persuasive regarding the results.  As I look at the control deflections just as pro-spin controls were applied, I do notice that the rudder deflection of the A-5 seems to be a lot less than full-deflection rudder on a lot of other light airplanes that I have flown.  To a degree this makes sense, since the rudder is right in the propeller slipstream and as long as the plane is being powered it will be more effective than the typical rudder.  That fact opens the question of what happens if the same controls were applied with full power, but the full-stall lateral control seems to be quite powerful, so it may not be an issue.  I'm impressed.

http://www.flyingmag.com/blogs/going-direct/spin-test-icon-a5-vs-cessna-150

Scaled Composites SpaceShipTwo Tests to Resume Soon?

FAA paperwork recently released implies that life over the Mojave Spaceport may soon be getting more exciting.  A lot of work has been done to prove out the propulsion system, so it looks like powered flights may begin before Thanksgiving.  Projects like this one are notorious for eating up people's lfamily time around the holidays, but Scaled's approach of never publishing a schedule allows them to sidestep a lot of the pressure that impacts other similar projects.  Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/faa-launch-permit-gives-virgin-galactics-space-vehicles-the-green-light-for-powered-flight-2012-05-30

Evektor EV-55 Flight Testing Progresses

This light Czech transport being tested now seems to be showing promise.  There is a long way to go before certification, but the twin turboprop has appealing lines.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/evektor-ev-55-logs-40-flight-test-hours-and-is-set-for-2015-certification-372409/

Photo Credit: Evektor



Airbus A-400M Flight Test Update

A very thorough rundown on flight test progress to date is provided in the 16 slides you can find at the link below.  There also seems to be a lot of programmatic information available in other presentations that are accessible via the options bar to the right of the slides.

http://www.slideshare.net/robbinlaird/a400-m-flight-test-update-2012

Northrop-Grumman LEMV May Actually Fly Soon!

Yes, it's unmanned.  Yes, it's a blimp.  And yes, a lot of readers could probably beat it in the quarter mile.  But wow!

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-05/23/us-army-mega-blimp

EAA? Homebuilder? If You Haven't Read These, You Need To

If you are an experimenter, the thing most likely to kill you is not something you do or fail to do in the shop.  It is something you do or fail to do in the air.  (Read that again!)  Listen to the NTSB.  If you don't have the time to get some experience in a similar airframe before you fly your project, give serious thought to having a pro do your first few flights, then stay within the plane's limits.

http://ohsonline.com/articles/2012/05/23/high-first-flight-risks-with-experimental-aircraft.aspx?admgarea=news
Be safe out there!
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-05-22/experimental-planes-accidents/55136166/1

Mahindra's GippsAero GA-10 Makes Maiden Flight

Looks like Australia is becoming more and more of a flight test and/or flight research destination.  This first flight was relatively brief for a transport-sized, fixed-gear aircraft, but they apparently accomplished their desired objectives.  The configuration appears fairly conventional, so I would expect things to go well unless the plane has some unusual features that are not readily apparent, but I would have to list it as unusual NOT to take a plane up to a medium altitude to perform a bit of slow flight before coming in for that first landing.  I guess they figure that it is so similar to the GA-8 that there was no need for that step.  Careful... don't get cocky, guys!

http://www.indiablooms.com/NewsDetailsPage/2012/newsDetails210512l.php

AugustaWestland AW-169 Maiden Flight

Not a lot of details are available in this company press release, but with the major upgrades that have been made to the propulsion, transmission, and rotor systems, one could assume that the primary focus was basic flying qualities as well as primary and secondary control systems.

http://rotor.com/Publications/RotorNewssupregsup/tabid/177/newsid1237/75543/mid/1237/Default.aspx

Second Chinese J-20 Stealth Fighter Enters Test

What most impresses me about this test project is how little facts seem to be trickling out.  We seem to get a picture every time one takes off, but even the captions say things like: "Another J-20 Takes Off".  Right...  I guess when you don't plan to market it and the taxpayers aren't complaining, there is little need to say anything about how it's doing.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/NEWS/tabid/99/ID/709987/Successful-maiden-test-flight-of-J-20-No-2002.aspx

Gulfstream G-650 Crash Causes Begin to Emerge

The paraphrase of the NTSB summary at the link below is a bit chilling.  The last quote from the pilot says it all about the bonds between testers and chivalry right down to the wire.  Kent was a mentor, friend, and neighbor of mine at various times over my Air Force career.  Professional to a fault, if this could happen to him, it could happen to any of us.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/in-focus-two-wing-drop-incidents-preceded-g650-crash-ntsb-371677/

Lockheed-Martin F-35 Test Update

Lock-Mart provides these updates fairly regularly.  The first outlet I found that carried the recent release was a Canadian publication.  After filtering through the sales pitch, the bottom line is that the tests have largely morphed from the classic structures, performance, and flying qualities to today's more operationally-important systems testing.
http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2012/05/08/lockheed-martin-provides-update-on-f-35-testing/

http://defensetech.org/2012/05/08/17189/

Pratt & Whitney PW1200G Flight Testing Gets Underway

The PurePower engine line is intended to produce some major strides in engine efficiency.  The geared turbofan concept is being embraced by most manufacturers as the next step to increase cruise performance.  Improvements resulting from improved internal materials and blade geometry adjustments were getting more and more difficult.  This offers a major opportunity to advance.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/pratt-whitney-purepower-pw1200g-engine-takes-to-the-skies-begins-first-flight-test-program-2012-05-02

Boeing Testing Software fix for 747-8I Flutter Issue

Gone are the days when anyone uses the once-common remark that "It's only software."  It has become more and more obvious that software is often the ultimate enabler of mission objectives.  Software is also typically the ultimate hand-grenade that causes a product-development schedule to finally collapse.  In this case, VIP and long-range versions of the 8I may be limited until a fix for this potential flutter susceptibility can be found.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/boeing-testing-modal-suppression-for-747-8i-stabilizer-371355/

India's HAL LCA NP-1 Fighter Makes Maiden Flight

India's LCA has been in the inventory for a while now.  Moving to a Naval variant is the obvious next step, but only provided that the users are happy with the land-based version.  Apparently they are.

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/maiden-flight-of-lca-navy-carried-out-successfully/991439.html

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/economy/article3361167.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home

Can NASA Aeronautics Regain its Research Leadership Role?

Every organization has to change with changing circumstances or risk extinction or irrelevance.  NASA's Aeronautics arm has been under severe budgetary and political pressure for quite a while, and neither of those pressures show any credible signs of letting up.  In my opinion, NASA Aeronautics has gradually been moving from a role of pointing the way ahead to industry ("Here's the way you need to go.") to a role of simply supporting an industry that has already selected the path forward and needs someone to perform portions of the work to get them there ("Oh, you want to go that way?  Let us help.")  Is this wrong?  I'm not sure, but I don't think so.  I think it is just a fact of life in austere times.  The U.S. has very few industries that have continually sustained a positive contribution to our pitifully negative trade balance.  The aircraft produced in the U.S. provide a huge bright spot in those darkening economic numbers.  Hopefully NASA can continue to support that fact, as leader or as support, in whatever way budgets allow.

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=36857

Lisa Airplanes Akoya Luxury Amphib Tests Progress

What a cool looking plane!  And the concept of hydrofoils rather than floats opens the door to huge increases in cruise speed.  All that said, eyeballing the configuration leaves me curious about the CG location.  I've got to believe that the horizontal tail is really an aft wing that produces positive lift like the Quickie.  That opens questions about longitudinal stability and stall characteristics, which are currently under test.  Maybe that's why it comes with an integral ballistic parachute?

http://www.generalaviationnews.com/2012/04/16/akoya-testing-continues-materials-choices-frozen/

Worldwide Flight Test Summary... Was it Useful?

A few months back, this blog carried a feature listing recent and on-going flight test activities along with location and contact information to learn more about the tests.  I watched for feedback on that feature and got very little.  Then I stopped updating it and I got no complaints.  The table was a bit of work to assemble, but if viewers found it helpful the work would be worth it.  If any of you would like to see that return, please add a comment and let me know.  I'm also open to suggestions on how to make it more useful (without making it a lot more work).

Thanks!

Sukhoi Su-35S Passes Flight Test Milestone

The stealthy fighter has shown some pretty impressive performance.  The altitude of 59,000 feet is particularly interesting, since most Western manufacturers won't send a pilot above about 50K' without a pressure suit.  That kind of altitude also says something about the plane's ultimate mission.  The over-the-horizon sensor range from that altitude is huge, but there is little point putting a stealthy platform that high and turning on the radar since everyone within 500 miles will see you, so the plane starts to sound more line an intel-gathering platform than a fighter.  This implies something about the Russian comsat constellation.  Interesting stuff!

http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2012/04/05/500th-test-flight-for-Russian-fighter/UPI-92051333646840/

Insitu's Scan Eagle Flies Newest Fuel Cell

UAVs, Systems, Electric Propulsion, Energy Storage...  This flight test program seems to incorporate all the current hot-buttons of 21st-Century aircraft.  Recent activity from Boeing and Aerovironment has showcased hydrogen-fueled power generation using engine technologies.  Insitu has gone back to the fuel cell.  Tougher technology, but fewer moving parts... the reliability wagers are hitting the table, so place your bets.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/hydrogen-powered-fuel-cell-flies-scaneagle-2012-04-05

Dassault Falcon 2000S Amassing Test Hours

After a year the plane has accomplished 100+ flights and about 300 hours.  A very brief rundown is provided at the link below.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dassaults-new-falcon-2000s-reaches-flight-test-milestone-2012-04-05

Tecnam Completes P-2010 First Flight

This small company appears to be on the rise with a growing line of general-aviation aircraft.  Their high-wing twin was recently featured in several aviation magazines, now they have completed a first flight on a nice-looking single reminiscant of the Cessna Centurion.

http://www.eaa.org/news/2012/2012-04-13_tecnam.asp

Dutch PAL-V Roadable Gyrocopter Enters Developmental Tests

Looks like this Dutch project has the potential to enter the flying car market as well.  Another company, Samson Motorworks in California, was recently working on a fixed wing flying three-wheeler, but they have been very quiet lately.  With recent advances in materials and propulsion, things could get crowded.

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2012/04/pal-v-flying-car-makes-successful-maiden-flight.html

Terrafugia's Transition Roadable Aircraft Production Representative Model Flies

After a lot of dickering with the FAA, it looks as though Terrafugia (if you're into Latin, the name means "flee the ground") is getting closer to having a real product for the flying car enthusiast.  The video at the link below is basically a marketing video, with no data or dialogue, but if you watch carefully you can learn a bit about the plane.  Pretty close-coupled, with serious dihedral, you can see a what looks like a fairly extended dutch roll on takeoff leg at about 0.7 Hz.  No sign of it in the "up and away" footage.  It also seems to have a bit of a pitch bobble on landing, although it seemed to be quite happy to touch down in a flat "four point" attitude, and the ground-rated shocks had no problem.  At a price estimated to be around that of a new 172, it may truly have a market.  Guess we'll see.

http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2012/04/02/latest-flying-car-makes-first-test-flight/?mod=google_news_blog

Airbus A-400M Test Team Fills Corners of TOLD Charts

Oftentimes takeoff and landing data charts are based on projected data, or they simply stop at the points where testers had to stop their testing, leaving the operator to guess what kind of performance the plane might deliver.  The fact is that data for takeoffs, particularly rejected takeoffs or engine-out tests of minimum control speeds, can be very risky.  Landing tests that involve maximum performance braking are also high pucker-factor work.  I suspect that some of these tests were part of the A-400M deployment to Bolivia.

http://www.plenglish.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=493396&Itemid=1

NASA's General Atomics UAV Flies with ADS-B

This is one of those articles that initially seems like a yawner.  No new technology was involved, and no hazardous maneuvers were being flown, but the combination of UAV and ADS-B is very much akin to backup cameras on large vehicles or high-end cars.  It may enable UAVs to do things safely that they could not do before.  There are a lot of issues with flying UAVs in the National Airspace, but the primary concern is their ability to sense and avoid other aircraft.  ADS-B is another arrow in that quivver.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120326103341.htm

Diamond Makes First Flight on DA52

This is an upgraded version of the original DA50.  The article at the link below even gives some rare "first flight" performance data.  It almost appears to have swept wings, but I think that's just an illusion due to a fairly pronounced dihedral.

http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=7bda34a9-f608-43a0-83bd-7764a0294ca9

P-8A Poseidon Tests ITT Compressed Air Weapons Release System

Using compressed air rather than explosive cartridges could simplify a lot of ground ops associated with weapons loading.  It's not clear whether the air is provided in pre-charged cyliders, or if it is generated on-board.  Either way, it is certain to add weight as compared to the current approach, both in the air source, as well as at the ejector foot, which will probably have to be bigger to give the same ejection velocity.  For planes like the P-8, there is probably ample weight budget to work with, but not so for fighters or helos.  Sounds interesting.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/itt-exelis-ejection-system-successfully-completes-first-airborne-weapons-separation-test-2012-03-19

Cessna Will Try a Streamlined M2 Test Program

Already moving on to engine relights at altitude, the M2 test team plans to take less time and use fewer test assets than is typical for similar bizjet test programs.  Getting stuff to market fast and keeping test costs down makes good business sense, but only if the team can be darn sure that they will catch potential problems.  A lot of folks belkieve that the concurrency approach used by the F-35 team is part of the reason for serious structural and software issues surfacing late in that program.

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=busav&id=news/bav/2012/03/19/05.xml&headline=Cessna%20Launches%20M2%20Flight%20Test%20Program

Boeing PhantomEye UAV Approaching First Flight

NASA/DOD UAV flight test partnerships seem to be the norm these days.  A couple years back NASA Dryden worked with Aerovironment to test another hydrogen-powered long-endurance high-altitude UAV.  That project proved that UAV flight testing can be every bit as challenging as manned flight test.  Let's see how this one goes.

http://www.defpro.com/news/details/33308/?SID=585da46c87dd1597971378e0800ebdb3

Cessna Citation M2 Is Now Flying

The Mustang Two had its very first flight.  This is always an exciting (and tense) moment for the crew as well as the company.  Current projections are that the business aircraft market will begin to pick up in the next 18 months.  Hopefully a few flights under their belts will put Cessna in line for expanded orders for the new plane.

http://corpjetfin.live.subhub.com/articles/Citation_M2_first_flight_201

Tejas LCA Moving from DT Into Production Test

As the configurations mature and production standards firm up, the tests performed on vehicle first flights are taking on more of a "production flight test" look.

(Photo Credit: Indian Defence Review)



http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-03-09/news/31139837_1_maiden-flight-national-flight-test-centre-test-director

Navy Testers Honored for "Pushing the Envelope"

These superstars represent multiple disciplines, and their work affects fighters, heavies, helicopters, flight instruction,... the whole gamut.  The flight test community is a tough place to impress anybody, because everybody involved is so good.  Congrats!

http://www.thebaynet.com/news/index.cfm/fa/viewstory/story_ID/26514

Gulfstream G-650 Moves Toward Certification

The link below provides a short rundown of what has been completed recently as the plane fills the last remaning squares in preparation for FAA certification.  It has been a long, sometimes traumatic program, but results appear promising.

http://savannahnow.com/exchange/2012-03-02/gulfstream-g650-getting-ready-final-testing

F-35 Remains in the News

There have been a number of recent releases on the subject of F-35 captive carry missions.  This is when the aircraft is loaded with weapons (often dummies) not for release, but to ensure that the plane can safely carry them in the flight regimes of interest.  Next step is to make the live versions of these weapons talk to the avionics, then jettison them safely, then actually employ them in operationally-relevant flight conditions.  Just carrying them around doesn't sound very sexy, but some of the biggest surprises can happen when you examine the plane's behavior with an asymmetric load (weapons on only one side of the plane, as if you have used one and still have not used the other).  These can be wild rides.  Have fun guys!

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2012/02/military-f-35-lockheed-readies-aggressive-test-schedule-022312d/

F-35 Flight Test Synopsis

The brief article at the link below provides a quick listing of recent flight test milestones that the program has reached.  Not a lot of results are provided, as you might expect for a military program, but it does a fair job of letting you know what the team has been working on.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/lockheed-martin-f-35-flight-test-and-production-progress-report-2012-02-23

Rolls-Royce Trent XWB Engine Flies on A380

The article at the link below is heavy with chest-pounding, but the fact is that the engine has made its first flight and the results look promising.  That said, it sure seems that an A380 is an awful lot of airplane for the test program.  It would interesting to find out how the business case worked out to make that plane the most economical.

http://www.4-traders.com/ROLLS-ROYCE-HOLDING-PLC-4004084/news/ROLLS-ROYCE-HOLDING-PLC-Rolls-Royce-Trent-XWB-completes-first-test-flight-14030353/

NAVAIR Earns Top Navy Safety Honors

When a test organization stands out as one of the safest flight units in the Navy, it really says something about their approach to accomplishing a tough mission.  Congrats!

http://www.thebaynet.com/news/index.cfm/fa/viewstory/story_ID/26279

Gulfstream G280 Moves Closer to Certification

A good rundown of recent flight test results is given at the link below.  The article is largely marketing, since it focuses primarily on performance advances, but it still gives a picture of how the process has been handled recently.

http://avstop.com/news_february_2012/gulfstream_g280_to_receive_type_certification_this_year.htm

AFFTC 416th Testers go to Red Flag

This is atypical, but I am certainly glad to see that it is happening.  The closer the "DT" (developmental test) guys can get to the front lines to clear new systems, the more ready the systems will be for users down the road.  Exercises like Red Flag stretch pilots, planes and maintainers right to the limit and will result in more robust systems.  Good stuff!

http://www.afmc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123289954

Icon A5 Amphibian Spin Testing

It looks as though tiny Icon may have scored a worldwide first with the A5.  So far testing seems to show that the plane can meet or beat FAA requirements for an LSA to be certified as spin resistant.  The article at the link below provides a great rundown of what they have done and how they managed to do it.  The key seems to be ensuring that the tips stall well after the center section.  What this does to drag isn't completely clear, but a good read nonetheless.

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2012/02/icon-aircraft-receives-first-ever-spin-resistant-seal-of-approval/

Mitsubishi MRJ-90 First Flight to be Delayed?

It's not clear from the information in the link exactly how much delay is anticipated, but there is a bit of gouge near the end of the article regarding how many planes will eventually be involved in the test program.  Historically, the track record of any major development project at the 15% completion point will tell you how they will fall on the schedule at completion: if they are behind schedule at 15%, they will STAY behind schedule.  Not a great start, although the company remains optimistic.

http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/singapore-air-show/2012-02-15/fresh-delay-mrj

China's CAIH AC313 Into Cold Weather Testing

The China Aviation Industrial Helicopter company is hoping to ramp this 60,000+ pound workhorse up to a pretty significant level of production, but right now they are finishing up development with cold-weather trials.

http://english.cri.cn/6909/2012/02/13/2724s680648.htm

(Photo credit: bbs.chinadaily.com.cn)



Northrop-Grumman BAC-111 Testing F-35 Sensors

If it is accurate, the article at the link below gives a pretty good update on the F-35 APG-81 radar as well as the AAQ-37 IR sensor suite.  They are being put through their paces as part of a Navy exercise on-board the BAC-111 systems test aircraft.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/northrop-grumman-participating-in-bold-alligator-maritime-exercise-with-f-35-sensors-2012-02-06?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Lockheed-Martin Pays for Early F-35 Production Ramp-up

Programs never go exactly as planned, so Monday-morning-quarterbacking is kind of pointless, but as a career DT guy, I've got to say that there is a reason that most programs are laid out with a large serving of developmental testing before production ramps up.  Hopefully most of the growing pains are behind them and the added costs of structural retrofits will be less than the money saved by early production.

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/awx/2012/02/06/awx_02_06_2012_p0-421701.xml

GEnx PIP-2 Engine Flies on Company B-747

In the never-ending hunt for just a little bit more efficiency, GE continues to upgrade its flagship high-bypass line of engines.  Looks as though they hope to extract a little more energy from the core exhaust to send it to the fan by upgrading the low pressure turbines.  Given the typical commercial airline profit margins, even a 1.4% improvement in SFC is probably worth it.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/ge-flies-second-upgrade-package-for-787-engine-367680/

IAI Heron TP Goes Down During Test

Details are scarce on the loss of this UAV.  It would seem that the plane was doing systems testing, which means that this crash could be even more expensive than you might think, since the on board surveillance systems are often half the cost of an operational UAV (or more).  Details should begin to filter out.  Keep in mind that this is NOT a small aircraft.  Ever flown on a B-737?  The Heron has the same wingspan.

http://www.jpost.com/VideoArticles/Video/Article.aspx?id=255572

Calspan Learjet as Northrop-Grumman X-47B Surrogate

The Navy is inching closer to having an operational UAV with autonomous air refueling capability.  It seems that Calspan has loaded the X-47B software and hardware into their Varistab Lear and managed to simulate at least the initial approach for probe-and-drogue refueling.  This is impressive not because it hasn't been done before, NASA Dryden has done the same thing using their flight control research F-18.  (You can probably find the "Look ma, no hands!" picture on line if you try.)  What is impressive is that we seem to be getting very close to using the results in active service.

http://www.navair.navy.mil/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.NAVAIRNewsStory&id=4882

Icarus, meet Jarnos Smeets

This looks like a lot of fun, but I'm worried about controllability.  That is a lot of wing to control with very little in the way of tail surfaces.  Should be interesting!

http://techcrunch.com/2012/01/20/humanbirdwings-guy-survives-first-test-flight/

Airbus Military C-295 Being Cleared for AEW Role

The lift that can come from that big radome is not trivial, so initial aero testing, especially at very high and low angles of attack, has to be taken seriously.  It's not clear how it well has performed, nor does it seem to actually have a radar yet.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/aew-themed-c-295-clears-flight-test-phase-367091/

F-35A Begins Night Testing, but are Mission Systems Lagging?

I never liked night flying at Edwards, so the approach of slowly transitioning from twilight makes a lot of sense.  With that big, empty lakebed all around the approach end it's like you're descending into a black hole.  You don't even have the minimal cues of a ship's wake as a reference below you.  It's just black.  The good news: sounds as though the cockpit lighting system is working as advertised.

http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2012/01/19/photos-f-35-conducts-first-night-flight-as-tests-continue/

The bad news may be at another link, with radar and other mission systems being less mature than the program had planned.  My money still goes on software immaturity as the culprit, but what do I know?

http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2012/01/20/report-notes-f-35-testing-program-has-not-delivered-effective-and-consistent-radar-performance/

Cessna Citation Ten Makes First Flight

The mid-sized, glass cockpit aircraft is intended to improve efficiency for this class of airplanes.  All indications are that the maiden flight went according to plan.

http://corpjetfin.live.subhub.com/articles/Citation_Ten_first_flight_127

Lufthansa Shelves Biofuel Flight Tests For Now

The story at the link below is one of the best I have run across at laying all the biofuel suitability cards on the table.  There are a lot of issues with biofuel that makes long-term reliance on it an unrealistic proposition any time soon.  It is great that folks are testing the waters, but no one is really going swimming in this pool for quite a while.

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15661617,00.html

Great Synopsis of F-35 2011 Achievements

Granted, this link is based on a Lockheed-Martin press release and has a lot of chest-pounding, but it still contains a pretty good rundown of the test work that has been done over the last 12 months.  It's not clear if all the test points mentioned were successful in that the results met specs, or were successful in that all data were valid (i.e. provided a correct answer, even if it was bad news).  It also isn't clear how many of the points may have been repeat points.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/lockheed-martin-f-35-program-exceeds-2011-flight-test-goals-2012-01-12

B-1 Bomber Gains Improved Capability Against Moving Targets

When it comes to military flight test, the ultimate name of the game is more combat capability.  The combined developmental and operational test teams on this project seem to have delivered exactly that through this series of tests.  System testing like this is what can extend the life and punch of aircraft that have been in the inventory for decades.  It would seem that any reports of the "Bone's" demise continue to be premature.

http://www.edwards.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123285635

Schempp-Hirth Quintus M Self-Launching Sailplane

I don't normally put links to purely video items, but this is pretty interesting.  It looks as though Schempp-Hirth is trying to change the way people think about open-class sailplanes.  They seem to be downsizing the plane to make transport and assembly easier, and seeking competitive performance on strong days by going with a higher wing-loading.  As a motor-glider guy myself, I have to say that the machines are a lot of fun.  Guess we'll see where this one goes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_oqWm3I4N0

Lockheed F-35C Apparently Has Tailhook Geometry Problems

If what the article at this link says is true, there could be serious problems with carrier suitability for the UK (and perhaps other) versions of the airplane.  The link to the graphic that appears about mid-article is worth a click.  Compared to other carrier-qualified aircraft, the plane stands out like a parakeet at a dog-show.  Let's see if the team can engineer a fix.

http://www.f-16.net/news_article4494.html

Afghani Scratch-Built Being Flight-Tested

This story is inspiring, encouraging, frightening, and funny all at the same time.  Hopefully Mr. Shah has at least gotten hold of a copy of AC 90-89A on the subject of homebuilt flight testing, which he can find at the FAA's web site:
http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/advisory_circulars/index.cfm/go/document.list/parentTopicID/128

I envy his courage and ingenuity.  I just hope he can make it through flight testing successfully.  Suggestion: Find somebody who actually has flight experience to do the next few flights.  Good Luck!

http://www.eaa.org/news/2012/2012-01-05_shah.asp

Excellent Summary of Bombardier's Plan for CS100 Test Program

The link below provides a surprisingly comprehensive picture of the company's game plan for testing of the new airplane.  Much of it won't begin for a while, but this gives an airframe-by-airframe outline of one approach to making it all happen.  Good stuff for such a brief article!

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/bombardier-details-cseries-flight-test-programme-366583/

Sukhoi Superjet 100 Into Cat III ILS Testing

Even though these tests are typically performed in clear weather, they can still be very much a white-knuckle experience.  As a guy who performed some of the original Automatic Terrain Following tests during F-16 / LANTIRN integration testing, it is never boring to have an airplane take you close to the rocks in a new autonomous mode.  Great work!

http://www.ainonline.com/?q=aviation-news/aviation-international-news/2012-01-01/superjet-lands-under-category-iiia