CALIBRATING PBY-6A AIRPLANE FOR METEOROLOGICAL PURPOSES
Abstract
A description is given of the experimental procedures which were designed to prove the validity of the instrumental techniques and installation within the PBY-6A airplane. Four transducing instruments monitoring the aircraft's behavior were simultaneously observed with the use of multichannel oscillographic equipment. Vector air speed, cg acceleration, pitch angel, and altitude were continuosly recorded oscillographically. The aircraft was subjected to a number of maneuvers in smooth air so that the performance of the instruments might be checked under known conditions. A number of steep pullups were executed, and the oscillographic records for these manuevers were analyzed. For rates of vertical acceleration considerably greater than those encountered during meteorological research, the velocities predicted from acceleration measurements agreed with those deduced from altitude charges. Within the range of velocity profiles sought, departures between the dynamic and static lift coefficient, due to circulation lag, were negligible. The PBY-6A behaved as a rigid body with no discernable errors due to wing whip. The placement of accelerators within the fuselage of the PBY was not critical in the determination of vertical acceleration.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1953
- Accession Number
- AD0018405
Entities
People
- Given A. Brewer
Organizations
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution