Flight-Test Evaluation of STOL Control and Flight Director Concepts in a Powered-Lift Aircraft Flying Curved Decelerating Approaches (Evaluation des Essais en Vol d'un Directeur de Vol et des Commands d'un Adac portance Assistee evoluanten Approche Curviligne en Deceleration).

Abstract

Flight tests were carried out to assess the feasibility of piloted steep, curved, and decelerating-approach profiles in powered-lift STOL aircraft. Several STOL control concepts representative of a variety of aircraft were evaluated in conjunction with suitably designed flight directors. The tests were carried out in a real navigation environment, employed special electronic cockpit displays, and included the development of operational procedures considered appropriate to this class of aircraft. Data are presented describing the performance achieved and the control utilization involved in flying 180 deg turning, descending, and decelerating-approach profiles to landing. The results suggest that such moderately complex piloted instrument approaches may indeed be feasible from a pilot acceptance point of view, given an acceptable navigation environment. Systems with the capability of those used in this experiment can provide the potential of achieving instrument operations on curved, descending, and decelerating landing approaches to weather minima corresponding to CTOL Category II criteria, while also providing a means of realizing more efficient operations during visual flight conditions. (Author)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 1981
Accession Number
ADA106758

Entities

People

  • G. H. Hardy
  • R. C. Innis
  • W. S. Hindson

Organizations

  • Ames Research Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • C4I
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Aircraft Equipment
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Control Systems
  • Dead Reckoning
  • Deceleration
  • Flight Speeds
  • Geometry
  • Guidance
  • Horizontal Situation Indicators
  • Instrument Flight
  • Measurement
  • Navigation
  • Research Aircraft
  • Short Takeoff Aircraft
  • Transport Aircraft

Readers

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) EDI Research and Innovation.
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Microelectronics - Microelectromechanical Systems