Flight Testing of a Half-Scale Remotely Piloted Vehicle
Abstract
Flight testing of a half-scale Pioneer remotely piloted vehicle was conducted to determine the longitudinal static stability flying qualities. A pulsewidth modulated telemetry system was used to provide data on control surface deflections, angle of attack, sideslip angle and airspeed. From the testing, the neutral point was determined to be 41.2% of mean aerodynamic chord, which was within 13% of theoretical predictions. On a subsequent flight, the Pioneer experienced electromagnetic interference which caused the disruption of the flight control uplink signal, causing it to fly uncontrolled into the ground. Simultaneous playback of video and time histories of downlink data was instructional in analyzing the interference leading to the accident.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA248568
Entities
People
- Paul A. Koch
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School