Ground and Flight Evaluation of a Small-Scale Inflatable-Winged Aircraft

Download or read book Ground and Flight Evaluation of a Small-Scale Inflatable-Winged Aircraft written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A small-scale, instrumented research aircraft was flown to investigate the flight characteristics of inflatable wings. Ground tests measured the static structural characteristics of the wing at different inflation pressures, and these results compared favorably with analytical predictions. A research-quality instrumentation system was assembled, largely from commercial off-the-shelf components, and installed in the aircraft. Initial flight operations were conducted with a conventional rigid wing having the same dimensions as the inflatable wing. Subsequent flights were conducted with the inflatable wing. Research maneuvers were executed to identify the trim, aerodynamic performance, and longitudinal stability and control characteristics of the vehicle in its different wing configurations. For the angle-of-attack range spanned in this flight program.