Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) in flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1965-01-01

In this 1965 NASA Flight Reserch Center photograph the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) number 1 is shown in flight. When Apollo planning was underway in 1960, NASA was looking for a simulator to profile the descent to the moon's surface. Three concepts surfaced: an electronic simulator, a tethered device, and the ambitious Dryden contribution, a free-flying vehicle. All three became serious projects, but eventually the NASA Flight Research Center's (FRC) Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) became the most significant one. Hubert M. Drake is credited with originating the idea, while Donald Bellman and Gene Matranga were senior engineers on the project, with Bellman, the project manager. Simultaneously, and independently, Bell Aerosystems Company, Buffalo, N.Y., a company with experience in vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, had conceived a similar free-flying simulator and proposed their concept to NASA headquarters. NASA Headquarters put FRC and Bell together to collaborate. The challenge was; to allow a pilot to make a vertical landing on earth in a simulated moon environment, one sixth of the earth's gravity and with totally transparent aerodynamic forces in a 'free flight' vehicle with no tether forces acting on it. Built of tubular aluminum like a giant four-legged bedstead, the vehicle was to simulate a lunar landing profile from around 1500 feet to the moon's surface. To do this, the LLRV had a General Electric CF-700-2V turbofan engine mounted vertically in gimbals, with 4200 pounds of thrust. The engine, using JP-4 fuel, got the vehicle up to the test altitude and was then throttled back to support five-sixths of the vehicle's weight, simulating the reduced gravity of the moon. Two hydrogen-peroxide lift rockets with thrust that could be varied from 100 to 500 pounds handled the LLRV's rate of descent and horizontal translations. Sixteen smaller hydrogen-peroxide rockets, mounted in pairs, gave the pilot control in pitch, yaw, and roll. On the

Vertical Take-Off and Landing Vehicle with Increased Cruise Efficiency

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fredericks, William J. (Inventor); Moore, Mark D. (Inventor); Busan, Ronald C. (Inventor); Johns, Zachary R. (Inventor); Langford, William M. (Inventor); Rothhaar, Paul M. (Inventor); North, David D. (Inventor); Laws, Christopher T. (Inventor); Hodges, William T. (Inventor); Webb, Sandy R. (Inventor)

2016-01-01

Systems, methods, and devices are provided that combine an advance vehicle configuration, such as an advanced aircraft configuration, with the infusion of electric propulsion, thereby enabling a four times increase in range and endurance while maintaining a full vertical takeoff and landing ("VTOL") and hover capability for the vehicle. Embodiments may provide vehicles with both VTOL and cruise efficient capabilities without the use of ground infrastructure. An embodiment vehicle may comprise a wing configured to tilt through a range of motion, a first series of electric motors coupled to the wing and each configured to drive an associated wing propeller, a tail configured to tilt through the range of motion, a second series of electric motors coupled to the tail and each configured to drive an associated tail propeller, and an electric propulsion system connected to the first series of electric motors and the second series of electric motors.

Aerodynamic penalties of heavy rain on a landing aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haines, P. A.; Luers, J. K.

1982-01-01

The aerodynamic penalties of very heavy rain on landing aircraft were investigated. Based on severity and frequency of occurrence, the rainfall rates of 100 mm/hr, 500 mm/hr, and 2000 mm/hr were designated, respectively, as heavy, severe, and incredible. The overall and local collection efficiencies of an aircraft encountering these rains were calculated. The analysis was based on raindrop trajectories in potential flow about an aircraft. All raindrops impinging on the aircraft are assumed to take on its speed. The momentum loss from the rain impact was later used in a landing simulation program. The local collection efficiency was used in estimating the aerodynamic roughness of an aircraft in heavy rain. The drag increase from this roughness was calculated. A number of landing simulations under a fixed stick assumption were done. Serious landing shortfalls were found for either momentum or drag penalties and especially large shortfalls for the combination of both. The latter shortfalls are comparable to those found for severe wind shear conditions.

19 CFR 148.32 - Vehicles, aircraft, boats, teams and saddle horses taken abroad.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Vehicles, aircraft, boats, teams and saddle horses... for Returning Residents § 148.32 Vehicles, aircraft, boats, teams and saddle horses taken abroad. (a) Admission free of duty. Automobiles and other vehicles, aircraft, boats, teams and saddle horses, together...

19 CFR 148.32 - Vehicles, aircraft, boats, teams and saddle horses taken abroad.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Vehicles, aircraft, boats, teams and saddle horses... for Returning Residents § 148.32 Vehicles, aircraft, boats, teams and saddle horses taken abroad. (a) Admission free of duty. Automobiles and other vehicles, aircraft, boats, teams and saddle horses, together...

19 CFR 148.32 - Vehicles, aircraft, boats, teams and saddle horses taken abroad.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Vehicles, aircraft, boats, teams and saddle horses... for Returning Residents § 148.32 Vehicles, aircraft, boats, teams and saddle horses taken abroad. (a) Admission free of duty. Automobiles and other vehicles, aircraft, boats, teams and saddle horses, together...

19 CFR 148.32 - Vehicles, aircraft, boats, teams and saddle horses taken abroad.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Vehicles, aircraft, boats, teams and saddle horses... for Returning Residents § 148.32 Vehicles, aircraft, boats, teams and saddle horses taken abroad. (a) Admission free of duty. Automobiles and other vehicles, aircraft, boats, teams and saddle horses, together...

19 CFR 148.32 - Vehicles, aircraft, boats, teams and saddle horses taken abroad.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Vehicles, aircraft, boats, teams and saddle horses... for Returning Residents § 148.32 Vehicles, aircraft, boats, teams and saddle horses taken abroad. (a) Admission free of duty. Automobiles and other vehicles, aircraft, boats, teams and saddle horses, together...

Landing Gear/Soil Interaction Development of Criteria for Aircraft Operation on Soil During Turning and Multipass Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-10-01

AFFDL-TR-75-78 LANDING GEAR/ SOIL INTERACTION DEVELOPMENT OF CRITERIA FOR AIRCRAFT "OPERATION ON SOIL DURING TURNING #"q AND MULTIPASS OPERATIONS cc...braking. Limited start-up force data were examined to determine a preliminary estimate of start-up drag ratios. A soft tire/ soil computer program was...distance, landing rollout, turning perfor nance, and number of allowable passes for a particular vehicle and select soil . .. 4 UNCLASSIFIED -i SECURITY

Investigation of aircraft landing in variable wind fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frost, W.; Reddy, K. R.

1978-01-01

A digital simulation study is reported of the effects of gusts and wind shear on the approach and landing of aircraft. The gusts and wind shear are primarily those associated with wind fields created by surface wind passing around bluff geometries characteristic of buildings. Also, flight through a simple model of a thunderstorm is investigated. A two-dimensional model of aircraft motion was represented by a set of nonlinear equations which accounted for both spatial and temporal variations of winds. The landings of aircraft with the characteristics of a DC-8 and a DHC-6 were digitally simulated under different wind conditions with fixed and automatic controls. The resulting deviations in touchdown points and the controls that are required to maintain the desired flight path are presented. The presence of large bluff objects, such as buildings in the flight path is shown to have considerable effect on aircraft landings.

Aircraft and Ground Vehicle Winter Runway Friction Assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yager, Thomas J.

1999-01-01

Some background information is given together with the scope and objectives of a 5-year, Joint Winter Runway Friction Measurement Program between the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA), Transport Canada (TC), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The primary objective of this effort is to perform instrumented aircraft and ground vehicle tests aimed at identifying a common number that all the different ground vehicle devices would report. This number, denoted the International Runway Friction Index (IRFI), will be related to all types of aircraft stopping performance. The range of test equipment, the test sites, test results and accomplishments, the extent of the substantial friction database compiled, and future test plans will be described. Several related studies have also been implemented including the effects of contaminant type on aircraft impingement drag, and the effectiveness of various runway and aircraft de-icing chemical types, and application rates.

Flightworthy active control landing gear for a supersonic aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ross, I.

1980-01-01

A flightworthy active control landing gear system for a supersonic aircraft was designed to minimize aircraft loads during takeoff, impact, rollout, and taxi. The design consists of hydromechanical modifications to the existing gear and the development of a fail-safe electronic controller. analytical RESULTS INDICATE that for an aircraft sink rate of 0.914 m/sec (3 ft/sec) the system achieves a peak load reduction of 36% during landing impact.

Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) sitting on ramp

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1966-01-01

In this 1966 NASA Flight Reserch Center photograph, the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) number 2 sitting on the ramp. When Apollo planning was underway in 1960, NASA was looking for a simulator to profile the descent to the moon's surface. Three concepts surfaced: an electronic simulator, a tethered device, and the ambitious Dryden contribution, a free-flying vehicle. All three became serious projects, but eventually the NASA Flight Research Center's (FRC) Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) became the most significant one. Hubert M. Drake is credited with originating the idea, while Donald Bellman and Gene Matranga were senior engineers on the project, with Bellman, the project manager. Simultaneously, and independently, Bell Aerosystems Company, Buffalo, N.Y., a company with experience in vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, had conceived a similar free-flying simulator and proposed their concept to NASA headquarters. NASA Headquarters put FRC and Bell together to collaborate. The challenge was; to allow a pilot to make a vertical landing on earth in a simulated moon environment, one sixth of the earth's gravity and with totally transparent aerodynamic forces in a 'free flight' vehicle with no tether forces acting on it. Built of tubular aluminum like a giant four-legged bedstead, the vehicle was to simulate a lunar landing profile from around 1500 feet to the moon's surface. To do this, the LLRV had a General Electric CF-700-2V turbofan engine mounted vertically in gimbals, with 4200 pounds of thrust. The engine, using JP-4 fuel, got the vehicle up to the test altitude and was then throttled back to support five-sixths of the vehicle's weight, simulating the reduced gravity of the moon. Two hydrogen-peroxide lift rockets with thrust that could be varied from 100 to 500 pounds handled the LLRV's rate of descent and horizontal translations. Sixteen smaller hydrogen-peroxide rockets, mounted in pairs, gave the pilot control in pitch, yaw, and roll. On

32 CFR 855.6 - Aircraft exempt from the requirement for a civil aircraft landing permit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Aircraft exempt from the requirement for a civil aircraft landing permit. 855.6 Section 855.6 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE AIRCRAFT CIVIL AIRCRAFT USE OF UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AIRFIELDS Civil Aircraft...

32 CFR 855.6 - Aircraft exempt from the requirement for a civil aircraft landing permit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Aircraft exempt from the requirement for a civil aircraft landing permit. 855.6 Section 855.6 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE AIRCRAFT CIVIL AIRCRAFT USE OF UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AIRFIELDS Civil Aircraft...

Aircraft technology opportunities for the 21st Century

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Albers, James A.; Zuk, John

1988-01-01

New aircraft technologies are presented that have the potential to expand the air transportation system and reduce congestion through new operating capabilities, and at the same time provide greater levels of safety and environmental compatibility. Both current and planned civil aeronautics technology at the NASA Ames, Lewis, and Langley Research Centers are addressed. The complete spectrum of current aircraft and new vehicle concepts is considered including rotorcraft (helicopters and tiltrotors), vertical and short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft, subsonic transports, high speed transports, and hypersonic/transatmospheric vehicles. New technologies for current aircraft will improve efficiency, affordability, safety, and environmental compatibility. Research and technology promises to enable development of new vehicles that will revolutionize or greatly change the transportation system. These vehicles will provide new capabilities which will lead to enormous market opportunities and economic growth, as well as improve the competitive position of the U.S. aerospace industry.

Measurement and analysis of aircraft and vehicle LRCS in outfield test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Chang-Qing; Zeng, Xiao-dong; Fan, Zhao-jin; Feng, Zhe-jun; Lai, Zhi

2015-04-01

The measurement of aircraft and vehicle Laser Radar Cross Section (LRCS) is of crucial importance for the detection system evaluation and the characteristic research of the laser scattering. A brief introduction of the measuring theory of the laser scattering from the full-scale aircraft and vehicle targets is presented in this paper. By analyzing the measuring condition in outfield test, the laser systems and test steps are designed for full-scale aircraft and vehicle LRCS and verified by the experiment in laboratory. The processing data error 7% below is obtained of the laser radar cross section by using Gaussian compensation and elimination of sky background for original test data. The study of measurement and analysis proves that the proposed method is effective and correct to get laser radar cross section data in outfield test. The objectives of this study were: (1) to develop structural concepts for different LRCS fuselage configurations constructed of conventional materials; (2) to compare these findings with those of aircrafts or vehicles; (3) to assess the application of advanced materials for each configuration; (4) to conduct an analytical investigation of the aerodynamic loads, vertical drag and mission performance of different LRCS configurations; and (5) to compare these findings with those of the aircrafts or vehicles.

An experimental study of pilots' control characteristics for flight of an STOL aircraft in backside of drag curve at approach and landing.

PubMed

Ema, T

1992-01-01

In general, most vehicles can be modelled by a multi-variable system which has interactive variables. It can be clearly shown that there is an interactive response in an aircraft's velocity and altitude obtained by stick control and/or throttle control. In particular, if the flight conditions fall to backside of drag curve in the flight of an STOL aircraft at approach and landing then the ratio of drag variation to velocity change has a negative value (delta D/delta u less than 0) and the system of motion presents a non-minimum phase. Therefore, the interaction between velocity and altitude response becomes so complicated that it affects to pilot's control actions and it may be difficult to control the STOL aircraft at approach and landing. In this paper, experimental results of a pilot's ability to control the STOL aircraft are presented for a multi-variable manual control system using a fixed ground base simulator and the pilot's control ability is discussed for the flight of an STOL aircraft at backside of drag curve at approach and landing.

Preliminary design of a supersonic Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing (STOVL) fighter aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cox, Brian; Borchers, Paul; Gomer, Charlie; Henderson, Dean; Jacobs, Tavis; Lawson, Todd; Peterson, Eric; Ross, Tweed, III; Bellmard, Larry

1990-01-01

The preliminary design study of a supersonic Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing (STOVL) fighter is presented. A brief historical survey of powered lift vehicles was presented, followed by a technology assessment of the latest supersonic STOVL engine cycles under consideration by industry and government in the U.S. and UK. A survey of operational fighter/attack aircraft and the modern battlefield scenario were completed to develop, respectively, the performance requirements and mission profiles for the study. Three configurations were initially investigated with the following engine cycles: a hybrid fan vectored thrust cycle, a lift+lift/cruise cycle, and a mixed flow vectored thrust cycle. The lift+lift/cruise aircraft configuration was selected for detailed design work which consisted of: (1) a material selection and structural layout, including engine removal considerations, (2) an aircraft systems layout, (3) a weapons integration model showing the internal weapons bay mechanism, (4) inlet and nozzle integration, (5) an aircraft suckdown prediction, (6) an aircraft stability and control analysis, including a takeoff, hover, and transition control analysis, (7) a performance and mission capability study, and (8) a life cycle cost analysis. A supersonic fighter aircraft with STOVL capability with the lift+lift/cruise engine cycle seems a viable option for the next generation fighter.

Landing Energy Dissipation for Manned Reentry Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fisher, Loyd. L.

1960-01-01

The film shows experimental investigations to determine the landing-energy-dissipation characteristics for several types of landing gear for manned reentry vehicles. The landing vehicles are considered in two categories: those having essentially vertical-descent paths, the parachute-supported vehicles, and those having essentially horizontal paths, the lifting vehicles. The energy-dissipation devices include crushable materials such as foamed plastics and honeycomb for internal application in couch-support systems, yielding metal elements as part of the structure of capsules or as alternates for oleos in landing-gear struts, inflatable bags, braking rockets, and shaped surfaces for water impact.

Preflight transient dynamic analyses of B-52 aircraft carrying Space Shuttle solid rocket booster drop-test vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ko, W. L.; Schuster, L. S.

1984-01-01

This paper concerns the transient dynamic analysis of the B-52 aircraft carrying the Space Shuttle solid rocket booster drop test vehicle (SRB/DTV). The NASA structural analysis (NASTRAN) finite element computer program was used in the analysis. The B-52 operating conditions considered for analysis were (1) landing and (2) braking on aborted takeoff runs. The transient loads for the B-52 pylon front and rear hooks were calculated. The results can be used to establish the safe maneuver envelopes for the B-52 carrying the SRB/DTV in landings and brakings.

Comparative study of aircraft approach and landing performance using ILS, MLS and GLS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferdous, Mahbuba; Rashid, Mohsina; China, Mst Mowsumie Akhter; Hossam-E-Haider, Md

2017-12-01

Aircraft landing is one of the most challenging stages of a flight. At this stage, the risk for aircraft to be drifted away from the runway or to collide with other aircraft is very high. So, a supreme accuracy is required to guide aircraft to runway touchdown point precisely. And the precision of approaches are permitted by means of appropriate ground and airborne systems such as Instrument Landing System (ILS) and Microwave Landing System (MLS). Also satellite-based systems can be used like Global Positioning System (GPS) via augmented information supplied by ground-based systems (GBAS). This paper provides an overall review over aircraft performance with different landing aids available to enable the aircraft for executing a safe landing. It encompasses the performance of different landing systems in relation to azimuth and elevation information provided to the pilot and also the different errors encountered by them. This paper also addresses that in addition to eliminating the errors of ground based systems (ILS or MLS), the augmented GPS or GBAS is able to fulfill the ICAO aircraft landing category CAT I to CAT IIIB requirements. And category CAT IIIC standards are still not in use anywhere in the world which require landing with no visibility and runway visual range.

Advanced hypersonic aircraft design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Utzinger, Rob; Blank, Hans-Joachim; Cox, Craig; Harvey, Greg; Mckee, Mike; Molnar, Dave; Nagy, Greg; Petersen, Steve

1992-01-01

The objective of this design project is to develop the hypersonic reconnaissance aircraft to replace the SR-71 and to complement existing intelligence gathering devices. The initial design considerations were to create a manned vehicle which could complete its mission with at least two airborne refuelings. The aircraft must travel between Mach 4 and Mach 7 at an altitude of 80,000 feet for a maximum range of 12,000 nautical miles. The vehicle should have an air breathing propulsion system at cruise. With a crew of two, the aircraft should be able to take off and land on a 10,000 foot runway, and the yearly operational costs were not to exceed $300 million. Finally, the aircraft should exhibit stealth characteristics, including a minimized radar cross-section (RCS) and a reduced sonic boom. The technology used in this vehicle should allow for production between the years 1993 and 1995.

State Estimation for Landing Maneuver on High Performance Aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suresh, P. S.; Sura, Niranjan K.; Shankar, K.

2018-01-01

State estimation methods are popular means for validating aerodynamic database on aircraft flight maneuver performance characteristics. In this work, the state estimation method during landing maneuver is explored for the first of its kind, using upper diagonal adaptive extended Kalman filter (UD-AEKF) with fuzzy based adaptive tunning of process noise matrix. The mathematical model for symmetrical landing maneuver consists of non-linear flight mechanics equation representing Aircraft longitudinal dynamics. The UD-AEKF algorithm is implemented in MATLAB environment and the states with bias is considered to be the initial conditions just prior to the flare. The measurement data is obtained from a non-linear 6 DOF pilot in loop simulation using FORTRAN. These simulated measurement data is additively mixed with process and measurement noises, which are used as an input for UD-AEKF. Then, the governing states that dictate the landing loads at the instant of touch down are compared. The method is verified using flight data wherein, the vertical acceleration at the aircraft center of gravity (CG) is compared. Two possible outcome of purely relying on the aircraft measured data is highlighted. It is observed that, with the implementation of adaptive fuzzy logic based extended Kalman filter tuned to adapt for aircraft landing dynamics, the methodology improves the data quality of the states that are sourced from noisy measurements.

HL-10 landing on lakebed with F-104 chase aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1970-01-01

In this photo, the HL-10 has touched down on its main landing gear, while the pilot was holding the nose up to slow the vehicle. The F-104 in the background was used as a chase plane. Its pilot would give the HL-10's pilot calls on his altitude above the lakebed as well as warnings about any problems. The NASA F-104s were also used for lifting-body training. With the landing gear extended and flaps lowered, the F-104 could simulate the steep, high-speed descent and landing of a lifting body. The HL-10 was one of five heavyweight lifting-body designs flown at NASA's Flight Research Center (FRC--later Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California, from July 1966 to November 1975 to study and validate the concept of safely maneuvering and landing a low lift-over-drag vehicle designed for reentry from space. Northrop Corporation built the HL-10 and M2-F2, the first two of the fleet of 'heavy' lifting bodies flown by the NASA Flight Research Center. The contract for construction of the HL-10 and the M2-F2 was $1.8 million. 'HL' stands for horizontal landing, and '10' refers to the tenth design studied by engineers at NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. After delivery to NASA in January 1966, the HL-10 made its first flight on Dec. 22, 1966, with research pilot Bruce Peterson in the cockpit. Although an XLR-11 rocket engine was installed in the vehicle, the first 11 drop flights from the B-52 launch aircraft were powerless glide flights to assess handling qualities, stability, and control. In the end, the HL-10 was judged to be the best handling of the three original heavy-weight lifting bodies (M2-F2/F3, HL-10, X-24A). The HL-10 was flown 37 times during the lifting body research program and logged the highest altitude and fastest speed in the Lifting Body program. On Feb. 18, 1970, Air Force test pilot Peter Hoag piloted the HL-10 to Mach 1.86 (1,228 mph). Nine days later, NASA pilot Bill Dana flew the vehicle to 90,030 feet, which became the highest

Landing Energy Dissipation for Manned Reentry Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fisher, Lloyd J., Jr.

1960-01-01

Analytical and experimental investigations have been made to determine the landing-energy-dissipation characteristics for several types of landing gear for manned reentry vehicles. The landing vehicles are considered in two categories: those having essentially vertical-descent paths, the parachute-supported vehicles, and those having essentially horizontal paths, the lifting vehicles. The energy-dissipation devices discussed are crushable materials such as foamed plastics and honeycomb for internal application in couch-support systems, yielding metal elements as part of the structure of capsules or as alternates for oleos in landing-gear struts, inflatable bags, braking rockets, and shaped surfaces for water impact. It appears feasible to readily evaluate landing-gear systems for internal or external application in hard-surface or water landings by using computational procedures and free-body landing techniques with dynamic models. The systems investigated have shown very interesting energy-dissipation characteristics over a considerable range of landing parameters. Acceptable gear can be developed along lines similar to those presented if stroke requirements and human-tolerance limits are considered.

Status report on the land processes aircraft science management operations working group

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawless, James G.; Mann, Lisa J.

1991-01-01

Since its inception three years ago, the Land Processes Aircraft Science Management Operations Working Group (MOWG) provided recommendations on the optimal use of the Agency's aircraft in support of the Land Processes Science Program. Recommendations covered topics such as aircraft and sensor usage, development of long-range plans, Multisensor Airborne Campaigns (MAC), program balance, aircraft sensor databases, new technology and sensor development, and increased University scientist participation in the program. Impacts of these recommendations improved the efficiency of various procedures including the flight request process, tracking of flight hours, and aircraft usage. The group also created a bibliography focused on publications produced by Land Processes scientists from the use of the aircraft program, surveyed NASA funded PI's on their participation in the aircraft program, and developed a planning template for multi-sensor airborne campaigns. Benefits from these activities are summarized.

Vortex-Free Flight Corridors for Aircraft Executing Compressed Landing Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rossow, Vernon J.

2006-01-01

A factor that limits airport arrival and departure rates is the need to wait between operations for the wake vortices of preceding aircraft to decay to a safe level. As airport traffic demand increases, creative methods will be needed to overcome the limitations caused by the hazard posed by vortex wakes so that airport capacities can be increased. The problem addressed here is the design of vortex-free trajectories for aircraft as they fly from their cruise altitudes down to their final approach paths and to a landing. The guidelines presented recommend that the flight path of each aircraft in a group executing nearly-simultaneous landings be spaced far enough apart laterally along organized flight paths so that the vortex wakes of preceding aircraft will not intrude into the airspace to be used by following aircraft. An example is presented as to how a combination of straight lines and circular arcs is able to provide each aircraft in a group with a vortex-free trajectory so that all are able to safely form the pattern needed for nearly simultaneous landings on a set of closely-spaced parallel runways. Although the guidelines me described for aircraft on approach, they are also applicable to departure, and to en route operations.

Vertical Landing Aerodynamics of Reusable Rocket Vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nonaka, Satoshi; Nishida, Hiroyuki; Kato, Hiroyuki; Ogawa, Hiroyuki; Inatani, Yoshifumi

The aerodynamic characteristics of a vertical landing rocket are affected by its engine plume in the landing phase. The influences of interaction of the engine plume with the freestream around the vehicle on the aerodynamic characteristics are studied experimentally aiming to realize safe landing of the vertical landing rocket. The aerodynamic forces and surface pressure distributions are measured using a scaled model of a reusable rocket vehicle in low-speed wind tunnels. The flow field around the vehicle model is visualized using the particle image velocimetry (PIV) method. Results show that the aerodynamic characteristics, such as the drag force and pitching moment, are strongly affected by the change in the base pressure distributions and reattachment of a separation flow around the vehicle.

40 CFR 85.1715 - Aircraft meeting the definition of motor vehicle.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 18 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Aircraft meeting the definition of motor vehicle. 85.1715 Section 85.1715 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... aircraft engines. Standards apply separately to certain aircraft engines, as described in 40 CFR part 87...

40 CFR 85.1715 - Aircraft meeting the definition of motor vehicle.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 18 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Aircraft meeting the definition of motor vehicle. 85.1715 Section 85.1715 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... aircraft engines. Standards apply separately to certain aircraft engines, as described in 40 CFR part 87...

43 CFR 4740.1 - Use of motor vehicles or aircraft.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... administration of the Act, except that no motor vehicle or aircraft, other than helicopters, shall be used for... be conducted in a humane manner. (b) Before using helicopters or motor vehicles in the management of...

43 CFR 4740.1 - Use of motor vehicles or aircraft.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... administration of the Act, except that no motor vehicle or aircraft, other than helicopters, shall be used for... be conducted in a humane manner. (b) Before using helicopters or motor vehicles in the management of...

43 CFR 4740.1 - Use of motor vehicles or aircraft.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... administration of the Act, except that no motor vehicle or aircraft, other than helicopters, shall be used for... be conducted in a humane manner. (b) Before using helicopters or motor vehicles in the management of...

43 CFR 4740.1 - Use of motor vehicles or aircraft.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... administration of the Act, except that no motor vehicle or aircraft, other than helicopters, shall be used for... be conducted in a humane manner. (b) Before using helicopters or motor vehicles in the management of...

Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) engine test firing on ramp

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1964-01-01

This 1964 NASA Flight Reserch Center photograph shows a ground engine test underway on the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) number 1. When Apollo planning was underway in 1960, NASA was looking for a simulator to profile the descent to the moon's surface. Three concepts surfaced: an electronic simulator, a tethered device, and the ambitious Dryden contribution, a free-flying vehicle. All three became serious projects, but eventually the NASA Flight Research Center's (FRC) Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) became the most significant one. Hubert M. Drake is credited with originating the idea, while Donald Bellman and Gene Matranga were senior engineers on the project, with Bellman, the project manager. Simultaneously, and independently, Bell Aerosystems Company, Buffalo, N.Y., a company with experience in vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, had conceived a similar free-flying simulator and proposed their concept to NASA headquarters. NASA Headquarters put FRC and Bell together to collaborate. The challenge was; to allow a pilot to make a vertical landing on earth in a simulated moon environment, one sixth of the earth's gravity and with totally transparent aerodynamic forces in a 'free flight' vehicle with no tether forces acting on it. Built of tubular aluminum like a giant four-legged bedstead, the vehicle was to simulate a lunar landing profile from around 1500 feet to the moon's surface. To do this, the LLRV had a General Electric CF-700-2V turbofan engine mounted vertically in gimbals, with 4200 pounds of thrust. The engine, using JP-4 fuel, got the vehicle up to the test altitude and was then throttled back to support five-sixths of the vehicle's weight, simulating the reduced gravity of the moon. Two hydrogen-peroxide lift rockets with thrust that could be varied from 100 to 500 pounds handled the LLRV's rate of descent and horizontal translations. Sixteen smaller hydrogen-peroxide rockets, mounted in pairs, gave the pilot control in pitch, yaw

Actively Controlled Landing Gear for Aircraft Vibration Reduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horta, Lucas G.; Daugherty, Robert H.; Martinson, Veloria J.

1999-01-01

Concepts for long-range air travel are characterized by airframe designs with long, slender, relatively flexible fuselages. One aspect often overlooked is ground induced vibration of these aircraft. This paper presents an analytical and experimental study of reducing ground-induced aircraft vibration loads using actively controlled landing gears. A facility has been developed to test various active landing gear control concepts and their performance. The facility uses a NAVY A6-intruder landing gear fitted with an auxiliary hydraulic supply electronically controlled by servo valves. An analytical model of the gear is presented including modifications to actuate the gear externally and test data is used to validate the model. The control design is described and closed-loop test and analysis comparisons are presented.

Aircraft Landing Dynamics Facility - A unique facility with new capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, P. A.; Stubbs, S. M.; Tanner, J. A.

1985-01-01

The Aircraft Landing Dynamics Facility (ALDF), formerly called the Landing Loads Track, is described. The paper gives a historical overview of the original NASA Langley Research Center Landing Loads Track and discusses the unique features of this national test facility. Comparisons are made between the original track characteristics and the new capabilities of the Aircraft Landing Dynamics Facility following the recently completed facility update. Details of the new propulsion and arresting gear systems are presented along with the novel features of the new high-speed carriage. The data acquisition system is described and the paper concludes with a review of future test programs.

Experimental investigation of active loads control for aircraft landing gear

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcgehee, J. R.; Dreher, R. C.

1982-01-01

Aircraft dynamic loads and vibrations resulting from landing impact and from runway and taxiway unevenness are recognized as significant in causing fatigue damage, dynamic stress on the airframe, crew and passenger discomfort, and reduction of the pilot's ability to control the aircraft during ground operations. One potential method for improving operational characteistics of aircraft on the ground is the application of active control technology to the landing gears to reduce ground loads applied to the airframe. An experimental investigation was conducted which simulated the landing dynamics of a light airplane to determine the feasibility and potential of a series hydraulic active control main landing gear. The experiments involved a passive gear and an active control gear. Results of this investigation show that a series hydraulically controlled gear is feasible and that such a gear is very effective in reducing the loads transmitted by the gear to the airframe during ground operations.

A CLIPS-based tool for aircraft pilot-vehicle interface design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fowler, Thomas D.; Rogers, Steven P.

1991-01-01

The Pilot-Vehicle Interface of modern aircraft is the cognitive, sensory, and psychomotor link between the pilot, the avionics modules, and all other systems on board the aircraft. To assist pilot-vehicle interface designers, a C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) based tool was developed that allows design information to be stored in a table that can be modified by rules representing design knowledge. Developed for the Apple Macintosh, the tool allows users without any CLIPS programming experience to form simple rules using a point and click interface.

Soil runway friction evaluation in support of USAF C-17 transport aircraft operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yager, Thomas J.

1995-01-01

A series of NASA Diagonal-Braked Vehicle (DBV) test runs were performed on the soil runway 7/25 at Holland landing zone, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, near Pope Air Force Base in March 1995 at the request of the Air Force C-17 System Program Office. These ground vehicle test results indicated that the dry runway friction level was suitable for planned C-17 transport aircraft landing and take-off operations at various gross weights. These aircraft operations were successfully carried out. On-board aircraft deceleration measurements were comparable to NASA DBV measurements. Additional tests conducted with an Army High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle equipped with a portable decelerometer, showed good agreement with NASA DBV data.

Civil applications of high-speed rotorcraft and powered-lift aircraft configurations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Albers, James A.; Zuk, John

1987-01-01

Advanced subsonic vertical and short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) aircraft configurations offer new transportation options for civil applications. Described is a range of vehicles from low-disk to high-disk loading aircraft, including high-speed rotorcraft, V/STOL aircraft, and short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft. The status and advantages of the various configurations are described. Some of these show promise for relieving congestion in high population-density regions and providing transportation opportunities for low population-density regions.

CV-990 Landing Systems Research Aircraft (LSRA) flight #145 drilling of shuttle tire using Tire Assa

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

Created from a 1/16th model of a German World War II tank, the TAV (Tire Assault Vehicle) was an important safety feature for the Convair 990 Landing System Research Aircraft, which tested space shuttle tires. It was imperative to know the extreme conditions the shuttle tires could tolerate at landing without putting the shuttle and its crew at risk. In addition, the CV990 was able to land repeatedly to test the tires. The TAV was built from a kit and modified into a radio controlled, video-equipped machine to drill holes in aircraft test tires that were in imminent danger of exploding because of one or more conditions: high air pressure, high temperatures, and cord wear. An exploding test tire releases energy equivalent to two and one-half sticks of dynamite and can cause severe injuries to anyone within 50 ft. of the explosion, as well as ear injury - possibly permanent hearing loss - to anyone within 100 ft. The degree of danger is also determined by the temperature pressure and cord wear of a test tire. The TAV was developed by David Carrott, a PRC employee under contract to NASA.

Wing configuration on Wind Tunnel Testing of an Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daryanto, Yanto; Purwono, Joko; Subagyo

2018-04-01

Control surface of an Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle (UAV) consists of flap, aileron, spoiler, rudder, and elevator. Every control surface has its own special functionality. Some particular configurations in the flight mission often depend on the wing configuration. Configuration wing within flap deflection for takeoff setting deflection of flap 20° but during landing deflection of flap set on the value 40°. The aim of this research is to get the ultimate CLmax for take-off flap deflection setting. It is shown from Wind Tunnel Testing result that the 20° flap deflection gives optimum CLmax with moderate drag coefficient. The results of Wind Tunnel Testing representing by graphic plots show good performance as well as the stability of UAV.

Measures of pilot performance during V/TOL aircraft landings on ships at sea

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howard, J. C.

1977-01-01

Simulation experiments to determine the feasibility of landing V/TOL aircraft on ships at sea were studied. The motion and attitude of the aircraft relative to the landing platform was known at the instant of touchdown. The success of these experiments depended on the ability of the experimenter to measure the pilot's performance during the landing maneuver. To facilitate these measurements, the equations describing the motion of the aircraft and its attitude relative to the landing platform are presented in a form which is suitable for simulation purposes.

KSC firefighters support recent firefighting efforts with an aircraft rescue firefighting vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

A Kennedy Space Center aircraft rescue firefighting vehicle supports heavy traffic at the Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville, Florida, where aircraft capable of carrying water were staged during the recent brushfires throughout Florida. Aircraft were supporting firefighting efforts in Brevard, Volusia, and Flagler counties.

V/STOL aircraft configurations and opportunities in the Pacific Basin

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Albers, James A.; Zuk, John

1987-01-01

Advanced aircraft configurations offer new transportation options for the Pacific Basin. Described is a range of vehicles from low-disk to high-disk loading aircraft, including high-speed rotorcraft, subsonic vertical and short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) aircraft, and subsonic short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft. The status and advantages of the various configurations are described. Some of these show promise for satisfying many of the transportation requirements of the Pacific Basin; as such, they could revolutionize short-haul transportation in that region.

48 CFR 252.228-7005 - Accident reporting and investigation involving aircraft, missiles, and space launch vehicles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... investigation involving aircraft, missiles, and space launch vehicles. 252.228-7005 Section 252.228-7005 Federal... investigation involving aircraft, missiles, and space launch vehicles. As prescribed in 228.370(d), use the following clause: Accident Reporting and Investigation Involving Aircraft, Missiles, and Space Launch...

48 CFR 252.228-7005 - Accident reporting and investigation involving aircraft, missiles, and space launch vehicles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... investigation involving aircraft, missiles, and space launch vehicles. 252.228-7005 Section 252.228-7005 Federal... investigation involving aircraft, missiles, and space launch vehicles. As prescribed in 228.370(d), use the following clause: Accident Reporting and Investigation Involving Aircraft, Missiles, and Space Launch...

48 CFR 252.228-7005 - Accident reporting and investigation involving aircraft, missiles, and space launch vehicles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... investigation involving aircraft, missiles, and space launch vehicles. 252.228-7005 Section 252.228-7005 Federal... investigation involving aircraft, missiles, and space launch vehicles. As prescribed in 228.370(d), use the following clause: Accident Reporting and Investigation Involving Aircraft, Missiles, and Space Launch...

48 CFR 252.228-7005 - Accident reporting and investigation involving aircraft, missiles, and space launch vehicles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... investigation involving aircraft, missiles, and space launch vehicles. 252.228-7005 Section 252.228-7005 Federal... investigation involving aircraft, missiles, and space launch vehicles. As prescribed in 228.370(d), use the following clause: Accident Reporting and Investigation Involving Aircraft, Missiles, and Space Launch...

48 CFR 252.228-7005 - Accident reporting and investigation involving aircraft, missiles, and space launch vehicles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... investigation involving aircraft, missiles, and space launch vehicles. 252.228-7005 Section 252.228-7005 Federal... investigation involving aircraft, missiles, and space launch vehicles. As prescribed in 228.370(d), use the following clause: Accident Reporting and Investigation Involving Aircraft, Missiles, and Space Launch...

Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) in flight lifting off from ramp

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1964-01-01

This 1964 NASA Flight Reserch Center photograph shows the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) number 1 in flight at the south base of Edwards Air Force Base. When Apollo planning was underway in 1960, NASA was looking for a simulator to profile the descent to the moon's surface. Three concepts surfaced: an electronic simulator, a tethered device, and the ambitious Dryden contribution, a free-flying vehicle. All three became serious projects, but eventually the NASA Flight Research Center's (FRC) Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) became the most significant one. Hubert M. Drake is credited with originating the idea, while Donald Bellman and Gene Matranga were senior engineers on the project, with Bellman, the project manager. Simultaneously, and independently, Bell Aerosystems Company, Buffalo, N.Y., a company with experience in vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, had conceived a similar free-flying simulator and proposed their concept to NASA headquarters. NASA Headquarters put FRC and Bell together to collaborate. The challenge was; to allow a pilot to make a vertical landing on earth in a simulated moon environment, one sixth of the earth's gravity and with totally transparent aerodynamic forces in a 'free flight' vehicle with no tether forces acting on it. Built of tubular aluminum like a giant four-legged bedstead, the vehicle was to simulate a lunar landing profile from around 1500 feet to the moon's surface. To do this, the LLRV had a General Electric CF-700-2V turbofan engine mounted vertically in gimbals, with 4200 pounds of thrust. The engine, using JP-4 fuel, got the vehicle up to the test altitude and was then throttled back to support five-sixths of the vehicle's weight, simulating the reduced gravity of the moon. Two hydrogen-peroxide lift rockets with thrust that could be varied from 100 to 500 pounds handled the LLRV's rate of descent and horizontal translations. Sixteen smaller hydrogen-peroxide rockets, mounted in pairs, gave the pilot

Pilot Joe Walker in Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) on ramp

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1964-01-01

In this 1964 NASA Flight Research Center photograph, NASA Pilot Joe Walker is setting in the pilot's platform of the the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) number 1. This photograph provides a good view of the pilot setting in front of the primary instrumentation panel. When Apollo planning was underway in 1960, NASA was looking for a simulator to profile the descent to the moon's surface. Three concepts surfaced: an electronic simulator, a tethered device, and the ambitious Dryden contribution, a free-flying vehicle. All three became serious projects, but eventually the NASA Flight Research Center's (FRC) Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) became the most significant one. Hubert M. Drake is credited with originating the idea, while Donald Bellman and Gene Matranga were senior engineers on the project, with Bellman, the project manager. Simultaneously, and independently, Bell Aerosystems Company, Buffalo, N.Y., a company with experience in vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, had conceived a similar free-flying simulator and proposed their concept to NASA headquarters. NASA Headquarters put FRC and Bell together to collaborate. The challenge was; to allow a pilot to make a vertical landing on earth in a simulated moon environment, one sixth of the earth's gravity and with totally transparent aerodynamic forces in a 'free flight' vehicle with no tether forces acting on it. Built of tubular aluminum like a giant four-legged bedstead, the vehicle was to simulate a lunar landing profile from around 1500 feet to the moon's surface. To do this, the LLRV had a General Electric CF-700-2V turbofan engine mounted vertically in gimbals, with 4200 pounds of thrust. The engine, using JP-4 fuel, got the vehicle up to the test altitude and was then throttled back to support five-sixths of the vehicle's weight, simulating the reduced gravity of the moon. Two hydrogen-peroxide lift rockets with thrust that could be varied from 100 to 500 pounds handled the LLRV's rate of

Lidar investigation of wake vortices generated by a landing aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smalikho, Igor N.; Banakh, Viktor A.; Falits, Andrey V.

2017-11-01

The results of measurements of parameters of aircraft wake vortices by a Stream Line coherent Doppler lidar during the three-day experiment on the airfield of Tolmachevo Airport are presented. We have analyzed spatial dynamics and evolution of the wake vortices generated by aircrafts of various types: from the Airbus A319 passenger aircraft to the heavy Boeing B747-8 cargo aircraft entering the landing at Tolmachevo Airport. It is shown that the Stream Line lidar may well be used to obtain reliable information about the presence and intensity of aircraft wake vortices in the vicinity of the runway.

Application of tire dynamics to aircraft landing gear design analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Black, R. J.

1983-01-01

The tire plays a key part in many analyses used for design of aircraft landing gear. Examples include structural design of wheels, landing gear shimmy, brake whirl, chatter and squeal, complex combination of chatter and shimmy on main landing gear (MLG) systems, anti-skid performance, gear walk, and rough terrain loads and performance. Tire parameters needed in the various analyses are discussed. Two tire models are discussed for shimmy analysis, the modified Moreland approach and the von Schlippe-Dietrich approach. It is shown that the Moreland model can be derived from the Von Schlippe-Dietrich model by certain approximations. The remaining analysis areas are discussed in general terms and the tire parameters needed for each are identified. Accurate tire data allows more accurate design analysis and the correct prediction of dynamic performance of aircraft landing gear.

Open Vehicle Sketch Pad Aircraft Modeling Strategies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hahn, Andrew S.

2013-01-01

Geometric modeling of aircraft during the Conceptual design phase is very different from that needed for the Preliminary or Detailed design phases. The Conceptual design phase is characterized by the rapid, multi-disciplinary analysis of many design variables by a small engineering team. The designer must walk a line between fidelity and productivity, picking tools and methods with the appropriate balance of characteristics to achieve the goals of the study, while staying within the available resources. Identifying geometric details that are important, and those that are not, is critical to making modeling and methodology choices. This is true for both the low-order analysis methods traditionally used in Conceptual design as well as the highest-order analyses available. This paper will highlight some of Conceptual design's characteristics that drive the designer s choices as well as modeling examples for several aircraft configurations using the open source version of the Vehicle Sketch Pad (Open VSP) aircraft Conceptual design geometry modeler.

Microwave Landing System signal requirements for conventional aircraft

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1972-07-01

The results of analysis directed towards determining Microwave Landing System (MLS) signal requirements for conventional aircraft are discussed. The phases of flight considered include straight-in final approach, flareout, and rollout. A limited numb...

Viability of Cross-Flow Fan for Vertical Take-Off and Landing Aircraft

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited VIABILITY OF CROSS...FLOW FAN FOR VERTICAL TAKE-OFF AND LANDING AIRCRAFT by Christopher T. Delagrange June 2012 Thesis Advisor: Garth V. Hobson Second...AND DATES COVERED Master’s Thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Viability of Cross-Flow Fan for Vertical Take-Off and Landing Aircraft 5. FUNDING

Update of aircraft profile data for the Integrated Noise Model computer program, vol. 2 : appendix A aircraft takeoff and landing profiles

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1992-03-01

This report provides aircraft takeoff and landing profiles, aircraft aerodynamic performance coefficients and engine performance coefficients for the aircraft data base (Database 9) in the Integrated Noise Model (INM) computer program. Flight profile...

Experiences in teleoperation of land vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcgovern, Douglas E.

1989-01-01

Teleoperation of land vehicles allows the removal of the operator from the vehicle to a remote location. This can greatly increase operator safety and comfort in applications such as security patrol or military combat. The cost includes system complexity and reduced system performance. All feedback on vehicle performance and on environmental conditions must pass through sensors, a communications channel, and displays. In particular, this requires vision to be transmitted by close-circuit television with a consequent degradation of information content. Vehicular teleoperation, as a result, places severe demands on the operator. Teleoperated land vehicles have been built and tested by many organizations, including Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). The SNL fleet presently includes eight vehicles of varying capability. These vehicles have been operated using different types of controls, displays, and visual systems. Experimentation studying the effects of vision system characteristics on off-road, remote driving was performed for conditions of fixed camera versus steering-coupled camera and of color versus black and white video display. Additionally, much experience was gained through system demonstrations and hardware development trials. The preliminary experimental findings and the results of the accumulated operational experience are discussed.

50 CFR 35.5 - Commercial enterprises, roads, motor vehicles, motorized equipment, motorboats, aircraft...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... vehicles, motorized equipment, motorboats, aircraft, mechanical transport, structures, and installations..., mechanical transport, structures, and installations. Except as specifically provided and subject to existing... equipment, mechanical transport, aircraft, motorboats, installations, or structures may be used to meet the...

50 CFR 35.5 - Commercial enterprises, roads, motor vehicles, motorized equipment, motorboats, aircraft...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... vehicles, motorized equipment, motorboats, aircraft, mechanical transport, structures, and installations..., mechanical transport, structures, and installations. Except as specifically provided and subject to existing... equipment, mechanical transport, aircraft, motorboats, installations, or structures may be used to meet the...

50 CFR 35.5 - Commercial enterprises, roads, motor vehicles, motorized equipment, motorboats, aircraft...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... vehicles, motorized equipment, motorboats, aircraft, mechanical transport, structures, and installations..., mechanical transport, structures, and installations. Except as specifically provided and subject to existing... equipment, mechanical transport, aircraft, motorboats, installations, or structures may be used to meet the...

50 CFR 35.5 - Commercial enterprises, roads, motor vehicles, motorized equipment, motorboats, aircraft...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... vehicles, motorized equipment, motorboats, aircraft, mechanical transport, structures, and installations..., mechanical transport, structures, and installations. Except as specifically provided and subject to existing... equipment, mechanical transport, aircraft, motorboats, installations, or structures may be used to meet the...

Empirical Prediction of Aircraft Landing Gear Noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golub, Robert A. (Technical Monitor); Guo, Yue-Ping

2005-01-01

This report documents a semi-empirical/semi-analytical method for landing gear noise prediction. The method is based on scaling laws of the theory of aerodynamic noise generation and correlation of these scaling laws with current available test data. The former gives the method a sound theoretical foundation and the latter quantitatively determines the relations between the parameters of the landing gear assembly and the far field noise, enabling practical predictions of aircraft landing gear noise, both for parametric trends and for absolute noise levels. The prediction model is validated by wind tunnel test data for an isolated Boeing 737 landing gear and by flight data for the Boeing 777 airplane. In both cases, the predictions agree well with data, both in parametric trends and in absolute noise levels.

32 CFR 700.834 - Care of ships, aircraft, vehicles and their equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... The Commanding Officer Commanding Officers in General § 700.834 Care of ships, aircraft, vehicles and their equipment. The commanding officer shall cause such inspections and tests to be made and procedures..., vehicle, and their equipment assigned to his or her command. ...

32 CFR 700.834 - Care of ships, aircraft, vehicles and their equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... The Commanding Officer Commanding Officers in General § 700.834 Care of ships, aircraft, vehicles and their equipment. The commanding officer shall cause such inspections and tests to be made and procedures..., vehicle, and their equipment assigned to his or her command. ...

32 CFR 700.834 - Care of ships, aircraft, vehicles and their equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... The Commanding Officer Commanding Officers in General § 700.834 Care of ships, aircraft, vehicles and their equipment. The commanding officer shall cause such inspections and tests to be made and procedures..., vehicle, and their equipment assigned to his or her command. ...

32 CFR 700.834 - Care of ships, aircraft, vehicles and their equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... The Commanding Officer Commanding Officers in General § 700.834 Care of ships, aircraft, vehicles and their equipment. The commanding officer shall cause such inspections and tests to be made and procedures..., vehicle, and their equipment assigned to his or her command. ...

32 CFR 700.834 - Care of ships, aircraft, vehicles and their equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... The Commanding Officer Commanding Officers in General § 700.834 Care of ships, aircraft, vehicles and their equipment. The commanding officer shall cause such inspections and tests to be made and procedures..., vehicle, and their equipment assigned to his or her command. ...

Taxiing, Take-Off, and Landing Simulation of the High Speed Civil Transport Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reaves, Mercedes C.; Horta, Lucas G.

1999-01-01

The aircraft industry jointly with NASA is studying enabling technologies for higher speed, longer range aircraft configurations. Higher speeds, higher temperatures, and aerodynamics are driving these newer aircraft configurations towards long, slender, flexible fuselages. Aircraft response during ground operations, although often overlooked, is a concern due to the increased fuselage flexibility. This paper discusses modeling and simulation of the High Speed Civil Transport aircraft during taxiing, take-off, and landing. Finite element models of the airframe for various configurations are used and combined with nonlinear landing gear models to provide a simulation tool to study responses to different ground input conditions. A commercial computer simulation program is used to numerically integrate the equations of motion and to compute estimates of the responses using an existing runway profile. Results show aircraft responses exceeding safe acceptable human response levels.

Guide Specification For Water/Foam Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Vehicles

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-02-18

This advisory circular (AC) contains performance standards, specifications, and : recommendations for the design, construction, and testing of a family of : aircraft rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) vehicles. The guide specifications : covers two clas...

Hardware-in-the-loop environment facility to address pilot-vehicle-interface issues of a fighter aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandurangareddy, Meenige

2002-07-01

The evolution of Pilot-Vehicle-Interface (PVI) of a fighter aircraft is a complex task. The PVI design involves both static and dynamic issues. Static issues involve the study of reach of controls and switches, ejection path clearance, readability of indicators and display symbols, etc. Dynamic issues involve the study of the effect of aircraft motion on display symbols, pilot emergency handling, situation awareness, weapon aiming, etc. This paper describes a method of addressing the above issues by building a facility with cockpit, which is ergonomically similar to the fighter cockpit. The cockpit is also fitted with actual displays, controls and switches. The cockpit is interfaced with various simulation models of aircraft and outside-window-image generators. The architecture of the facility is designed to represent the latencies of the aircraft and facilitates replacement of simulation models with actual units. A parameter injection facility could be used to induce faults in a comprehensive manner. Pilots could use the facility right from familiarising themselves with procedures to start the engine, take-off, navigate, aim the weapons, handling of emergencies and landing. This approach is being followed and further being enhanced on Cockpit-Environment-Facility (CEF) at Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), Bangalore, India.

The F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle: A High-Angle-of-Attack Testbed Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Regenie, Victoria; Gatlin, Donald; Kempel, Robert; Matheny, Neil

1992-01-01

The F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle is the first thrust-vectoring testbed aircraft used to study the aerodynamics and maneuvering available in the poststall flight regime and to provide the data for validating ground prediction techniques. The aircraft includes a flexible research flight control system and full research instrumentation. The capability to control the vehicle at angles of attack up to 70 degrees is also included. This aircraft was modified by adding a pitch and yaw thrust-vectoring system. No significant problems occurred during the envelope expansion phase of the program. This aircraft has demonstrated excellent control in the wing rock region and increased rolling performance at high angles of attack. Initial pilot reports indicate that the increased capability is desirable although some difficulty in judging the size and timing of control inputs was observed. The aircraft, preflight ground testing and envelope expansion flight tests are described.

19 CFR 10.36a - Vehicles, pleasure boats and aircraft brought in for repair or alteration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Vehicles, pleasure boats and aircraft brought in... RATE, ETC. General Provisions Temporary Importations Under Bond § 10.36a Vehicles, pleasure boats and..., tractor, trailer), pleasure boat, or aircraft brought into the United States by an operator of such...

19 CFR 10.36a - Vehicles, pleasure boats and aircraft brought in for repair or alteration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Vehicles, pleasure boats and aircraft brought in... RATE, ETC. General Provisions Temporary Importations Under Bond § 10.36a Vehicles, pleasure boats and..., tractor, trailer), pleasure boat, or aircraft brought into the United States by an operator of such...

19 CFR 10.36a - Vehicles, pleasure boats and aircraft brought in for repair or alteration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Vehicles, pleasure boats and aircraft brought in... RATE, ETC. General Provisions Temporary Importations Under Bond § 10.36a Vehicles, pleasure boats and..., tractor, trailer), pleasure boat, or aircraft brought into the United States by an operator of such...

19 CFR 10.36a - Vehicles, pleasure boats and aircraft brought in for repair or alteration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Vehicles, pleasure boats and aircraft brought in... RATE, ETC. General Provisions Temporary Importations Under Bond § 10.36a Vehicles, pleasure boats and..., tractor, trailer), pleasure boat, or aircraft brought into the United States by an operator of such...

19 CFR 10.36a - Vehicles, pleasure boats and aircraft brought in for repair or alteration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Vehicles, pleasure boats and aircraft brought in... RATE, ETC. General Provisions Temporary Importations Under Bond § 10.36a Vehicles, pleasure boats and..., tractor, trailer), pleasure boat, or aircraft brought into the United States by an operator of such...

Landing flying qualities evaluation criteria for augmented aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Radford, R. C.; Smith, R.; Bailey, R.

1980-01-01

The criteria evaluated were: Calspan Neal-Smith; Onstott (Northrop Time Domain); McDonnell-Douglas Equivalent System Approach; R. H. Smith Criterion. Each criterion was applied to the same set of longitudinal approach and landing flying qualities data. A revised version of the Neal-Smith criterion which is applicable to the landing task was developed and tested against other landing flying qualities data. Results indicated that both the revised Neal-Smith criterion and the Equivalent System Approach are good discriminators of pitch landing flying qualities; Neal-Smith has particular merit as a design guide, while the Equivalent System Approach is well suited for development of appropriate military specification requirements applicable to highly augmented aircraft.

Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) in flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1967-01-01

In this 1967 NASA Flight Reserch Center photograph the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) is viewed from the front. This photograph provideds a good view of the pilot's platform with the restrictive cockpit view like that of he real Lunar Module (LM) When Apollo planning was underway in 1960, NASA was looking for asimulator to profile the descent to the moon's surface. Three conceptssurfaced: an electronic simulator, a tethered device, and the ambitious Dryden contribution, a free-flying vehicle. All three became serious projects, but eventually the NASA Flight Research Center's (FRC) Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) became the most significant one. After conceptual planning and meetings with engineers from Bell Aerosystems Company, Buffalo, N.Y., NASA FRC issued a $3.6 million production contract awarded in 1963, for delivery of the first of two vehicles for flight studies. Built of tubular aluminum alloy like a giant four-legged bedstead, the vehicle wasto simulate a lunar landing profile from around 1500 feet to the moon's surface. The LLRV had a turbofan engine mounted vertically in a gimbal, with 4200 pounds of thrust. The engine, lifted the vehicle up to the test altitude and was then throttled back to support five-sixths of the vehicle's weight, thus simulating the reduced gravity of the moon. Two lift rockets with thrust that could be varied from 100 to 500 pounds handled the LLRV's rate of descent and horizontal translations. Sixteen smaller rockets, mounted in pairs, gave the pilot control in pitch, yaw, and roll.. The pilot's platform extended forward between two legs while an electronics platform, similarly located, extended rearward. The pilot had a zero-zero ejection seat that would then lift him away to safety. The two LLRVs were shipped from Bell to the FRC in April 1964, with program emphasis on vehicle No. 1. The first flight, Oct. 30, 1964, NASA research pilot Joe Walker flew it three times for a total of just under 60 seconds, to a peak

Collision avoidance for aircraft in abort landing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mathwig, Jarret

We study the collision avoidance between two aircraft flying in the same vertical plane: a host aircraft on a glide path and an intruder aircraft on a horizontal trajectory below that of the host aircraft and heading in the opposite direction. Assuming that the intruder aircraft is uncooperative, the host aircraft executes an optimal abort landing maneuver: it applies maximum thrust setting and maximum angle of attack lifting the flight path over the original path, thereby increasing the timewise minimum distance between the two aircraft and, in this way, avoiding the potential collision. In the presence of weak constraints on the aircraft and/or the environment, the angle of attack must be brought to the maximum value and kept there until the maximin point is reached. On the other hand, in the presence of strong constraints on the aircraft and the environment, desaturation of the angle of attack might have to take place before the maximin point is reached. This thesis includes four parts. In the first part, after an introduction and review of the available literature, we reformulate and solve the one-subarc Chebyshev maximin problem as a two-subarc Bolza-Pontryagin problem in which the avoidance and the recovery maneuvers are treated simultaneously. In the second part, we develop a guidance scheme (gamma guidance) capable of approximating the optimal trajectory in real time. In the third part, we present the algorithms employed to solve the one-subarc and two-subarc problems. In the fourth part, we decompose the two-subarc Bolza-Pontryagin problem into two one-subarc problems: the avoidance problem and the recovery problem, to be solved in sequence; remarkably, for problems where the ratio of total maneuver time to avoidance time is sufficiently large (≥5), this simplified procedure predicts accurately the location of the maximin point as well as the maximin distance.

Autonomous landing and ingress of micro-air-vehicles in urban environments based on monocular vision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brockers, Roland; Bouffard, Patrick; Ma, Jeremy; Matthies, Larry; Tomlin, Claire

2011-06-01

Unmanned micro air vehicles (MAVs) will play an important role in future reconnaissance and search and rescue applications. In order to conduct persistent surveillance and to conserve energy, MAVs need the ability to land, and they need the ability to enter (ingress) buildings and other structures to conduct reconnaissance. To be safe and practical under a wide range of environmental conditions, landing and ingress maneuvers must be autonomous, using real-time, onboard sensor feedback. To address these key behaviors, we present a novel method for vision-based autonomous MAV landing and ingress using a single camera for two urban scenarios: landing on an elevated surface, representative of a rooftop, and ingress through a rectangular opening, representative of a door or window. Real-world scenarios will not include special navigation markers, so we rely on tracking arbitrary scene features; however, we do currently exploit planarity of the scene. Our vision system uses a planar homography decomposition to detect navigation targets and to produce approach waypoints as inputs to the vehicle control algorithm. Scene perception, planning, and control run onboard in real-time; at present we obtain aircraft position knowledge from an external motion capture system, but we expect to replace this in the near future with a fully self-contained, onboard, vision-aided state estimation algorithm. We demonstrate autonomous vision-based landing and ingress target detection with two different quadrotor MAV platforms. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of onboard, vision-based autonomous landing and ingress algorithms that do not use special purpose scene markers to identify the destination.

Autonomous Landing and Ingress of Micro-Air-Vehicles in Urban Environments Based on Monocular Vision

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brockers, Roland; Bouffard, Patrick; Ma, Jeremy; Matthies, Larry; Tomlin, Claire

2011-01-01

Unmanned micro air vehicles (MAVs) will play an important role in future reconnaissance and search and rescue applications. In order to conduct persistent surveillance and to conserve energy, MAVs need the ability to land, and they need the ability to enter (ingress) buildings and other structures to conduct reconnaissance. To be safe and practical under a wide range of environmental conditions, landing and ingress maneuvers must be autonomous, using real-time, onboard sensor feedback. To address these key behaviors, we present a novel method for vision-based autonomous MAV landing and ingress using a single camera for two urban scenarios: landing on an elevated surface, representative of a rooftop, and ingress through a rectangular opening, representative of a door or window. Real-world scenarios will not include special navigation markers, so we rely on tracking arbitrary scene features; however, we do currently exploit planarity of the scene. Our vision system uses a planar homography decomposition to detect navigation targets and to produce approach waypoints as inputs to the vehicle control algorithm. Scene perception, planning, and control run onboard in real-time; at present we obtain aircraft position knowledge from an external motion capture system, but we expect to replace this in the near future with a fully self-contained, onboard, vision-aided state estimation algorithm. We demonstrate autonomous vision-based landing and ingress target detection with two different quadrotor MAV platforms. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of onboard, vision-based autonomous landing and ingress algorithms that do not use special purpose scene markers to identify the destination.

Review of factors affecting aircraft wet runway performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yager, T. J.

1983-01-01

Problems associated with aircraft operations on wet runways are discussed and major factors which influence tire/runway braking and cornering traction capability are identified including runway characteristics, tire hydroplaning, brake system anomalies, and pilot inputs. Research results from investigations conducted at the Langley Aircraft Landing Loads and Traction Facility and from tests with instrumented ground vehicles and aircraft are summarized to indicate the effects of different aircraft, tire, and runway parameters. Several promising means are described for improving tire/runway water drainage capability, brake system efficiency, and pilot training to help optimize aircraft traction performance on wet runways.

The vehicle design evaluation program - A computer-aided design procedure for transport aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oman, B. H.; Kruse, G. S.; Schrader, O. E.

1977-01-01

The vehicle design evaluation program is described. This program is a computer-aided design procedure that provides a vehicle synthesis capability for vehicle sizing, external load analysis, structural analysis, and cost evaluation. The vehicle sizing subprogram provides geometry, weight, and balance data for aircraft using JP, hydrogen, or methane fuels. The structural synthesis subprogram uses a multistation analysis for aerodynamic surfaces and fuselages to develop theoretical weights and geometric dimensions. The parts definition subprogram uses the geometric data from the structural analysis and develops the predicted fabrication dimensions, parts material raw stock buy requirements, and predicted actual weights. The cost analysis subprogram uses detail part data in conjunction with standard hours, realization factors, labor rates, and material data to develop the manufacturing costs. The program is used to evaluate overall design effects on subsonic commercial type aircraft due to parameter variations.

Methods for predicting unsteady takeoff and landing trajectories of the aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shevchenko, A.; Pavlov, B.; Nachinkina, G.

2017-01-01

Informational and situational awareness of the aircrew greatly affects the probability of accidents, during takeoff and landing in particular. For the purpose of assessing the current and predicting the future states of an aircraft the energy approach to the flight control is used. Key energy balance equation is generalized to the ground phases. The equation describes the process of accumulating of the total energy of the aircraft along the entire trajectory, including the segment ahead. This segment length is defined by the required terminal energy state. For the takeoff phase the predict algorithm calculates the aircraft position on a runway after which it is possible to accelerate up to the speed of steady level flight and to reach the altitude sufficient for overcoming the high-rise obstacles. For the landing phase the braking distance length is determined. For increasing the likelihood of predicting the correction of the algorithm is introduced. The results of modeling many takeoffs and landings of passenger liner with different weights with the ahead obstacle and the engine failure are given. Working availability of the algorithm correction is shown.

Landing Gear Noise Prediction and Analysis for Tube-and-Wing and Hybrid-Wing-Body Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guo, Yueping; Burley, Casey L.; Thomas, Russell H.

2016-01-01

Improvements and extensions to landing gear noise prediction methods are developed. New features include installation effects such as reflection from the aircraft, gear truck angle effect, local flow calculation at the landing gear locations, gear size effect, and directivity for various gear designs. These new features have not only significantly improved the accuracy and robustness of the prediction tools, but also have enabled applications to unconventional aircraft designs and installations. Systematic validations of the improved prediction capability are then presented, including parametric validations in functional trends as well as validations in absolute amplitudes, covering a wide variety of landing gear designs, sizes, and testing conditions. The new method is then applied to selected concept aircraft configurations in the portfolio of the NASA Environmentally Responsible Aviation Project envisioned for the timeframe of 2025. The landing gear noise levels are on the order of 2 to 4 dB higher than previously reported predictions due to increased fidelity in accounting for installation effects and gear design details. With the new method, it is now possible to reveal and assess the unique noise characteristics of landing gear systems for each type of aircraft. To address the inevitable uncertainties in predictions of landing gear noise models for future aircraft, an uncertainty analysis is given, using the method of Monte Carlo simulation. The standard deviation of the uncertainty in predicting the absolute level of landing gear noise is quantified and determined to be 1.4 EPNL dB.

Development and evaluation of automatic landing control laws for power lift STOL aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feinreich, B.; Gevaert, G.

1981-01-01

A series of investigations were conducted to generate and verify through ground bases simulation and flight research a data base to aid in the design and certification of advanced propulsive lift short takeoff and landing aircraft. Problems impacting the design of powered lift short haul aircraft that are to be landed automatically on STOL runways in adverse weather were examined. An understanding of the problems was gained by a limited coverage of important elements that are normally included in the certification process of a CAT 3 automatic landing system.

CV-990 Landing Systems Research Aircraft (LSRA) during Space Shuttle tire test

NASA Image and Video Library

1995-08-02

A NASA CV-990, modified as a Landing Systems Research Aircraft (LSRA), lands on the Edwards AFB main runway in test of the space shuttle landing gear system. In this case, the shuttle tire failed, bursting into flame during the rollout. The space shuttle landing gear test unit, operated by a high-pressure hydraulic system, allowed engineers to assess and document the performance of space shuttle main and nose landing gear systems, tires and wheel assemblies, plus braking and nose wheel steering performance. The series of 155 test missions for the space shuttle program provided extensive data about the life and endurance of the shuttle tire systems and helped raise the shuttle crosswind landing limits at Kennedy. The CV-990 used as the LSRA was built in 1962 by the Convair Division of General Dynamics Corp., Ft. Worth, Texas, served as a research aircraft at Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, before it came to Dryden.

Commercial Aircraft Integrated Vehicle Health Management Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reveley, Mary S.; Briggs, Jeffrey L.; Evans, Joni K.; Jones, Sharon Monica; Kurtoglu, Tolga; Leone, Karen M.; Sandifer, Carl E.; Thomas, Megan A.

2010-01-01

Statistical data and literature from academia, industry, and other government agencies were reviewed and analyzed to establish requirements for fixture work in detection, diagnosis, prognosis, and mitigation for IVHM related hardware and software. Around 15 to 20 percent of commercial aircraft accidents between 1988 and 2003 involved inalftfnctions or failures of some aircraft system or component. Engine and landing gear failures/malfunctions dominate both accidents and incidents. The IVI vl Project research technologies were found to map to the Joint Planning and Development Office's National Research and Development Plan (RDP) as well as the Safety Working Group's National Aviation Safety Strategic. Plan (NASSP). Future directions in Aviation Technology as related to IVHlvl were identified by reviewing papers from three conferences across a five year time span. A total of twenty-one trend groups in propulsion, aeronautics and aircraft categories were compiled. Current and ftiture directions of IVHM related technologies were gathered and classified according to eight categories: measurement and inspection, sensors, sensor management, detection, component and subsystem monitoring, diagnosis, prognosis, and mitigation.

Comparison of Predictive Modeling Methods of Aircraft Landing Speed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diallo, Ousmane H.

2012-01-01

Expected increases in air traffic demand have stimulated the development of air traffic control tools intended to assist the air traffic controller in accurately and precisely spacing aircraft landing at congested airports. Such tools will require an accurate landing-speed prediction to increase throughput while decreasing necessary controller interventions for avoiding separation violations. There are many practical challenges to developing an accurate landing-speed model that has acceptable prediction errors. This paper discusses the development of a near-term implementation, using readily available information, to estimate/model final approach speed from the top of the descent phase of flight to the landing runway. As a first approach, all variables found to contribute directly to the landing-speed prediction model are used to build a multi-regression technique of the response surface equation (RSE). Data obtained from operations of a major airlines for a passenger transport aircraft type to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport are used to predict the landing speed. The approach was promising because it decreased the standard deviation of the landing-speed error prediction by at least 18% from the standard deviation of the baseline error, depending on the gust condition at the airport. However, when the number of variables is reduced to the most likely obtainable at other major airports, the RSE model shows little improvement over the existing methods. Consequently, a neural network that relies on a nonlinear regression technique is utilized as an alternative modeling approach. For the reduced number of variables cases, the standard deviation of the neural network models errors represent over 5% reduction compared to the RSE model errors, and at least 10% reduction over the baseline predicted landing-speed error standard deviation. Overall, the constructed models predict the landing-speed more accurately and precisely than the current state-of-the-art.

Passive Earth Entry Vehicle Landing Test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kellas, Sotiris

2017-01-01

Two full-scale passive Earth Entry Vehicles (EEV) with realistic structure, surrogate sample container, and surrogate Thermal Protection System (TPS) were built at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) and tested at the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR). The main test objective was to demonstrate structural integrity and investigate possible impact response deviations of the realistic vehicle as compared to rigid penetrometer responses. With the exception of the surrogate TPS and minor structural differences in the back shell construction, the two test vehicles were identical in geometry and both utilized the Integrated Composite Stiffener Structure (ICoSS) structural concept in the forward shell. The ICoSS concept is a lightweight and highly adaptable composite concept developed at NASA LaRC specifically for entry vehicle TPS carrier structures. The instrumented test vehicles were released from a helicopter approximately 400 m above ground. The drop height was selected such that at least 98% of the vehicles terminal velocity would be achieved. While drop tests of spherical penetrometers and a low fidelity aerodynamic EEV model were conducted at UTTR in 1998 and 2000, this was the first time a passive EEV with flight-like structure, surrogate TPS, and sample container was tested at UTTR for the purpose of complete structural system validation. Test results showed that at a landing vertical speed of approximately 30 m/s, the test vehicle maintained structural integrity and enough rigidity to penetrate the sandy clay surface thus attenuating the landing load, as measured at the vehicle CG, to less than 600 g. This measured deceleration was found to be in family with rigid penetrometer test data from the 1998 and 2000 test campaigns. Design implications of vehicle structure/soil interaction with respect to sample container and sample survivability are briefly discussed.

Improving Student Naval Aviator Aircraft Carrier Landing Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheppard, Thomas H.; Foster, T. Chris

2008-01-01

This article discusses the use of human performance technology (HPT) to improve qualification rates for learning to land onboard aircraft carriers. This project started as a request for a business case analysis and evolved into a full-fledged performance improvement project, from mission analysis through evaluation. The result was a significant…

Guide Specification For Small, Dual Agent Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Vehicles

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1993-12-07

This advisory circular (AC) contains performance standards, specifications, and : recommendations for the design, construction, and testing of a family of small, : dual agent aircraft rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) vehicles. The National : Fire Prot...

Modeling human perception and estimation of kinematic responses during aircraft landing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidt, David K.; Silk, Anthony B.

1988-01-01

The thrust of this research is to determine estimation accuracy of aircraft responses based on observed cues. By developing the geometric relationships between the outside visual scene and the kinematics during landing, visual and kinesthetic cues available to the pilot were modeled. Both fovial and peripheral vision was examined. The objective was to first determine estimation accuracy in a variety of flight conditions, and second to ascertain which parameters are most important and lead to the best achievable accuracy in estimating the actual vehicle response. It was found that altitude estimation was very sensitive to the FOV. For this model the motion cue of perceived vertical acceleration was shown to be less important than the visual cues. The inclusion of runway geometry in the visual scene increased estimation accuracy in most cases. Finally, it was shown that for this model if the pilot has an incorrect internal model of the system kinematics the choice of observations thought to be 'optimal' may in fact be suboptimal.

Water landing characteristics of a model of a winged reentry vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stubbs, S. M.

1972-01-01

Proposed manned space shuttle vehicles are expected to land on airport runways. In an emergency situation, however, the vehicle may be required to land on water. A 1/10-scale dynamic model of a winged reentry vehicle was investigated to determine the water landing characteristics. Two configurations of the proposed vehicle were studied. Configuration 1 had a 30 deg negative dihedral of the stabilizer-elevon surface whereas configuration 2 had a 30 deg positive dihedral. Results indicate that the maximum normal accelerations for configurations 1 and 2 when landing in calm water were approximately 8g and 6g, respectively, and the maximum longitudinal accelerations were approximately 5g and 3g, respectively. A small hydroflap was needed to obtain satisfactory calm-water landings with configuration 2, whereas configuration 1 gave good landings without a hydroflap. All landings made in rough water resulted in unsatisfactory motions. For landings made in three different wave sizes, both configurations dived. The maximum normal accelerations for configurations 1 and 2 when landing in waves were -10.1g and -18.7g, respectively, and the maximum longitudinal accelerations for both configurations were approximately 13g.

Global Hawk Aircraft Lands at NASA Wallops for Hurricane Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

The first of two NASA Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles supporting the Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) mission landed at 7:39 a.m. today, Aug. 14, 2013, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va. During August and September, NASA will fly the two Global Hawks over the Atlantic Ocean to study tropical storms and the processes that underlie hurricane formation and intensification. The aircraft are equipped with instruments to survey the overall environment of the storms and peer into the inner core of hurricanes to study their structure and processes. For more information, visit: www.nasa.gov/HS3. Photo Credit: NASA Wallops Keith Koehler NASA Wallops Flight Facility NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

19 CFR 162.5 - Search of arriving vehicles and aircraft.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Search of arriving vehicles and aircraft. 162.5 Section 162.5 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INSPECTION, SEARCH, AND SEIZURE Inspection, Examination, and Search...

Information processing requirements for on-board monitoring of automatic landing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sorensen, J. A.; Karmarkar, J. S.

1977-01-01

A systematic procedure is presented for determining the information processing requirements for on-board monitoring of automatic landing systems. The monitoring system detects landing anomalies through use of appropriate statistical tests. The time-to-correct aircraft perturbations is determined from covariance analyses using a sequence of suitable aircraft/autoland/pilot models. The covariance results are used to establish landing safety and a fault recovery operating envelope via an event outcome tree. This procedure is demonstrated with examples using the NASA Terminal Configured Vehicle (B-737 aircraft). The procedure can also be used to define decision height, assess monitoring implementation requirements, and evaluate alternate autoland configurations.

A Differential GPS Aided Ins for Aircraft Landings

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-12-01

Pseudolite during the Landing A pproach .................................................................................................. 4-9 4.2.1...for precision approaches, areas associated with accuracy, coverage, integrity availability, and aircraft integration must be studied and 1-3...publications [13,20,27,30,57,59] suggests very few studies have been performed which use an integrated INS/GPS for precision approaches. The majority of

The effect of aircraft control forces on pilot performance during instrument landings in a flight simulator.

PubMed

Hewson, D J; McNair, P J; Marshall, R N

2001-07-01

Pilots may have difficulty controlling aircraft at both high and low force levels due to larger variability in force production at these force levels. The aim of this study was to measure the force variability and landing performance of pilots during an instrument landing in a flight simulator. There were 12 pilots who were tested while performing 5 instrument landings in a flight simulator, each of which required different control force inputs. Pilots can produce the least force when pushing the control column to the right, therefore the force levels for the landings were set relative to each pilot's maximum aileron-right force. The force levels for the landings were 90%, 60%, and 30% of maximal aileron-right force, normal force, and 25% of normal force. Variables recorded included electromyographic activity (EMG), aircraft control forces, aircraft attitude, perceived exertion and deviation from glide slope and heading. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to test for differences between landings. Pilots were least accurate in landing performance during the landing at 90% of maximal force (p < 0.05). There was also a trend toward decreased landing performance during the landing at 25% of normal force. Pilots were more variable in force production during the landings at 60% and 90% of maximal force (p < 0.05). Pilots are less accurate at performing instrument landings when control forces are high due to the increased variability of force production. The increase in variability at high force levels is most likely associated with motor unit recruitment, rather than rate coding. Aircraft designers need to consider the reduction in pilot performance at high force levels, as well as pilot strength limits when specifying new standards.

X-38 Vehicle #132 Landing on First Free Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

The X-38, a research vehicle built to help develop technology for an emergency Crew Return Vehicle (CRV), flares for its lakebed landing at the end of a March 1999 test flight at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The X-38 Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) research project is designed to develop the technology for a prototype emergency crew return vehicle, or lifeboat, for the International Space Station. The project is also intended to develop a crew return vehicle design that could be modified for other uses, such as a joint U.S. and international human spacecraft that could be launched on the French Ariane-5 Booster. The X-38 project is using available technology and off-the-shelf equipment to significantly decrease development costs. Original estimates to develop a capsule-type crew return vehicle were estimated at more than $2 billion. X-38 project officials have estimated that development costs for the X-38 concept will be approximately one quarter of the original estimate. Off-the-shelf technology is not necessarily 'old' technology. Many of the technologies being used in the X-38 project have never before been applied to a human-flight spacecraft. For example, the X-38 flight computer is commercial equipment currently used in aircraft and the flight software operating system is a commercial system already in use in many aerospace applications. The video equipment for the X-38 is existing equipment, some of which has already flown on the space shuttle for previous NASA experiments. The X-38's primary navigational equipment, the Inertial Navigation System/Global Positioning System, is a unit already in use on Navy fighters. The X-38 electromechanical actuators come from previous joint NASA, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Navy research and development projects. Finally, an existing special coating developed by NASA will be used on the X-38 thermal tiles to make them more durable than those used on the space shuttles. The X-38 itself was an unpiloted

Magnetic levitation assisted aircraft take-off and landing (feasibility study - GABRIEL concept)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rohacs, Daniel; Rohacs, Jozsef

2016-08-01

The Technology Roadmap 2013 developed by the International Air Transport Association envisions the option of flying without an undercarriage to be in operation by 2032. Preliminary investigations clearly indicate that magnetic levitation technology (MagLev) might be an appealing solution to assist the aircraft take-off and landing. The EU supported research project, abbreviated as GABRIEL, was dealing with (i) the concept development, (ii) the identification, evaluation and selection of the deployable magnetic levitation technology, (iii) the definition of the core system elements (including the required aircraft modifications, the ground-based system and airport elements, and the rendezvous control system), (iv) the analysis of the safety and security aspects, (v) the concept validation and (vi) the estimation of the proposed concept impact in terms of aircraft weight, noise, emission, cost-benefit). All results introduced here are compared to a medium size hypothetic passenger aircraft (identical with an Airbus A320). This paper gives a systematic overview of (i) the applied methods, (ii) the investigation of the possible use of magnetic levitation technology to assist the commercial aircraft take-off and landing processes and (iii) the demonstrations, validations showing the feasibility of the radically new concept. All major results are outlined.

A fuselage/tank structure study for actively cooled hypersonic cruise vehicles, summary. [aircraft design of aircraft fuel systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pirrello, C. J.; Baker, A. H.; Stone, J. E.

1976-01-01

A detailed analytical study was made to investigate the effects of fuselage cross section (circular and elliptical) and the structural arrangement (integral and nonintegral tanks) on aircraft performance. The vehicle was a 200 passenger, liquid hydrogen fueled Mach 6 transport designed to meet a range goal of 9.26 Mn (5000 NM). A variety of trade studies were conducted in the area of configuration arrangement, structural design, and active cooling design in order to maximize the performance of each of three point design aircraft: (1) circular wing-body with nonintegral tanks, (2) circular wing-body with integral tanks and (3) elliptical blended wing-body with integral tanks. Aircraft range and weight were used as the basis for comparison. The resulting design and performance characteristics show that the blended body integral tank aircraft weights the least and has the greatest range capability, however, producibility and maintainability factors favor nonintegral tank concepts.

Design optimization of high-speed proprotor aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schleicher, David R.; Phillips, James D.; Carbajal, Kevin B.

1993-01-01

NASA's high-speed rotorcraft (HSRC) studies have the objective of investigating technology for vehicles that have both low downwash velocities and forward flight speed capability of up to 450 knots. This paper investigates a tilt rotor, a tilt wing, and a folding tilt rotor designed for a civil transport mission. Baseline aircraft models using current technology are developed for each configuration using a vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) aircraft design synthesis computer program to generate converged vehicle designs. Sensitivity studies and numerical optimization are used to illustrate each configuration's key design tradeoffs and constraints. Minimization of the gross takeoff weight is used as the optimization objective function. Several advanced technologies are chosen, and their relative impact on future configurational development is discussed. Finally, the impact of maximum cruise speed on vehicle figures of merit (gross weight, productivity, and direct operating cost) is analyzed. The three most important conclusions from the study are payload ratios for these aircraft will be commensurate with current fixed-wing commuter aircraft; future tilt rotors and tilt wings will be significantly lighter, more productive, and cheaper than competing folding tilt rotors; and the most promising technologies are an advanced-technology proprotor for both tilt rotor and tilt wing and advanced structural materials for the folding tilt rotor.

Potential for Landing Gear Noise Reduction on Advanced Aircraft Configurations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, Russell H.; Nickol, Craig L.; Burley, Casey L.; Guo, Yueping

2016-01-01

The potential of significantly reducing aircraft landing gear noise is explored for aircraft configurations with engines installed above the wings or the fuselage. An innovative concept is studied that does not alter the main gear assembly itself but does shorten the main strut and integrates the gear in pods whose interior surfaces are treated with acoustic liner. The concept is meant to achieve maximum noise reduction so that main landing gears can be eliminated as a major source of airframe noise. By applying this concept to an aircraft configuration with 2025 entry-into-service technology levels, it is shown that compared to noise levels of current technology, the main gear noise can be reduced by 10 EPNL dB, bringing the main gear noise close to a floor established by other components such as the nose gear. The assessment of the noise reduction potential accounts for design features for the advanced aircraft configuration and includes the effects of local flow velocity in and around the pods, gear noise reflection from the airframe, and reflection and attenuation from acoustic liner treatment on pod surfaces and doors. A technical roadmap for maturing this concept is discussed, and the possible drag increase at cruise due to the addition of the pods is identified as a challenge, which needs to be quantified and minimized possibly with the combination of detailed design and application of drag reduction technologies.

Large Field Photogrammetry Techniques in Aircraft and Spacecraft Impact Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Littell, Justin D.

2010-01-01

The Landing and Impact Research Facility (LandIR) at NASA Langley Research Center is a 240 ft. high A-frame structure which is used for full-scale crash testing of aircraft and rotorcraft vehicles. Because the LandIR provides a unique capability to introduce impact velocities in the forward and vertical directions, it is also serving as the facility for landing tests on full-scale and sub-scale Orion spacecraft mass simulators. Recently, a three-dimensional photogrammetry system was acquired to assist with the gathering of vehicle flight data before, throughout and after the impact. This data provides the basis for the post-test analysis and data reduction. Experimental setups for pendulum swing tests on vehicles having both forward and vertical velocities can extend to 50 x 50 x 50 foot cubes, while weather, vehicle geometry, and other constraints make each experimental setup unique to each test. This paper will discuss the specific calibration techniques for large fields of views, camera and lens selection, data processing, as well as best practice techniques learned from using the large field of view photogrammetry on a multitude of crash and landing test scenarios unique to the LandIR.

Landing Characteristics of a Lenticular-Shaped Reentry Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blanchard, Ulysse J.

1961-01-01

An experimental investigation was made of the landing characteristics of a 1/9-scale dynamic model of a lenticular-shaped reentry vehicle having extendible tail panels for control after reentry and for landing control (flare-out). The landing tests were made by catapulting a free model onto a hard-surface runway and onto water. A "belly-landing" technique in which the vehicle was caused to skid and rock on its curved undersurface (heat shield), converting sinking speed into angular energy, was investigated on a hard-surface runway. Landings were made in calm water and in waves both with and without auxiliary landing devices. Landing motions and acceleration data were obtained over a range of landing attitudes and initial sinking speeds during hard-surface landings and for several wave conditions during water landings. A few vertical landings (parachute letdown) were made in calm water. The hard-surface landing characteristics were good. Maximum landing accelerations on a hard surface were 5g and 18 radians per sq second over a range of landing conditions. Horizontal landings on water resulted in large violent rebounds and some diving in waves. Extreme attitude changes during rebound at initial impact made the attitude of subsequent impact random. Maximum accelerations for water landings were approximately 21g and 145 radians per sq second in waves 7 feet high. Various auxiliary water-landing devices produced no practical improvement in behavior. Reduction of horizontal speed and positive control of impact attitude did improve performance in calm water. During vertical landings in calm water maximum accelerations of 15g and 110 radians per sq second were measured for a contact attitude of -45 deg and a vertical velocity of 70 feet per second.

Crash Testing and Simulation of a Cessna 172 Aircraft: Hard Landing Onto Concrete

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jackson, Karen E.; Fasanella, Edwin L.

2016-01-01

A full-scale crash test of a Cessna 172 aircraft was conducted at the Landing and Impact Research Facility at NASA Langley Research Center during the summer of 2015. The purpose of the test was to evaluate the performance of Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs) that were mounted at various locations in the aircraft and to generate impact test data for model validation. A finite element model of the aircraft was developed for execution in LSDYNA to simulate the test. Measured impact conditions were 722.4-in/s forward velocity and 276-in/s vertical velocity with a 1.5deg pitch (nose up) attitude. These conditions were intended to represent a survivable hard landing. The impact surface was concrete. During the test, the nose gear tire impacted the concrete, followed closely by impact of the main gear tires. The main landing gear spread outward, as the nose gear stroked vertically. The only fuselage contact with the impact surface was a slight impact of the rearmost portion of the lower tail. Thus, capturing the behavior of the nose and main landing gear was essential to accurately predict the response. This paper describes the model development and presents test-analysis comparisons in three categories: inertial properties, time sequence of events, and acceleration and velocity time-histories.

Advanced Vehicle Concepts and Implications for NextGen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blake, Matt; Smith, Jim; Wright, Ken; Mediavilla Ricky; Kirby, Michelle; Pfaender, Holger; Clarke, John-Paul; Volovoi, Vitali; Dorbian, Christopher; Ashok, Akshay;

Next Generation Civil Transport Aircraft Design Considerations for Improving Vehicle and System-Level Efficiency

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Acosta, Diana M.; Guynn, Mark D.; Wahls, Richard A.; DelRosario, Ruben,

2013-01-01

The future of aviation will benefit from research in aircraft design and air transportation management aimed at improving efficiency and reducing environmental impacts. This paper presents civil transport aircraft design trends and opportunities for improving vehicle and system-level efficiency. Aircraft design concepts and the emerging technologies critical to reducing thrust specific fuel consumption, reducing weight, and increasing lift to drag ratio currently being developed by NASA are discussed. Advancements in the air transportation system aimed towards system-level efficiency are discussed as well. Finally, the paper describes the relationship between the air transportation system, aircraft, and efficiency. This relationship is characterized by operational constraints imposed by the air transportation system that influence aircraft design, and operational capabilities inherent to an aircraft design that impact the air transportation system.

Design criteria for flightpath and airspeed control for the approach and landing of STOL aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Franklin, J. A.; Innis, R. C.; Hardy, G. H.; Stephenson, J. D.

1982-01-01

A flight research program was conducted to assess requirements for flightpath and airspeed control for glide-slope tracking during a precision approach and for flare control, particularly as applied to powered-lift, short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft. Ames Research Center's Augmentor Wing Research Aircraft was used to fly approaches on a 7.5 deg glide slope to landings on a 30 X 518 m (100 X 1700 ft) STOL runway. The dominant aircraft response characteristics determined were flightpath overshoot, flightpath-airspeed coupling, and initial flightpath response time. The significant contribution to control of the landing flare using pitch attitude was the short-term flightpath response. The limiting condition for initial flightpath response time for flare control with thrust was also identified. It is possible to define flying-qualities design criteria for glide-slope and flare control based on the aforementioned response characteristics.

Vehicle Design Evaluation Program (VDEP). A computer program for weight sizing, economic, performance and mission analysis of fuel-conservative aircraft, multibodied aircraft and large cargo aircraft using both JP and alternative fuels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oman, B. H.

1977-01-01

The NASA Langley Research Center vehicle design evaluation program (VDEP-2) was expanded by (1) incorporating into the program a capability to conduct preliminary design studies on subsonic commercial transport type aircraft using both JP and such alternate fuels as hydrogen and methane;(2) incorporating an aircraft detailed mission and performance analysis capability; and (3) developing and incorporating an external loads analysis capability. The resulting computer program (VDEP-3) provides a preliminary design tool that enables the user to perform integrated sizing, structural analysis, and cost studies on subsonic commercial transport aircraft. Both versions of the VDEP-3 Program which are designated preliminary Analysis VDEP-3 and detailed Analysis VDEP utilize the same vehicle sizing subprogram which includes a detailed mission analysis capability, as well as a geometry and weight analysis for multibodied configurations.

Aircraft Conceptual Design Using Vehicle Sketch Pad

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fredericks, William J.; Antcliff, Kevin R.; Costa, Guillermo; Deshpande, Nachiket; Moore, Mark D.; Miguel, Edric A. San; Snyder, Alison N.

2010-01-01

Vehicle Sketch Pad (VSP) is a parametric geometry modeling tool that is intended for use in the conceptual design of aircraft. The intent of this software is to rapidly model aircraft configurations without expending the expertise and time that is typically required for modeling with traditional Computer Aided Design (CAD) packages. VSP accomplishes this by using parametrically defined components, such as a wing that is defined by span, area, sweep, taper ratio, thickness to cord, and so on. During this phase of frequent design builds, changes to the model can be rapidly visualized along with the internal volumetric layout. Using this geometry-based approach, parameters such as wetted areas and cord lengths can be easily extracted for rapid external performance analyses, such as a parasite drag buildup. At the completion of the conceptual design phase, VSP can export its geometry to higher fidelity tools. This geometry tool was developed by NASA and is freely available to U.S. companies and universities. It has become integral to conceptual design in the Aeronautics Systems Analysis Branch (ASAB) here at NASA Langley Research Center and is currently being used at over 100 universities, aerospace companies, and other government agencies. This paper focuses on the use of VSP in recent NASA conceptual design studies to facilitate geometry-centered design methodology. Such a process is shown to promote greater levels of creativity, more rapid assessment of critical design issues, and improved ability to quickly interact with higher order analyses. A number of VSP vehicle model examples are compared to CAD-based conceptual design, from a designer perspective; comparisons are also made of the time and expertise required to build the geometry representations as well.

Unmanned aircraft systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Unmanned platforms have become increasingly more common in recent years for acquiring remotely sensed data. These aircraft are referred to as Unmanned Airborne Vehicles (UAV), Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPV), or Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), the official term used...

Aircraft and ground vehicle friction correlation test results obtained under winter runway conditions during joint FAA/NASA Runway Friction Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yager, Thomas J.; Vogler, William A.; Baldasare, Paul

1988-01-01

Aircraft and ground vehicle friction data collected during the Joint FAA/NASA Runway Friction Program under winter runway conditions are discussed and test results are summarized. The relationship between the different ground vehicle friction measurements obtained on compacted snow- and ice-covered conditions is defined together with the correlation to aircraft tire friction performance under similar runway conditions.

Synthetic Vision for Lunar and Planetary Landing Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, Steven P.; Arthur, Jarvis (Trey) J., III; Shelton, Kevin J.; Prinzel, Lawrence J., III; Norman, R. Michael

2008-01-01

The Crew Vehicle Interface (CVI) group of the Integrated Intelligent Flight Deck Technologies (IIFDT) has done extensive research in the area of Synthetic Vision (SV), and has shown that SV technology can substantially enhance flight crew situation awareness, reduce pilot workload, promote flight path control precision and improve aviation safety. SV technology is being extended to evaluate its utility for lunar and planetary exploration vehicles. SV may hold significant potential for many lunar and planetary missions since the SV presentation provides a computer-generated view of the terrain and other significant environment characteristics independent of the outside visibility conditions, window locations, or vehicle attributes. SV allows unconstrained control of the computer-generated scene lighting, terrain coloring, and virtual camera angles which may provide invaluable visual cues to pilots/astronauts and in addition, important vehicle state information may be conformally displayed on the view such as forward and down velocities, altitude, and fuel remaining to enhance trajectory control and vehicle system status. This paper discusses preliminary SV concepts for tactical and strategic displays for a lunar landing vehicle. The technical challenges and potential solutions to SV applications for the lunar landing mission are explored, including the requirements for high resolution terrain lunar maps and an accurate position and orientation of the vehicle that is essential in providing lunar Synthetic Vision System (SVS) cockpit displays. The paper also discusses the technical challenge of creating an accurate synthetic terrain portrayal using an ellipsoid lunar digital elevation model which eliminates projection errors and can be efficiently rendered in real-time.

Utilization of 3-D Imaging Flash Lidar Technology for Autonomous Safe Landing on Planetary Bodies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Amzajerdian, Farzin; Vanek, Michael; Petway, Larry; Pierrotter, Diego; Busch, George; Bulyshev, Alexander

2010-01-01

NASA considers Flash Lidar a critical technology for enabling autonomous safe landing of future large robotic and crewed vehicles on the surface of the Moon and Mars. Flash Lidar can generate 3-Dimensional images of the terrain to identify hazardous features such as craters, rocks, and steep slopes during the final stages of descent and landing. The onboard flight computer can use the 3-D map of terrain to guide the vehicle to a safe site. The capabilities of Flash Lidar technology were evaluated through a series of static tests using a calibrated target and through dynamic tests aboard a helicopter and a fixed wing aircraft. The aircraft flight tests were performed over Moon-like terrain in the California and Nevada deserts. This paper briefly describes the Flash Lidar static and aircraft flight test results. These test results are analyzed against the landing application requirements to identify the areas of technology improvement. The ongoing technology advancement activities are then explained and their goals are described.

Eclipse program F-106 aircraft in flight, front view

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

Shot of the QF-106 aircraft in flight with the landing gear deployed. In 1997 and 1998, the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California, supported and hosted a Kelly Space & Technology, Inc. project called Eclipse, which sought to demonstrate the feasibility of a reusable tow-launch vehicle concept. The project goal was to successfully tow, inflight, a modified QF-106 delta-wing aircraft with an Air Force C-141A transport aircraft. This would demonstrate the possibility of towing and launching an actual launch vehicle from behind a tow plane. Dryden was the responsible test organization and had flight safety responsibility for the Eclipse project. Dryden provided engineering, instrumentation, simulation, modification, maintenance, range support, and research pilots for the test program. The Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC), Edwards, California, supplied the C-141A transport aircraft and crew and configured the aircraft as needed for the tests. The AFFTC also provided the concept and detail design and analysis as well as hardware for the tow system and QF-106 modifications. Dryden performed the modifications to convert the QF-106 drone into the piloted EXD-01 (Eclipse eXperimental Demonstrator-01) experimental aircraft. Kelly Space & Technology hoped to use the results gleaned from the tow test in developing a series of low-cost, reusable launch vehicles. These tests demonstrated the validity of towing a delta-wing aircraft having high wing loading, validated the tow simulation model, and demonstrated various operational procedures, such as ground processing of in-flight maneuvers and emergency abort scenarios.

Application of the concept of dynamic trim control to automatic landing of carrier aircraft. [utilizing digital feedforeward control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, G. A.; Meyer, G.

1980-01-01

The results of a simulation study of an alternative design concept for an automatic landing control system are presented. The alternative design concept for an automatic landing control system is described. The design concept is the total aircraft flight control system (TAFCOS). TAFCOS is an open loop, feed forward system that commands the proper instantaneous thrust, angle of attack, and roll angle to achieve the forces required to follow the desired trajector. These dynamic trim conditions are determined by an inversion of the aircraft nonlinear force characteristics. The concept was applied to an A-7E aircraft approaching an aircraft carrier. The implementation details with an airborne digital computer are discussed. The automatic carrier landing situation is described. The simulation results are presented for a carrier approach with atmospheric disturbances, an approach with no disturbances, and for tailwind and headwind gusts.

The Influence of Loss of Visual Cues on Pilot Performance During the Final Approach and Landing Phase of a Remotely Piloted Vehicle Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howard, James C.

1976-01-01

Remotely piloted research vehicles (RPRVS) are currently being flown from fixed-base control centers, and visual information is supplied to the remote pilot by a TV camera mounted in the vehicle. In these circumstances, the possibility of a TV failure or an interruption in the downlink to the pilot must be considered. To determine the influence of loss of TV information on pilot performance during the final approach and landing phase of a mission, an experiment was conducted in which pilots were asked to fly a fixed-base simulation of a Piper PA-30 aircraft with loss of TV information occurring at altitudes of 15.24, 30.48, and 45.72 m (50, 100, and 150 ft). For this experiment, a specially designed display configuration was presented to four pilots in accordance with a Latin square design. Initial results indicate that pilots could not ensure successful landings from altitudes exceeding 15.24 m (.50 ft) without the visual cues supplied by the TV picture.

CV-990 Landing Systems Research Aircraft (LSRA) during final Space Shuttle tire test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

A Convair 990 (CV-990) was used as a Landing Systems Research Aircraft (LSRA) at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, to test space shuttle landing gear and braking systems as part of NASA's effort to upgrade and improve space shuttle capabilities. The first flight at Dryden of the CV-990 with shuttle test components occurred in April 1993, and tests continued into August 1995, when this photo shows a test of the shuttle tires. The purpose of this series of tests was to determine the performance parameters and failure limits of the tires. This particular landing was on the dry lakebed at Edwards, but other tests occurred on the main runway there. The CV-990, built in 1962 by the Convair Division of General Dynamics Corp., Ft. Worth, Texas, served as a research aircraft at Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, before it came to Dryden.

Serial Escape System For Aircraft Crews

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, Kenneth E.

1990-01-01

Emergency escape system for aircraft and aerospace vehicles ejects up to seven crewmembers, one by one, within 120 s. Intended for emergencies in which disabled craft still in stable flight at no more than 220 kn (113 m/s) equivalent airspeed and sinking no faster than 110 ft/s (33.5 m/s) at altitudes up to 50,000 ft (15.2 km). Ejection rockets load themselves from magazine after each crewmember ejected. Jumpmaster queues other crewmembers and helps them position themselves on egress ramp. Rockets pull crewmembers clear of aircraft structure. Provides orderly, controlled exit and avoids ditching at sea or landing in rough terrain.

Full-Scale Passive Earth Entry Vehicle Landing Tests: Methods and Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Littell, Justin D.; Kellas, Sotiris

2018-01-01

During the summer of 2016, a series of drop tests were conducted on two passive earth entry vehicle (EEV) test articles at the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR). The tests were conducted to evaluate the structural integrity of a realistic EEV vehicle under anticipated landing loads. The test vehicles were lifted to an altitude of approximately 400m via a helicopter and released via release hook into a predesignated 61 m landing zone. Onboard accelerometers were capable of measuring vehicle free flight and impact loads. High-speed cameras on the ground tracked the free-falling vehicles and data was used to calculate critical impact parameters during the final seconds of flight. Additional sets of high definition and ultra-high definition cameras were able to supplement the high-speed data by capturing the release and free flight of the test articles. Three tests were successfully completed and showed that the passive vehicle design was able to withstand the impact loads from nominal and off-nominal impacts at landing velocities of approximately 29 m/s. Two out of three test resulted in off-nominal impacts due to a combination of high winds at altitude and the method used to suspend the vehicle from the helicopter. Both the video and acceleration data captured is examined and discussed. Finally, recommendations for improved release and instrumentation methods are presented.

14 CFR 135.183 - Performance requirements: Land aircraft operated over water.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... operated over water. 135.183 Section 135.183 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION... operated over water. No person may operate a land aircraft carrying passengers over water unless— (a) It is... surface; or (d) It is a helicopter equipped with helicopter flotation devices. ...

14 CFR 135.183 - Performance requirements: Land aircraft operated over water.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... operated over water. 135.183 Section 135.183 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION... operated over water. No person may operate a land aircraft carrying passengers over water unless— (a) It is... surface; or (d) It is a helicopter equipped with helicopter flotation devices. ...

14 CFR 135.183 - Performance requirements: Land aircraft operated over water.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... operated over water. 135.183 Section 135.183 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION... operated over water. No person may operate a land aircraft carrying passengers over water unless— (a) It is... surface; or (d) It is a helicopter equipped with helicopter flotation devices. ...

14 CFR 135.183 - Performance requirements: Land aircraft operated over water.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... operated over water. 135.183 Section 135.183 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION... operated over water. No person may operate a land aircraft carrying passengers over water unless— (a) It is... surface; or (d) It is a helicopter equipped with helicopter flotation devices. ...

Lockheed ER-2 #806 high altitude research aircraft during landing

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-12-18

ER-2 tail number 806, is one of two Airborne Science ER-2s used as science platforms by Dryden. The aircraft are platforms for a variety of high-altitude science missions flown over various parts of the world. They are also used for earth science and atmospheric sensor research and development, satellite calibration and data validation. The ER-2s are capable of carrying a maximum payload of 2,600 pounds of experiments in a nose bay, the main equipment bay behind the cockpit, two wing-mounted superpods and small underbody and trailing edges. Most ER-2 missions last about six hours with ranges of about 2,200 nautical miles. The aircraft typically fly at altitudes above 65,000 feet. On November 19, 1998, the ER-2 set a world record for medium weight aircraft reaching an altitude of 68,700 feet. The aircraft is 63 feet long, with a wingspan of 104 feet. The top of the vertical tail is 16 feet above ground when the aircraft is on the bicycle-type landing gear. Cruising speeds are 410 knots, or 467 miles per hour, at altitude. A single General Electric F-118 turbofan engine rated at 17,000 pounds thrust powers the ER-2.

Proposed Scientific Support to the Land Vehicle Crew Training System (LVCTS) Project Requirements Definition

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

proposed acquisition of a variety of armoured vehicle simulators for training within the Canadian Forces. The Directorate of Land Requirements (DLR... armoured vehicle operations under the Land Vehicle Crew Training System (LVCTS) project. DLR has published a Letter of Interest (LOI) to solicit input...LVCTS project staff to discuss the intent of the project. Qualification Standards and Training Plans for several military armoured vehicle

Experimental and analytical investigation of active loads control for aircraft landing gear

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, D. L.; Mcgehee, J. R.

1983-01-01

A series hydraulic, active loads control main landing gear from a light, twin-engine civil aircraft was investigated. Tests included landing impact and traversal of simulated runway roughness. It is shown that the active gear is feasible and very effective in reducing the force transmitted to the airframe. Preliminary validation of a multidegree of freedom active gear flexible airframe takeoff and landing analysis computer program, which may be used as a design tool for active gear systems, is accomplished by comparing experimental and computed data for the passive and active gears.

14 CFR 135.183 - Performance requirements: Land aircraft operated over water.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Performance requirements: Land aircraft operated over water. 135.183 Section 135.183 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED) AIR CARRIERS AND OPERATORS FOR COMPENSATION OR HIRE: CERTIFICATION AND OPERATIONS OPERATING REQUIREMENTS:...

Magnetic Launch Assist Vehicle-Artist's Concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

This artist's concept depicts a Magnetic Launch Assist vehicle clearing the track and shifting to rocket engines for launch into orbit. The system, formerly referred as the Magnetic Levitation (MagLev) system, is a launch system developed and tested by Engineers at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) that could levitate and accelerate a launch vehicle along a track at high speeds before it leaves the ground. Using an off-board electric energy source and magnetic fields, a Magnetic Launch Assist system would drive a spacecraft along a horizontal track until it reaches desired speeds. The system is similar to high-speed trains and roller coasters that use high-strength magnets to lift and propel a vehicle a couple of inches above a guideway. A full-scale, operational track would be about 1.5-miles long, capable of accelerating a vehicle to 600 mph in 9.5 seconds, and the vehicle would then shift to rocket engines for launch into orbit. The major advantages of launch assist for NASA launch vehicles is that it reduces the weight of the take-off, the landing gear, the wing size, and less propellant resulting in significant cost savings. The US Navy and the British MOD (Ministry of Defense) are planning to use magnetic launch assist for their next generation aircraft carriers as the aircraft launch system. The US Army is considering using this technology for launching target drones for anti-aircraft training.

Influence of friction forces on the motion of VTOL aircraft during landing operations on ships at sea

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howard, J. C.; Chin, D. O.

1981-01-01

Equations describing the friction forces generated during landing operations on ships at sea were formulated. These forces depend on the platform reaction and the coefficient of friction. The platform reaction depends on the relative sink rate and the shock absorbing capability of the landing gear. The friction coefficient varies with the surface condition of the landing platform and the angle of yaw of the aircraft relative to the landing platform. Landings by VTOL aircraft, equipped with conventional oleopneumatic landing gears are discussed. Simplifications are introduced to reduce the complexity of the mathematical description of the tire and shock strut characteristics. Approximating the actual complicated force deflection characteristic of the tire by linear relationship is adequate. The internal friction forces in the shock strut are included in the landing gear model. A set of relatively simple equations was obtained by including only those tire and shock strut characteristics that contribute significantly to the generation of landing gear forces.

Theseus Landing Following Maiden Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

The Theseus prototype research aircraft shows off its high aspect-ratio wing as it comes in for a landing on Rogers Dry Lake after its first test flight from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, on May 24, 1996. The Theseus aircraft, built and operated by Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation, Manassas, Virginia, was a unique aircraft flown at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, under a cooperative agreement between NASA and Aurora. Dryden hosted the Theseus program, providing hangar space and range safety for flight testing. Aurora Flight Sciences was responsible for the actual flight testing, vehicle flight safety, and operation of the aircraft. The Theseus remotely piloted aircraft flew its maiden flight on May 24, 1996, at Dryden. During its sixth flight on November 12, 1996, Theseus experienced an in-flight structural failure that resulted in the loss of the aircraft. As of the beginning of the year 2000, Aurora had not rebuilt the aircraft. Theseus was built for NASA under an innovative, $4.9 million fixed-price contract by Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation and its partners, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, and Fairmont State College, Fairmont, West Virginia. The twin-engine, unpiloted vehicle had a 140-foot wingspan, and was constructed largely of composite materials. Powered by two 80-horsepower, turbocharged piston engines that drove twin 9-foot-diameter propellers, Theseus was designed to fly autonomously at high altitudes, with takeoff and landing under the active control of a ground-based pilot in a ground control station 'cockpit.' With the potential ability to carry 700 pounds of science instruments to altitudes above 60,000 feet for durations of greater than 24 hours, Theseus was intended to support research in areas such as stratospheric ozone depletion and the atmospheric effects of future high-speed civil transport aircraft engines. Instruments carried aboard Theseus also would be able

Endeavour, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 105, atop SCA NASA 911 at Ellington Field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

Endeavour, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 105, atop a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) NASA 911, a modified Boeing 747, is parked on an Ellington Field runway during a stopover on its way to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). A crowd gathers around the massive aircraft carrying the newest addition to the Space Shuttle fleet. This view is a good profile of SCA/OV-105 and shows the orbiter/aircraft attach points. The spacecraft and aircraft-tandem left Houston later on this day and headed for another stop in Mississippi before landing in Florida on 05-07-91.

43 CFR 4740.2 - Standards for vehicles used for transport of wild horses and burros.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... Public Lands (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR RANGE MANAGEMENT (4000) PROTECTION, MANAGEMENT, AND CONTROL OF WILD FREE-ROAMING HORSES AND BURROS Motor Vehicles and Aircraft § 4740... limited to, the following standards: (1) The interior of enclosures shall be free from protrusion that...

43 CFR 4740.2 - Standards for vehicles used for transport of wild horses and burros.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Public Lands (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR RANGE MANAGEMENT (4000) PROTECTION, MANAGEMENT, AND CONTROL OF WILD FREE-ROAMING HORSES AND BURROS Motor Vehicles and Aircraft § 4740... limited to, the following standards: (1) The interior of enclosures shall be free from protrusion that...

43 CFR 4740.2 - Standards for vehicles used for transport of wild horses and burros.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Public Lands (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR RANGE MANAGEMENT (4000) PROTECTION, MANAGEMENT, AND CONTROL OF WILD FREE-ROAMING HORSES AND BURROS Motor Vehicles and Aircraft § 4740... limited to, the following standards: (1) The interior of enclosures shall be free from protrusion that...

Simulation of an automatically-controlled STOL aircraft in a microwave landing system multipath environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Toda, M.; Brown, S. C.; Burrous, C. N.

1976-01-01

The simulated response is described of a STOL aircraft to Microwave Landing System (MLS) multipath errors during final approach and touchdown. The MLS azimuth, elevation, and DME multipath errors were computed for a relatively severe multipath environment at Crissy Field California, utilizing an MLS multipath simulation at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. A NASA/Ames six-degree-of-freedom simulation of an automatically-controlled deHavilland C-8A STOL aircraft was used to determine the response to these errors. The results show that the aircraft response to all of the Crissy Field MLS multipath errors was small. The small MLS azimuth and elevation multipath errors did not result in any discernible aircraft motion, and the aircraft response to the relatively large (200-ft (61-m) peak) DME multipath was noticeable but small.

50 CFR 35.5 - Commercial enterprises, roads, motor vehicles, motorized equipment, motorboats, aircraft...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Commercial enterprises, roads, motor vehicles, motorized equipment, motorboats, aircraft, mechanical transport, structures, and installations. 35.5 Section 35.5 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUG...

Forward Looking Radar Imaging by Truncated Singular Value Decomposition and Its Application for Adverse Weather Aircraft Landing.

PubMed

Huang, Yulin; Zha, Yuebo; Wang, Yue; Yang, Jianyu

2015-06-18

The forward looking radar imaging task is a practical and challenging problem for adverse weather aircraft landing industry. Deconvolution method can realize the forward looking imaging but it often leads to the noise amplification in the radar image. In this paper, a forward looking radar imaging based on deconvolution method is presented for adverse weather aircraft landing. We first present the theoretical background of forward looking radar imaging task and its application for aircraft landing. Then, we convert the forward looking radar imaging task into a corresponding deconvolution problem, which is solved in the framework of algebraic theory using truncated singular decomposition method. The key issue regarding the selecting of the truncated parameter is addressed using generalized cross validation approach. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is effective in achieving angular resolution enhancement with suppressing the noise amplification in forward looking radar imaging.

Approach and Landing Tests Film Documentary

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-05-09

Documentary of shuttle Enterprise on the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), separating from the SCA in flight, and in free-flight. Footage shows SCA pilots Fitzhugh “Fitz” Fulton and Tom McMurtry heading to the aircraft, and Gordon Fullerton and Fred Haise following a flight in the prototype shuttle. During the nearly one-year-long series of tests, Enterprise was taken aloft on the SCA to study the aerodynamics of the mated vehicles and, in a series of five free flights, tested the glide and landing characteristics of the orbiter prototype.

An experimental simulation study of four crosswind landing gear concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stubbs, S. M.; Byrdsong, T. A.; Sleeper, R. K.

1975-01-01

An experimental investigation was conducted in order to evaluate several crosswind landing-gear concepts which have a potential application to tricycle-gear-configured, short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft landing at crab or heading angles up to 30 deg. In this investigation, the landing gears were installed on a dynamic model which had a scaled mass distribution and gear spacing but no aerodynamic similarities when compared with a typical STOL aircraft. The model was operated as a free body with radio-control steering and was launched onto a runway sloped laterally in order to provide a simulated crosswind side force. During the landing rollout, the gear forces and the model trajectory were measured and the various concepts were compared with each other. Within the test limitations, the landing gear system, in which the gears were alined by the pilot and locked in the direction of motion prior to touchdown, gave the smoothest runout behavior with the vehicle maintaining its crab angle throughout the landing runout.

Engine/vehicle integration for vertical takeoff and landing single stage to orbit vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weegar, R. K.

1992-08-01

SSTO vehicles design which is currently being developed under the Single Stage Rocket Technology program of the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization is discussed. Particular attention is given to engine optimization and integration of ascent, orbital, and landing propulsion requirements into a single system.

Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) Water Landing Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Littell, Justin D.; Lawrence, Charles; Carney, Kelly S.

2007-01-01

Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) water splashdowns were simulated in order to find maximum acceleration loads on the astronauts and spacecraft under various landing conditions. The acceleration loads were used in a Dynamic Risk Index (DRI) program to find the potential risk for injury posed on the astronauts for a range of landing conditions. The DRI results showed that greater risks for injury occurred for two landing conditions; when the vertical velocity was large and the contact angle between the spacecraft and the water impact surface was zero, and when the spacecraft was in a toe down configuration and both the vertical and horizontal landing velocities were large. Rollover was also predicted to occur for cases where there is high horizontal velocity and low contact angles in a toe up configuration, and cases where there was a high horizontal velocity with high contact angles in a toe down configuration.

Strapdown system redundancy management flight demonstration. [vertical takeoff and landing aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1978-01-01

The suitability of strapdown inertial systems in providing highly reliable short-term navigation for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft operating in an intra-urban setting under all-weather conditions was assessed. A preliminary design configuration of a skewed sensor inertial reference system employing a redundancy management concept to achieve fail-operational, fail-operational performance, was developed.

An electronic control for an electrohydraulic active control landing gear for the F-4 aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ross, I.

1982-01-01

A controller for an electrohydraulic active control landing gear was developed for the F-4 aircraft. A controller was modified for this application. Simulation results indicate that during landing and rollout over repaired bomb craters the active gear effects a force reduction, relative to the passive gear, or approximately 70%.

Multi-spectrum-based enhanced synthetic vision system for aircraft DVE operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kashyap, Sudesh K.; Naidu, V. P. S.; Shanthakumar, N.

2016-04-01

This paper focus on R&D being carried out at CSIR-NAL on Enhanced Synthetic Vision System (ESVS) for Indian regional transport aircraft to enhance all weather operational capabilities with safety and pilot Situation Awareness (SA) improvements. Flight simulator has been developed to study ESVS related technologies and to develop ESVS operational concepts for all weather approach and landing and to provide quantitative and qualitative information that could be used to develop criteria for all-weather approach and landing at regional airports in India. Enhanced Vision System (EVS) hardware prototype with long wave Infrared sensor and low light CMOS camera is used to carry out few field trials on ground vehicle at airport runway at different visibility conditions. Data acquisition and playback system has been developed to capture EVS sensor data (image) in time synch with test vehicle inertial navigation data during EVS field experiments and to playback the experimental data on ESVS flight simulator for ESVS research and concept studies. Efforts are on to conduct EVS flight experiments on CSIR-NAL research aircraft HANSA in Degraded Visual Environment (DVE).

X-1 research aircraft landing on lakebed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1947-01-01

The first of the rocket-powered research aircraft, the X-1 (originally designated the XS-1), was a bullet-shaped airplane that was built by the Bell Aircraft Company for the US Air Force and the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA). The mission of the X-1 was to investigate the transonic speed range (speeds from just below to just above the speed of sound) and, if possible, to break the 'sound barrier'. The first of the three X-1s was glide-tested at Pinecastle Air Force Base, FL, in early 1946. The first powered flight of the X-1 was made on Dec. 9, 1946, at Edwards Air Force Base with Chalmers Goodlin, a Bell test pilot, at the controls. On Oct. 14, 1947, with USAF Captain Charles 'Chuck' Yeager as pilot, the aircraft flew faster than the speed of sound for the first time. Captain Yeager ignited the four-chambered XLR-11 rocket engines after being air-launched from under the bomb bay of a B-29 at 21,000 ft. The 6,000-lbthrust ethyl alcohol/liquid oxygen burning rockets, built by Reaction Motors, Inc., pushed him up to a speed of 700 mph in level flight. Captain Yeager was also the pilot when the X-1 reached its maximum speed of 957 mph. Another USAF pilot. Lt. Col. Frank Everest, Jr., was credited with taking the X-1 to its maximum altitude of 71,902 ft. Eighteen pilots in all flew the X-1s. The number three plane was destroyed in a fire before ever making any powered flights. A single-place monoplane, the X-1 was 31 ft long, 10 ft high, and had a wingspan of 29 ft. It weighed 4,900 lb and carried 8,200 lb of fuel. It had a flush cockpit with a side entrance and no ejection seat. This roughly 30-second video clip shows the X-1 landing on Rogers Dry Lakebed followed by the safety chase aircraft.

Analysis and flight evaluation of a small, fixed-wing aircraft equipped with hinged plate spoilers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olcott, J. W.; Sackel, E.; Ellis, D. R.

1981-01-01

The results of a four phase effort to evaluate the application of hinged plate spoilers/dive brakes to a small general aviation aircraft are presented. The test vehicle was a single engine light aircraft modified with an experimental set of upper surface spoilers and lower surface dive brakes similar to the type used on sailplanes. The lift, drag, stick free stability, trim, and dynamic response characteristics of four different spoiler/dive brake configurations were determined. Tests also were conducted, under a wide range of flight conditions and with pilots of various experience levels, to determine the most favorable methods of spoiler control and to evaluate how spoilers might best be used during the approach and landing task. The effects of approach path angle, approach airspeed, and pilot technique using throttle/spoiler integrated control were investigated for day, night, VFR, and IFR approaches and landings. The test results indicated that spoilers offered significant improvements in the vehicle's performance and flying qualities for all elements of the approach and landing task, provided a suitable method of control was available.

X-38 Vehicle #132 in Flight Approaching Landing during First Free Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

The X-38, a research vehicle built to help develop technology for an emergency Crew Return Vehicle (CRV), maneuvers toward landing at the end of a March 1999 test flight at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The X-38 Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) research project is designed to develop the technology for a prototype emergency crew return vehicle, or lifeboat, for the International Space Station. The project is also intended to develop a crew return vehicle design that could be modified for other uses, such as a joint U.S. and international human spacecraft that could be launched on the French Ariane-5 Booster. The X-38 project is using available technology and off-the-shelf equipment to significantly decrease development costs. Original estimates to develop a capsule-type crew return vehicle were estimated at more than $2 billion. X-38 project officials have estimated that development costs for the X-38 concept will be approximately one quarter of the original estimate. Off-the-shelf technology is not necessarily 'old' technology. Many of the technologies being used in the X-38 project have never before been applied to a human-flight spacecraft. For example, the X-38 flight computer is commercial equipment currently used in aircraft and the flight software operating system is a commercial system already in use in many aerospace applications. The video equipment for the X-38 is existing equipment, some of which has already flown on the space shuttle for previous NASA experiments. The X-38's primary navigational equipment, the Inertial Navigation System/Global Positioning System, is a unit already in use on Navy fighters. The X-38 electromechanical actuators come from previous joint NASA, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Navy research and development projects. Finally, an existing special coating developed by NASA will be used on the X-38 thermal tiles to make them more durable than those used on the space shuttles. The X-38 itself was an unpiloted lifting

AVALON: definition and modeling of a vertical takeoff and landing UAV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, N. B. F.; Marconato, E. A.; Branco, K. R. L. J. C.

2015-09-01

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been used in numerous applications, like remote sensing, precision agriculture and atmospheric data monitoring. Vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) is a modality of these aircrafts, which are capable of taking off and landing vertically, like a helicopter. This paper presents the definition and modeling of a fixed- wing VTOL, named AVALON (Autonomous VerticAL takeOff and laNding), which has the advantages of traditional aircrafts with improved performance and can take off and land in small areas. The principles of small UAVs development were followed to achieve a better design and to increase the range of applications for this VTOL. Therefore, we present the design model of AVALON validated in a flight simulator and the results show its validity as a physical option for an UAV platform.

Test Setup For Model Landing Investigation of a Winged Space Vehicle

NASA Image and Video Library

1960-07-20

Test Setup For Model Landing Investigation of a Winged Space Vehicle Image used in NASA Document TN-D-1496 1960-L-04633.01 is Figure 9a for NASA Document L-2064 Photograph of model on launcher and landing on runway.

Aerospace vehicle design, spacecraft section. Volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

The objective was to create a manned Martian aircraft which can perform: scientific surveys of particular sites distant from the base; a deployment of scientific instrument packages by air drop that land rovers cannot accomplish; and rescue operations. Designing the airfoil requires a wing which can operate within the low Reynolds numbers apparent on Mars. The airfoil, NASA NLF(1)-1015 was chosen. The design of the aircraft is comparable to a P-38 military aircraft. The aircraft uses fuel cells to power the two propellers. A rocket-assisted takeoff is necessary to enable Romulus to liftoff. Although the design and creation of Romulus would be an expensive adventure, such a vehicle could be most useful in evaluating the Mars surface and in creating a habitat for mankind.

Lidar Sensors for Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Amzajerdian, Farzin; Petway, Larry B.; Hines, Glenn D.; Roback, Vincent E.; Reisse, Robert A.; Pierrottet, Diego F.

2013-01-01

Lidar technology will play an important role in enabling highly ambitious missions being envisioned for exploration of solar system bodies. Currently, NASA is developing a set of advanced lidar sensors, under the Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance (ALHAT) project, aimed at safe landing of robotic and manned vehicles at designated sites with a high degree of precision. These lidar sensors are an Imaging Flash Lidar capable of generating high resolution three-dimensional elevation maps of the terrain, a Doppler Lidar for providing precision vehicle velocity and altitude, and a Laser Altimeter for measuring distance to the ground and ground contours from high altitudes. The capabilities of these lidar sensors have been demonstrated through four helicopter and one fixed-wing aircraft flight test campaigns conducted from 2008 through 2012 during different phases of their development. Recently, prototype versions of these landing lidars have been completed for integration into a rocket-powered terrestrial free-flyer vehicle (Morpheus) being built by NASA Johnson Space Center. Operating in closed-loop with other ALHAT avionics, the viability of the lidars for future landing missions will be demonstrated. This paper describes the ALHAT lidar sensors and assesses their capabilities and impacts on future landing missions.

Effects of all-terrain vehicles on forested lands and grasslands

Treesearch

Dexter Meadows; Randy Foltz; Nancy Geehan

2008-01-01

As the United States population has grown, so has all-terrain-vehicle (ATV) use on national forests and grasslands and other public lands. Annual sales of ATVs have increased over 272 percent since 1994 to an estimated 876,000 units in 2005 (Specialty Vehicle Institute of America - Special Report Summer 2006). ATVs are a popular choice for outdoor recreation. According...

Orion Crew Injury Prediction: Landing Conditions and Vehicle Interface Elements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Danelson, Kerry; Gernhardt, Michael

2009-01-01

This presentation reviews the work being done to research the possibility of injuries from landing the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle in either water or land contingencies This was done using the Total Human Model for Safety (THUMS) finite element model. The purpose of the simulations was to compare variations of a Vehicle Interface Element (VIE) and to evaluate the potential for injury. The presentation is accompanied by several animations from the model runs, showing the projected motion, with and without the various suggested types of VIEs. There are charts showing the injury metrics with the various types of VIEs. The ultimate use of this analysis was to assist in a selection of possible VIE designs

A convoy of specialized support vehicles follow the Space Shuttle Endeavour as it is towed up a taxiway at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base, California, after landing on May 1, 2001

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-05-01

A convoy of specialized support vehicles follow the Space Shuttle Endeavour as it is towed up a taxiway at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base, California, after landing on May 1, 2001. The two largest vehicles trailing the shuttle provide electrical power and air conditioning to the shuttle's systems during post-flight recovery operations. The Endeavour had just completed mission STS-100, an almost 12-day mission to install the Canadarm 2 robotic arm and deliver some three tons of supplies and experiments to the International Space Station. The landing was the 48th shuttle landing at Edwards since shuttle flights began in 1981. After post-flight processing, the Endeavour was mounted atop one of NASA's modified Boeing 747 shuttle carrier aircraft and ferried back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 8, 2001.

X-34 Vehicle Aerodynamic Characteristics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brauckmann, Gregory J.

1998-01-01

The X-34, being designed and built by the Orbital Sciences Corporation, is an unmanned sub-orbital vehicle designed to be used as a flying test bed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future reusable launch vehicles. The X-34 will be air-launched from an L-1011 carrier aircraft at approximately Mach 0.7 and 38,000 feet altitude, where an onboard engine will accelerate the vehicle to speeds above Mach 7 and altitudes to 250,000 feet. An unpowered entry will follow, including an autonomous landing. The X-34 will demonstrate the ability to fly through inclement weather, land horizontally at a designated site, and have a rapid turn-around capability. A series of wind tunnel tests on scaled models was conducted in four facilities at the NASA Langley Research Center to determine the aerodynamic characteristics of the X-34. Analysis of these test results revealed that longitudinal trim could be achieved throughout the design trajectory. The maximum elevon deflection required to trim was only half of that available, leaving a margin for gust alleviation and aerodynamic coefficient uncertainty. Directional control can be achieved aerodynamically except at combined high Mach numbers and high angles of attack, where reaction control jets must be used. The X-34 landing speed, between 184 and 206 knots, is within the capabilities of the gear and tires, and the vehicle has sufficient rudder authority to control the required 30-knot crosswind.

Crash Test of Three Cessna 172 Aircraft at NASA Langley Research Center's Landing and Impact Research Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Littell, Justin D.

2015-01-01

During the summer of 2015, three Cessna 172 aircraft were crash tested at the Landing and Impact Research Facility (LandIR) at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC). The three tests simulated three different crash scenarios. The first simulated a flare-to-stall emergency or hard landing onto a rigid surface such as a road or runway, the second simulated a controlled flight into terrain with a nose down pitch on the aircraft, and the third simulated a controlled flight into terrain with an attempt to unsuccessfully recover the aircraft immediately prior to impact, resulting in a tail strike condition. An on-board data acquisition system captured 64 channels of airframe acceleration, along with acceleration and load in two onboard Hybrid II 50th percentile Anthropomorphic Test Devices, representing the pilot and co-pilot. Each test contained different airframe loading conditions and results show large differences in airframe performance. This paper presents test methods used to conduct the crash tests and will summarize the airframe results from the test series.

36 CFR 293.6 - Commercial enterprises, roads, motor vehicles, motorized equipment, motorboats, aircraft...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Commercial enterprises, roads..., structures, and cutting of trees. 293.6 Section 293.6 Parks, Forests, and Public Property FOREST SERVICE... forms of mechanical transport; no landing of aircraft; no dropping of materials, supplies, or persons...

Hypersonic aircraft design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alkamhawi, Hani; Greiner, Tom; Fuerst, Gerry; Luich, Shawn; Stonebraker, Bob; Wray, Todd

1990-01-01

A hypersonic aircraft is designed which uses scramjets to accelerate from Mach 6 to Mach 10 and sustain that speed for two minutes. Different propulsion systems were considered and it was decided that the aircraft would use one full scale turbofan-ramjet. Two solid rocket boosters were added to save fuel and help the aircraft pass through the transonic region. After considering aerodynamics, aircraft design, stability and control, cooling systems, mission profile, and landing systems, a conventional aircraft configuration was chosen over that of a waverider. The conventional design was chosen due to its landing characteristics and the relative expense compared to the waverider. Fuel requirements and the integration of the engine systems and their inlets are also taken into consideration in the final design. A hypersonic aircraft was designed which uses scramjets to accelerate from Mach 6 to Mach 10 and sustain that speed for two minutes. Different propulsion systems were considered and a full scale turbofan-ramjet was chosen. Two solid rocket boosters were added to save fuel and help the aircraft pass through the transonic reqion. After the aerodynamics, aircraft design, stability and control, cooling systems, mission profile, landing systems, and their physical interactions were considered, a conventional aircraft configuration was chosen over that of a waverider. The conventional design was chosen due to its landing characteristics and the relative expense compared to the waverider. Fuel requirements and the integration of the engine systems and their inlets were also considered in the designing process.

A mathematical model for Vertical Attitude Takeoff and Landing (VATOL) aircraft simulation. Volume 3: User's manual for VATOL simulation program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fortenbaugh, R. L.

1980-01-01

Instructions for using Vertical Attitude Takeoff and Landing Aircraft Simulation (VATLAS), the digital simulation program for application to vertical attitude takeoff and landing (VATOL) aircraft developed for installation on the NASA Ames CDC 7600 computer system are described. The framework for VATLAS is the Off-Line Simulation (OLSIM) routine. The OLSIM routine provides a flexible framework and standardized modules which facilitate the development of off-line aircraft simulations. OLSIM runs under the control of VTOLTH, the main program, which calls the proper modules for executing user specified options. These options include trim, stability derivative calculation, time history generation, and various input-output options.

Utilization of 3D imaging flash lidar technology for autonomous safe landing on planetary bodies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amzajerdian, Farzin; Vanek, Michael; Petway, Larry; Pierrottet, Diego; Busch, George; Bulyshev, Alexander

2010-01-01

NASA considers Flash Lidar a critical technology for enabling autonomous safe landing of future large robotic and crewed vehicles on the surface of the Moon and Mars. Flash Lidar can generate 3-Dimensional images of the terrain to identify hazardous features such as craters, rocks, and steep slopes during the final stages of descent and landing. The onboard flight comptuer can use the 3-D map of terain to guide the vehicle to a safe site. The capabilities of Flash Lidar technology were evaluated through a series of static tests using a calibrated target and through dynamic tests aboard a helicopter and a fixed wing airctarft. The aircraft flight tests were perfomed over Moonlike terrain in the California and Nevada deserts. This paper briefly describes the Flash Lidar static and aircraft flight test results. These test results are analyzed against the landing application requirements to identify the areas of technology improvement. The ongoing technology advancement activities are then explained and their goals are described.

Lidar Wind Profiler Comparison to Weather Balloon for Support of Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle Landings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Houtas, Franzeska F.; Teets, Edward H.

2010-01-01

A comparison study by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Dryden Flight Research Center (Edwards, California) and the Naval Post Graduate School Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Studies (Marina, California) was conducted to show the advantages of an airborne wind profiling light detection and ranging (lidar) system in reducing drift uncertainty along a reentry vehicle descent trajectory. This effort was in support of the once planned Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle ground landing. A Twin Otter Doppler Wind Lidar was flown on multiple flights along the approximate ground track of each ascending weather balloon launched from the Marina Municipal Airport (Marina, California). The airborne lidar used was a 5-mJ, 2-micron infrared laser with a 10-cm telescope and a two-axis scanner. Each lidar wind profile contains data for an altitude range between the surface and flight altitude of 2.7 km, processed on board every 20 s. In comparison, a typical weather balloon would traverse that same altitude range with a similar data set available in approximately 15 to 20 min. These tests were conducted on November 15 and 16, 2007. Results show a best-case absolute difference of 0.18 m/s (0.35 knots) in speed and 1 degree in direct

Preliminary design of a supersonic Short-Takeoff and Vertical-Landing (STOVL) fighter aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

A preliminary study of a supersonic short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) fighter is presented. Three configurations (a lift plus lift/cruise concept, a hybrid fan vectored thrust concept, and a mixed flow vectored thrust concept) were initially investigated with one configuration selected for further design analysis. The selected configuration, the lift plus lift/cruise concept, was successfully integrated to accommodate the powered lift short takeoff and vertical landing requirements as well as the demanding supersonic cruise and point performance requirements. A supersonic fighter aircraft with a short takeoff and vertical landing capability using the lift plus lift/cruise engine concept seems a viable option for the next generation fighter.

Entry, Descent, and Landing technological barriers and crewed MARS vehicle performance analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subrahmanyam, Prabhakar; Rasky, Daniel

2017-05-01

Mars has been explored historically only by robotic crafts, but a crewed mission encompasses several new engineering challenges - high ballistic coefficient entry, hypersonic decelerators, guided entry for reaching intended destinations within acceptable margins for error in the landing ellipse, and payload mass are all critical factors for evaluation. A comprehensive EDL parametric analysis has been conducted in support of a high mass landing architecture by evaluating three types of vehicles -70° Sphere Cone, Ellipsled and SpaceX hybrid architecture called Red Dragon as potential candidate options for crewed entry vehicles. Aerocapture at the Martian orbit of about 400 km and subsequent Entry-from-orbit scenarios were investigated at velocities of 6.75 km/s and 4 km/s respectively. A study on aerocapture corridor over a range of entry velocities (6-9 km/s) suggests that a hypersonic L/D of 0.3 is sufficient for a Martian aerocapture. Parametric studies conducted by varying aeroshell diameters from 10 m to 15 m for several entry masses up to 150 mt are summarized and results reveal that vehicles with entry masses in the range of about 40-80 mt are capable of delivering cargo with a mass on the order of 5-20 mt. For vehicles with an entry mass of 20 mt to 80 mt, probabilistic Monte Carlo analysis of 5000 cases for each vehicle were run to determine the final landing ellipse and to quantify the statistical uncertainties associated with the trajectory and attitude conditions during atmospheric entry. Strategies and current technological challenges for a human rated Entry, Descent, and Landing to the Martian surface are presented in this study.

Piloting Vertical Flight Aircraft: A Conference on Flying Qualities and Human Factors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blanken, Christopher L. (Editor); Whalley, Matthew S. (Editor)

1993-01-01

This document contains papers from a specialists' meeting entitled 'Piloting Vertical Flight Aircraft: A Conference on Flying Qualities and Human Factors.' Vertical flight aircraft, including helicopters and a variety of Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) concepts, place unique requirements on human perception, control, and performance for the conduct of their design missions. The intent of this conference was to examine, for these vehicles, advances in: (1) design of flight control systems for ADS-33C standards; (2) assessment of human factors influences of cockpit displays and operational procedures; (3) development of VTOL design and operational criteria; and (4) development of theoretical methods or models for predicting pilot/vehicle performance and mission suitability. A secondary goal of the conference was to provide an initial venue for enhanced interaction between human factors and handling qualities specialists.

Unmanned air vehicle: autonomous takeoff and landing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, K. L.; Gitano-Briggs, Horizon Walker

2010-03-01

UAVs are increasing in popularity and sophistication due to the demonstrated performance which cannot be attained by manned aircraft1. These developments have been made possible by development of sensors, instrumentation, telemetry and controls during the last few decades. UAVs are now common in areas such as aerial observation and as communication relays3. Most UAVs, however, are still flown by a human pilot via remote control from a ground station. Even the existing autonomous UAVs often require a human pilot to handle the most difficult tasks of take off and landing2 (TOL). This is mainly because the navigation of the airplane requires observation, constant situational assessment and hours of experience from the pilot himself4. Therefore, an autonomous takeoff and landing system (TLS) for UAVs using a few practical design rules with various sensors, instrumentation, etc has been developed. This paper details the design and modeling of the UAV TLS. The model indicates that the UAV's TLS shows promising stability.

Unmanned air vehicle: autonomous takeoff and landing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, K. L.; Gitano-Briggs, Horizon Walker

2009-12-01

UAVs are increasing in popularity and sophistication due to the demonstrated performance which cannot be attained by manned aircraft1. These developments have been made possible by development of sensors, instrumentation, telemetry and controls during the last few decades. UAVs are now common in areas such as aerial observation and as communication relays3. Most UAVs, however, are still flown by a human pilot via remote control from a ground station. Even the existing autonomous UAVs often require a human pilot to handle the most difficult tasks of take off and landing2 (TOL). This is mainly because the navigation of the airplane requires observation, constant situational assessment and hours of experience from the pilot himself4. Therefore, an autonomous takeoff and landing system (TLS) for UAVs using a few practical design rules with various sensors, instrumentation, etc has been developed. This paper details the design and modeling of the UAV TLS. The model indicates that the UAV's TLS shows promising stability.

Operator Selection for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operators: A Comparison of Video Game Players and Manned Aircraft Pilots

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-11-01

AFRL-RH-WP-TR-2010-0057 Operator Selection for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operators: A Comparison of Video Game Players and Manned Aircraft...Oct-2008 - 30-Nov-2009 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Operator Selection for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operators: A Comparison of Video Game Players...training regimens leading to a potential shortage of qualified UAS pilots. This study attempted to discover whether video game players (VGPs) possess

Review of Design Aspects and Challenges of Efficient and Quiet Amphibious Aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D, Rhea P. Liem Ph.

2018-04-01

Apart from the commercial and military aviation sectors, the general aviation (GA) sector is expected to experience a rapid growth, especially in Asia. The increasing economic activities in the region would demand for more efficient and convenient transportation, which would open door to more GA services. This development would require sufficient infrastructure supports, including airports. However, insufficient land area has often imposed limitations in airport development. As such, some areas (e.g., remote islands) are not easily accessible by air. One implication is that travels can only be done via land or water, which might prolong the travel time. This applies to business travels, with the significant increase in business and economic activities, which in turns demands for more efficient and faster mobility. In other cases, this involves some rural areas where the infrastructures are not very well-developed, and where the geographical terrains are too challenging to build a pad for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) air vehicles. Under such circumstances, it would be imperative to enable air travels to carry critical logistics such as medical supplies, food, and even sick patients. In this regard, we propose to develop a low-payload, low-altitude amphibious aircraft, which can takeoff and land on both water and land. Aircraft design process is a complex procedure and multidisciplinary in nature, and for amphibious aircraft design we need to consider the two takeoff and landing modes, which imposes further challenges to the design. In this paper we present two preliminary design projects, for two-seater and ten-seater aircraft. To design an efficient and quiet amphibious aircraft, we conduct some experiments on noise shielding mechanisms to reduce the propeller noise. The challenges and resulting designs are briefly discussed in this paper. Amphibious aircraft development will be very relevant to Indonesia, which is the world’s largest archipelago with

Design, fabrication & performance analysis of an unmanned aerial vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, M. I.; Salam, M. A.; Afsar, M. R.; Huda, M. N.; Mahmud, T.

2016-07-01

An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle was designed, analyzed and fabricated to meet design requirements and perform the entire mission for an international aircraft design competition. The goal was to have a balanced design possessing, good demonstrated flight handling qualities, practical and affordable manufacturing requirements while providing a high vehicle performance. The UAV had to complete total three missions named ferry flight (1st mission), maximum load mission (2nd mission) and emergency medical mission (3rd mission). The requirement of ferry flight mission was to fly as many as laps as possible within 4 minutes. The maximum load mission consists of flying 3 laps while carrying two wooden blocks which simulate cargo. The requirement of emergency medical mission was complete 3 laps as soon as possible while carrying two attendances and two patients. A careful analysis revealed lowest rated aircraft cost (RAC) as the primary design objective. So, the challenge was to build an aircraft with minimum RAC that can fly fast, fly with maximum payload, and fly fast with all the possible configurations. The aircraft design was reached by first generating numerous design concepts capable of completing the mission requirements. In conceptual design phase, Figure of Merit (FOM) analysis was carried out to select initial aircraft configuration, propulsion, empennage and landing gear. After completion of the conceptual design, preliminary design was carried out. The preliminary design iterations had a low wing loading, high lift coefficient, and a high thrust to weight ratio. To make the aircraft capable of Rough Field Taxi; springs were added in the landing gears for absorbing shock. An airfoil shaped fuselage was designed to allowed sufficient space for payload and generate less drag to make the aircraft fly fast. The final design was a high wing monoplane with conventional tail, single tractor propulsion system and a tail dragger landing gear. Payload was stored in

Model studies of crosswind landing-gear configurations for STOL aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stubbs, S. M.; Byrdsong, T. A.

1973-01-01

A dynamic model was used to directly compare four different crosswind landing gear mechanisms. The model was landed as a free body onto a laterally sloping runway used to simulate a crosswind side force. A radio control system was used for steering to oppose the side force as the model rolled to a stop. The configuration in which the landing gears are alined by the pilot and locked in the direction of motion prior to touchdown gave the smoothest runout behavior with the vehicle maintaining its crab angle throughout the landing roll. Nose wheel steering was confirmed to be better than steering with nose and main gears differentially or together. Testing is continuing to obtain quantitative data to establish an experimental data base for validation of an analytical program that will be capable of predicting full scale results.

Particle and gaseous emissions from commercial aircraft at each stage of the landing and takeoff cycle.

PubMed

Mazaheri, M; Johnson, G R; Morawska, L

2009-01-15

A novel technique was used to measure emission factors for commonly used commercial aircraft including a range of Boeing and Airbus airframes under real world conditions. Engine exhaust emission factors for particles in terms of particle number and mass (PM2.5), along with those for CO2 and NOx, were measured for over 280 individual aircraft during the various modes of landing/takeoff (LTO) cycle. Results from this study show that particle number, and NOx emission factors are dependent on aircraft engine thrust level. Minimum and maximum emissions factors for particle number, PM2.5, and NOx emissions were found to be in the range of 4.16 x 10(15)-5.42 x 10(16) kg(-1), 0.03-0.72 g.kg(-1), and 3.25-37.94 g.kg(-1), respectively, for all measured airframes and LTO cycle modes. Number size distributions of emitted particles for the naturally diluted aircraft plumes in each mode of LTO cycle showed that particles were predominantly in the range of 4-100 nm in diameter in all cases. In general, size distributions exhibit similar modality during all phases of the LTO cycle. A very distinct nucleation mode was observed in all particle size distributions, except for taxiing and landing of A320 aircraft. Accumulation modes were also observed in all particle size distributions. Analysis of aircraft engine emissions during LTO cycle showed that aircraft thrust level is considerably higher during taxiing than idling suggesting that International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards need to be modified as the thrust levels for taxi and idle are considered to be the same (7% of total thrust) (Environmental Protection, Annex 16, Vol. II, Aircraft Engine Emissions, 2nd ed.; ICAO--International Civil Aviation Organization: Montreal, 1993).

Analytic Modeling of Pressurization and Cryogenic Propellant Conditions for Lunar Landing Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Corpening, Jeremy

2010-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the development, validation and application of the model to the Lunar Landing Vehicle. The model named, Computational Propellant and Pressurization Program -- One Dimensional (CPPPO), is used to model in this case cryogenic propellant conditions of the Altair Lunar lander. The validation of CPPPO was accomplished via comparison to an existing analytic model (i.e., ROCETS), flight experiment and ground experiments. The model was used to the Lunar Landing Vehicle perform a parametric analysis on pressurant conditions and to examine the results of unequal tank pressurization and draining for multiple tank designs.

Vision-Aided Autonomous Landing and Ingress of Micro Aerial Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brockers, Roland; Ma, Jeremy C.; Matthies, Larry H.; Bouffard, Patrick

2012-01-01

Micro aerial vehicles have limited sensor suites and computational power. For reconnaissance tasks and to conserve energy, these systems need the ability to autonomously land at vantage points or enter buildings (ingress). But for autonomous navigation, information is needed to identify and guide the vehicle to the target. Vision algorithms can provide egomotion estimation and target detection using input from cameras that are easy to include in miniature systems.

Influence of structural dynamics on vehicle design - Government view. [of aerospace vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kordes, E. E.

1977-01-01

Dynamic design considerations for aerospace vehicles are discussed, taking into account fixed wing aircraft, rotary wing aircraft, and launch, space, and reentry vehicles. It is pointed out that space vehicles have probably had the most significant design problems from the standpoint of structural dynamics, because their large lightweight structures are highly nonlinear. Examples of problems in the case of conventional aircraft include the flutter encountered by high performance military aircraft with external stores. A description is presented of a number of examples which illustrate the direction of present efforts for improving aircraft efficiency. Attention is given to the results of studies on the structural design concepts for the arrow-wing supersonic cruise aircraft configuration and a system study on low-wing-loading, short haul transports.

Towards Intelligent Control for Next Generation Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Acosta, Diana Michelle; KrishnaKumar, Kalmanje Srinvas; Frost, Susan Alane

2008-01-01

NASA Aeronautics Subsonic Fixed Wing Project is focused on mitigating the environmental and operation impacts expected as aviation operations triple by 2025. The approach is to extend technological capabilities and explore novel civil transport configurations that reduce noise, emissions, fuel consumption and field length. Two Next Generation (NextGen) aircraft have been identified to meet the Subsonic Fixed Wing Project goals - these are the Hybrid Wing-Body (HWB) and Cruise Efficient Short Take-Off and Landing (CESTOL) aircraft. The technologies and concepts developed for these aircraft complicate the vehicle s design and operation. In this paper, flight control challenges for NextGen aircraft are described. The objective of this paper is to examine the potential of state-of-the-art control architectures and algorithms to meet the challenges and needed performance metrics for NextGen flight control. A broad range of conventional and intelligent control approaches are considered, including dynamic inversion control, integrated flight-propulsion control, control allocation, adaptive dynamic inversion control, data-based predictive control and reinforcement learning control.

Vehicle Sketch Pad: a Parametric Geometry Modeler for Conceptual Aircraft Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hahn, Andrew S.

2010-01-01

The conceptual aircraft designer is faced with a dilemma, how to strike the best balance between productivity and fidelity? Historically, handbook methods have required only the coarsest of geometric parameterizations in order to perform analysis. Increasingly, there has been a drive to upgrade analysis methods, but these require considerably more precise and detailed geometry. Attempts have been made to use computer-aided design packages to fill this void, but their cost and steep learning curve have made them unwieldy at best. Vehicle Sketch Pad (VSP) has been developed over several years to better fill this void. While no substitute for the full feature set of computer-aided design packages, VSP allows even novices to quickly become proficient in defining three-dimensional, watertight aircraft geometries that are adequate for producing multi-disciplinary meta-models for higher order analysis methods, wind tunnel and display models, as well as a starting point for animation models. This paper will give an overview of the development and future course of VSP.

A preliminary study of containment concepts for aircraft landing on elevated STOL-ports

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haviland, J. K.

1971-01-01

A preliminary study of containment systems for aircraft landing on elevated STOL-ports was conducted as part of an overall study of human acceptance problems associated with STOL operations. The study included a survey and feasibility study of different concepts and a computer analysis of four arrestment systems. The principal conclusion was that a system referred to as the FAA system appears to offer the greatest promise. In this system, standard arresting gear cables are stretched across the roof-top, at roughly 100-foot intervals, but are shielded over the 100-foot-wide primary landing strip. Thus a pilot can land with an arresting hook down, but will not contact the cable unless he swerves off the landing strip, either because he has made a bad landing, or because his landing gear has failed. It was also noted that a suitable curb or guard rail should be developed. Presently available arresting gears and nylon net barriers were considered satisfactory for the overshoot problem.

Validation of an Active Gear, Flexible Aircraft Take-off and Landing analysis (AGFATL)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcgehee, J. R.

1984-01-01

The results of an analytical investigation using a computer program for active gear, flexible aircraft take off and landing analysis (AGFATL) are compared with experimental data from shaker tests, drop tests, and simulated landing tests to validate the AGFATL computer program. Comparison of experimental and analytical responses for both passive and active gears indicates good agreement for shaker tests and drop tests. For the simulated landing tests, the passive and active gears were influenced by large strut binding friction forces. The inclusion of these undefined forces in the analytical simulations was difficult, and consequently only fair to good agreement was obtained. An assessment of the results from the investigation indicates that the AGFATL computer program is a valid tool for the study and initial design of series hydraulic active control landing gear systems.

Perseus High Altitude Remotely Piloted Aircraft on Ramp

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

ERAST project. The Perseus Proof-Of-Concept aircraft first flew in November 1991 and made three low-altitude flights within a month to validate the Perseus aerodynamic model and flight control systems. Next came the redesigned Perseus A, which incorporated a closed-cycle combustion system that mixed oxygen carried aboard the aircraft with engine exhaust to compensate for the thin air at high altitudes. The Perseus A was towed into the air by a ground vehicle and its engine started after it became airborne. Prior to landing, the engine was stopped, the propeller locked in horizontal position, and the Perseus A glided to a landing on its unique bicycle-type landing gear. Two Perseus A aircraft were built and made 21 flights in 1993-1994. One of the Perseus A aircraft reached over 50,000 feet in altitude on its third test flight. Although one of the Perseus A aircraft was destroyed in a crash after a vertical gyroscope failed in flight, the other aircraft completed its test program and remains on display at Aurora's facility in Manassas. Perseus B first flew Oct. 7, 1994, and made two flights in 1996 before being damaged in a hard landing on the dry lakebed after a propeller shaft failure. After a number of improvements and upgrades-including extending the original 58.5-foot wingspan to 71.5 feet to enhance high-altitude performance--the Perseus B returned to Dryden in the spring of 1998 for a series of four flights. Thereafter, a series of modifications were made including external fuel pods on the wing that more than doubled the fuel capacity to 100 gallons. Engine power was increased by more than 20 percent by boosting the turbocharger output. Fuel consumption was reduced with fuel control modifications and a leaner fuel-air mixture that did not compromise power. The aircraft again crashed on Oct. 1, 1999, near Barstow, California, suffering moderate damage to the aircraft but no property damage, fire, or injuries in the area of the crash. Perseus B is flown remotely by

NASA evaluation of Type 2 chemical depositions. [effects of deicer deposition on aircraft tire friction performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yager, Thomas J.; Stubbs, Sandy M.; Howell, W. Edward; Webb, Granville L.

1993-01-01

Recent findings from NASA Langley tests to define effects of aircraft Type 2 chemical deicer depositions on aircraft tire friction performance are summarized. The Aircraft Landing Dynamics Facility (ALDF) is described together with the scope of the tire cornering and braking friction tests conducted up to 160 knots ground speed. Some lower speed 32 - 96 km/hr (20 - 60 mph) test run data obtained using an Instrumented Tire Test Vehicle (ITTV) to determine effects of tire bearing pressure and transverse grooving on cornering friction performance are also discussed. Recommendations are made concerning which parameters should be evaluated in future testing.

Potential and prospective implementation of carbon nanotubes on next generation aircraft and space vehicles: A review of current and expected applications in aerospace sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gohardani, Omid; Elola, Maialen Chapartegui; Elizetxea, Cristina

2014-10-01

Carbon nanotubes have instigated the interest of many different scientific fields since their authenticated introduction, more than two decades ago. Particularly in aerospace applications, the potential implementations of these advanced materials have been predicted to have a large impact on future aircraft and space vehicles, mainly due to their distinct features, which include superior mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. This article provides the very first consolidated review of the imminent prospects of utilizing carbon nanotubes and nanoparticles in aerospace sciences, based on their recent implementations and predicted future applications. Explicitly, expected carbon nanotube employment in aeronautics and astronautics are identified for commercial aircraft, military aircraft, rotorcraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, satellites, and space launch vehicles. Attention is devoted to future utilization of carbon nanotubes, which may comprise hydrogen storage encapsulation, composite material implementation, lightning protection for aircraft, aircraft icing mitigation, reduced weight of airframes/satellites, and alleviation of challenges related to future space launch. This study further sheds light onto recent actualized implementations of carbon nanotubes in aerospace applications, as well as current and prospective challenges related to their usage in aerospace sciences, encompassing health and safety hazards, large scale manufacturing, achievement of optimum properties, recycling, and environmental impacts.

Nonlinear acoustic propagation of launch vehicle and military jet aircraft noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gee, Kent L.

2010-10-01

The noise from launch vehicles and high-performance military jet aircraft has been shown to travel nonlinearly as a result of an amplitude-dependent speed of sound. Because acoustic pressure compressions travel faster than rarefactions, the waveform steepens and shocks form. This process results in a very different (and readily audible) noise signature and spectrum than predicted by linear models. On-going efforts to characterize the nonlinearity using statistical and spectral measures are described with examples from recent static tests of solid rocket boosters and the F-22 Raptor.

Adaptive Data-based Predictive Control for Short Take-off and Landing (STOL) Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barlow, Jonathan Spencer; Acosta, Diana Michelle; Phan, Minh Q.

2010-01-01

Data-based Predictive Control is an emerging control method that stems from Model Predictive Control (MPC). MPC computes current control action based on a prediction of the system output a number of time steps into the future and is generally derived from a known model of the system. Data-based predictive control has the advantage of deriving predictive models and controller gains from input-output data. Thus, a controller can be designed from the outputs of complex simulation code or a physical system where no explicit model exists. If the output data happens to be corrupted by periodic disturbances, the designed controller will also have the built-in ability to reject these disturbances without the need to know them. When data-based predictive control is implemented online, it becomes a version of adaptive control. The characteristics of adaptive data-based predictive control are particularly appropriate for the control of nonlinear and time-varying systems, such as Short Take-off and Landing (STOL) aircraft. STOL is a capability of interest to NASA because conceptual Cruise Efficient Short Take-off and Landing (CESTOL) transport aircraft offer the ability to reduce congestion in the terminal area by utilizing existing shorter runways at airports, as well as to lower community noise by flying steep approach and climb-out patterns that reduce the noise footprint of the aircraft. In this study, adaptive data-based predictive control is implemented as an integrated flight-propulsion controller for the outer-loop control of a CESTOL-type aircraft. Results show that the controller successfully tracks velocity while attempting to maintain a constant flight path angle, using longitudinal command, thrust and flap setting as the control inputs.

Development and Deployment of Unmanned Aircraft Instrumentation for Measuring Quantities Related to Land Surface-Atmosphere Interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Boer, G.; Lawrence, D.; Elston, J.; Argrow, B. M.; Palo, S. E.; Curry, N.; Finamore, W.; Mack, J.; LoDolce, G.; Schmid, B.; Long, C. N.; Bland, G.; Maslanik, J. A.; Gao, R. S.; Telg, H.; Semmer, S.; Maclean, G.; Ivey, M.; Hock, T. F.; Bartram, B.; Bendure, A.; Stachura, M.

2015-12-01

Use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in evaluation of geophysical parameters is expanding at a rapid rate. Despite limitation imposed by necessary regulations related to operation of UAS in the federal airspace, several groups have developed and deployed a variety of UAS and the associated sensors to make measurements of the atmosphere, land surface, ocean and cryosphere. Included in this grouping is work completed at the University of Colorado - Boulder, which has an extended history of operating UAS and expanding their use in the earth sciences. Collaborative projects between the department of Aerospace Engineering, the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), the Research and Engineering Center for Unmanned Vehicles (RECUV), the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Centers for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) have resulted in deployment of UAS to a variety of environments, including the Arctic. In this presentation, I will give an overview of some recent efforts lead by the University of Colorado to develop and deploy a variety of UAS. Work presented will emphasize recent campaigns and instrument development and testing related to understanding the land-atmosphere interface. Specifically, information on systems established for evaluating surface radiation (including albedo), turbulent exchange of water vapor, heat and gasses, and aerosol processes will be presented, along with information on the use of terrestrial ecosystem sensing to provide critical measurments for the evaluation of lower atmospheric flux measurements.

Flight evaluation of configuration management system concepts during transition to the landing approach for a powered-lift STOL aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Franklin, J. A.; Innis, R. C.

1980-01-01

Flight experiments were conducted to evaluate two control concepts for configuration management during the transition to landing approach for a powered-lift STOL aircraft. NASA Ames' augmentor wing research aircraft was used in the program. Transitions from nominal level-flight configurations at terminal area pattern speeds were conducted along straight and curved descending flightpaths. Stabilization and command augmentation for attitude and airspeed control were used in conjunction with a three-cue flight director that presented commands for pitch, roll, and throttle controls. A prototype microwave system provided landing guidance. Results of these flight experiments indicate that these configuration management concepts permit the successful performance of transitions and approaches along curved paths by powered-lift STOL aircraft. Flight director guidance was essential to accomplish the task.

Impact of flight systems integration on future aircraft design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hood, R. V.; Dollyhigh, S. M.; Newsom, J. R.

1984-01-01

Integrations trends in aircraft are discussed with an eye to manifestations in future aircraft designs through interdisciplinary technology integration. Current practices use software changes or small hardware fixes to solve problems late in the design process, e.g., low static stability to upgrade fuel efficiency. A total energy control system has been devised to integrate autopilot and autothrottle functions, thereby eliminating hardware, reducing the software, pilot workload, and cost, and improving flight efficiency and performance. Integrated active controls offer reduced weight and larger payloads for transport aircraft. The introduction of vectored thrust may eliminate horizontal and vertical stabilizers, and location of the thrust at the vehicle center of gravity can provide vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. It is suggested that further efforts will open a new discipline, aeroservoelasticity, and tests will become multidisciplinary, involving controls, aerodynamics, propulsion and structures.

Altus I aircraft in flight, retracting landing gear after takeoff

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

The landing gear of the remotely piloted Altus I aircraft retracts into the fuselage after takeoff from Rogers Dry Lake adjacent to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. The short series of test flights sponsored by the Naval Postgraduate School in early August, 1997, was designed to demonstrate the ability of the experimental craft to cruise at altitudes above 40,000 feet for sustained durations. On its final flight Aug. 15, the Altus I reached an altitude of 43,500 feet. The Altus I and its sister ship, the Altus II, are variants of the Predator surveillance drone built by General Atomics/Aeronautical Systems, Inc. They are designed for high-altitude, long-duration scientific sampling missions. The Altus I incorporates a single-stage turbocharger, while the Altus II, built for NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology project, sports a two-stage turbocharger to enable the craft to fly at altitudes above 55,000 feet.

Videopanorama Frame Rate Requirements Derived from Visual Discrimination of Deceleration During Simulated Aircraft Landing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Furnstenau, Norbert; Ellis, Stephen R.

2015-01-01

In order to determine the required visual frame rate (FR) for minimizing prediction errors with out-the-window video displays at remote/virtual airport towers, thirteen active air traffic controllers viewed high dynamic fidelity simulations of landing aircraft and decided whether aircraft would stop as if to be able to make a turnoff or whether a runway excursion would be expected. The viewing conditions and simulation dynamics replicated visual rates and environments of transport aircraft landing at small commercial airports. The required frame rate was estimated using Bayes inference on prediction errors by linear FRextrapolation of event probabilities conditional on predictions (stop, no-stop). Furthermore estimates were obtained from exponential model fits to the parametric and non-parametric perceptual discriminabilities d' and A (average area under ROC-curves) as dependent on FR. Decision errors are biased towards preference of overshoot and appear due to illusionary increase in speed at low frames rates. Both Bayes and A - extrapolations yield a framerate requirement of 35 < FRmin < 40 Hz. When comparing with published results [12] on shooter game scores the model based d'(FR)-extrapolation exhibits the best agreement and indicates even higher FRmin > 40 Hz for minimizing decision errors. Definitive recommendations require further experiments with FR > 30 Hz.

Initial Noise Assessment of an Embedded-wing-propulsion Concept Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stone, James R.; Krejsa, Eugene A.

2008-01-01

Vehicle acoustic requirements are considered for a Cruise-Efficient Short Take-Off and Landing (CESTOL) vehicle concept using an Embedded-Wing-Propulsion (EWP) system based on a review of the literature. Successful development of such vehicles would enable more efficient use of existing airports in accommodating the anticipated growth in air traffic while at the same time reducing the noise impact on the community around the airport. A noise prediction capability for CESTOL-EWP aircraft is developed, based largely on NASA's FOOTPR code and other published methods, with new relations for high aspect ratio slot nozzles and wing shielding. The predictive model is applied to a preliminary concept developed by Boeing for NASA GRC. Significant noise reduction for such an aircraft relative to the current state-of-the-art is predicted, and technology issues are identified which should be addressed to assure that the potential of this design concept is fully achieved with minimum technical risk.

Application of the H-Mode, a Design and Interaction Concept for Highly Automated Vehicles, to Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodrich, Kenneth H.; Flemisch, Frank O.; Schutte, Paul C.; Williams, Ralph A.

2006-01-01

Driven by increased safety, efficiency, and airspace capacity, automation is playing an increasing role in aircraft operations. As aircraft become increasingly able to autonomously respond to a range of situations with performance surpassing human operators, we are compelled to look for new methods that help us understand their use and guide their design using new forms of automation and interaction. We propose a novel design metaphor to aid the conceptualization, design, and operation of highly-automated aircraft. Design metaphors transfer meaning from common experiences to less familiar applications or functions. A notable example is the "Desktop metaphor" for manipulating files on a computer. This paper describes a metaphor for highly automated vehicles known as the H-metaphor and a specific embodiment of the metaphor known as the H-mode as applied to aircraft. The fundamentals of the H-metaphor are reviewed followed by an overview of an exploratory usability study investigating human-automation interaction issues for a simple H-mode implementation. The envisioned application of the H-mode concept to aircraft is then described as are two planned evaluations.

Evaluation of two transport aircraft and several ground test vehicle friction measurements obtained for various runway surface types and conditions. A summary of test results from joint FAA/NASA Runway Friction Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yager, Thomas J.; Vogler, William A.; Baldasare, Paul

1990-01-01

Tests with specially instrumented NASA Boeing 737 and 727 aircraft together with several different ground friction measuring devices were conducted for a variety of runway surface types and conditions. These tests are part of joint FAA/NASA Aircraft/Ground Vehicle Runway Friction Program aimed at obtaining a better understanding of aircraft ground handling performance under adverse weather conditions and defining relationships between aircraft and ground vehicle tire friction measurements. Aircraft braking performance on dry, wet, snow and ice-covered runway conditions is discussed as well as ground vehicle friction data obtained under similar runway conditions. For a given contaminated runway surface condition, the correlation between ground vehicles and aircraft friction data is identified. The influence of major test parameters on friction measurements such as speed, test tire characteristics, type and amount of surface contaminant, and ambient temperature are discussed. The effect of surface type on wet friction levels is also evaluated from comparative data collected on grooved and ungrooved concrete and asphalt surfaces.

STS Approach and Landing Test (ALT): Flight 5 - pilot-induced oscillation (PIO) on landing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

'spot' landing on the concrete runway and flying the orbiter without it's tail-cone fairing, since the previous lakebed landing without the fairing had been made by Joe Engle and Richard Truly. Both Haise and Fullerton had prepared as well as possible for the variables of this mission by flying simulated approach profiles in NASA's shuttle training aircraft. However, as with most simulations, the performance wasn't completely identical to that of the real vehicle. Consequently Haise, the mission commander in the left seat, was too fast on the orbiter's landing approach. Deploying the speed brakes, he tried vainly to hit the assigned landing mark but in the stress of the moment, began to overcorrect the vehicle. The orbiter entered a pilot-induced oscillation or PIO along both it's roll and pitch axis causing the vehicle to begin to 'porpoise' down the runway. As it settled down to land it began to bounce from one main landing gear to the next before being brought under control and finally landed by the crew. Engineers at Dryden later determined that a roughly 270-millisecond time delay in the space shuttle's fly-by-wire system had been the cause of the problem, which was then explored with NASA Dryden's F-8 Digital Fly-By-Wire aircraft and corrected with a suppression filter integrated into the orbiter's flight control system.

A head-up display format for transport aircraft approach and landing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bray, R. S.; Scott, B. C.

1981-01-01

An electronic flight-guidance display format was designed for use in evaluations of the collimated head-up display concept applied to transport aircraft landing. In the design process of iterative evaluation and modification, some general principles, or guidelines, applicable to electronic flight displays were suggested. The usefulness of an indication of instantaneous inertial flightpath was clearly demonstrated. Evaluator pilot acceptance of the unfamiliar display concepts was very positive when careful attention was given to indoctrination and training.

A manual control theory analysis of vertical situation displays for STOL aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baron, S.; Levison, W. H.

1973-01-01

Pilot-vehicle-display systems theory is applied to the analysis of proposed vertical situation displays for manual control in approach-to-landing of a STOL aircraft. The effects of display variables on pilot workload and on total closed-loop system performance was calculated using an optimal-control model for the human operator. The steep approach of an augmentor wing jet STOL aircraft was analyzed. Both random turbulence and mean-wind shears were considered. Linearized perturbation equations were used to describe longitudinal and lateral dynamics of the aircraft. The basic display configuration was one that abstracted the essential status information (including glide-slope and localizer errors) of an EADI display. Proposed flight director displays for both longitudinal and lateral control were also investigated.

Lunar Cold Trap Contamination by Landing Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shipley, Scott T.; Metzger, Philip T.; Lane, John E.

2014-01-01

Tools have been developed to model and simulate the effects of lunar landing vehicles on the lunar environment (Metzger, 2011), mostly addressing the effects of regolith erosion by rocket plumes and the fate of the ejected lunar soil particles (Metzger, 2010). These tools are being applied at KSC to predict ejecta from the upcoming Google Lunar X-Prize Landers and how they may damage the historic Apollo landing sites. The emerging interest in lunar mining poses a threat of contamination to pristine craters at the lunar poles, which act as "cold traps" for water and may harbor other valuable minerals Crider and Vondrak (2002). The KSC Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations Lab tools have been expanded to address the probability for contamination of these pristine "cold trap" craters.

Distributed Propulsion Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Hyun Dae

2010-01-01

Since the introduction of large jet-powered transport aircraft, the majority of these vehicles have been designed by placing thrust-generating engines either under the wings or on the fuselage to minimize aerodynamic interactions on the vehicle operation. However, advances in computational and experimental tools along with new technologies in materials, structures, and aircraft controls, etc. are enabling a high degree of integration of the airframe and propulsion system in aircraft design. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been investigating a number of revolutionary distributed propulsion vehicle concepts to increase aircraft performance. The concept of distributed propulsion is to fully integrate a propulsion system within an airframe such that the aircraft takes full synergistic benefits of coupling of airframe aerodynamics and the propulsion thrust stream by distributing thrust using many propulsors on the airframe. Some of the concepts are based on the use of distributed jet flaps, distributed small multiple engines, gas-driven multi-fans, mechanically driven multifans, cross-flow fans, and electric fans driven by turboelectric generators. This paper describes some early concepts of the distributed propulsion vehicles and the current turboelectric distributed propulsion (TeDP) vehicle concepts being studied under the NASA s Subsonic Fixed Wing (SFW) Project to drastically reduce aircraft-related fuel burn, emissions, and noise by the year 2030 to 2035.

The X-38 vehicle #131R arrives at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-07-11

The X-38 Vehicle 131R, intended to prove the utility of a "lifeboat" crew return vehicle to bring crews home from the International Space Station in the event of an emergency, was unloaded from NASA's Super Guppy transport aircraft on July 11, 2000. The newest X-38 version arrived at Dryden for drop tests from NASA's venerable B-52 mother ship. The tests will evaluate a 7,500 square-foot parafoil intended to permit the crew return vehicle to return from space and land in the length of a football field.

The X-38 vehicle #131R arrives at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

The X-38 Vehicle 131R, intended to prove the utility of a 'lifeboat' crew return vehicle to bring crews home from the International Space Station in the event of an emergency, was unloaded from NASA's Super Guppy transport aircraft on July 11, 2000. The newest X-38 version arrived at Dryden for drop tests from NASA's venerable B-52 mother ship. The tests will evaluate a 7,500 square-foot parafoil intended to permit the crew return vehicle to return from space and land in the length of a football field.

Predicting Visibility of Aircraft

PubMed Central

Watson, Andrew; Ramirez, Cesar V.; Salud, Ellen

2009-01-01

Visual detection of aircraft by human observers is an important element of aviation safety. To assess and ensure safety, it would be useful to be able to be able to predict the visibility, to a human observer, of an aircraft of specified size, shape, distance, and coloration. Examples include assuring safe separation among aircraft and between aircraft and unmanned vehicles, design of airport control towers, and efforts to enhance or suppress the visibility of military and rescue vehicles. We have recently developed a simple metric of pattern visibility, the Spatial Standard Observer (SSO). In this report we examine whether the SSO can predict visibility of simulated aircraft images. We constructed a set of aircraft images from three-dimensional computer graphic models, and measured the luminance contrast threshold for each image from three human observers. The data were well predicted by the SSO. Finally, we show how to use the SSO to predict visibility range for aircraft of arbitrary size, shape, distance, and coloration. PMID:19462007

In flight image processing on multi-rotor aircraft for autonomous landing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henry, Richard, Jr.

An estimated $6.4 billion was spent during the year 2013 on developing drone technology around the world and is expected to double in the next decade. However, drone applications typically require strong pilot skills, safety, responsibilities and adherence to regulations during flight. If the flight control process could be safer and more reliable in terms of landing, it would be possible to further develop a wider range of applications. The objective of this research effort is to describe the design and evaluation of a fully autonomous Unmanned Aerial system (UAS), specifically a four rotor aircraft, commonly known as quad copter for precise landing applications. The full landing autonomy is achieved by image processing capabilities during flight for target recognition by employing the open source library OpenCV. In addition, all imaging data is processed by a single embedded computer that estimates a relative position with respect to the target landing pad. Results shows a reduction on the average offset error by 67.88% in comparison to the current return to lunch (RTL) method which only relies on GPS positioning. The present work validates the need for relying on image processing for precise landing applications instead of the inexact method of a commercial low cost GPS dependency.

Flight Testing ALHAT Precision Landing Technologies Integrated Onboard the Morpheus Rocket Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carson, John M. III; Robertson, Edward A.; Trawny, Nikolas; Amzajerdian, Farzin

2015-01-01

A suite of prototype sensors, software, and avionics developed within the NASA Autonomous precision Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT) project were terrestrially demonstrated onboard the NASA Morpheus rocket-propelled Vertical Testbed (VTB) in 2014. The sensors included a LIDAR-based Hazard Detection System (HDS), a Navigation Doppler LIDAR (NDL) velocimeter, and a long-range Laser Altimeter (LAlt) that enable autonomous and safe precision landing of robotic or human vehicles on solid solar system bodies under varying terrain lighting conditions. The flight test campaign with the Morpheus vehicle involved a detailed integration and functional verification process, followed by tether testing and six successful free flights, including one night flight. The ALHAT sensor measurements were integrated into a common navigation solution through a specialized ALHAT Navigation filter that was employed in closed-loop flight testing within the Morpheus Guidance, Navigation and Control (GN&C) subsystem. Flight testing on Morpheus utilized ALHAT for safe landing site identification and ranking, followed by precise surface-relative navigation to the selected landing site. The successful autonomous, closed-loop flight demonstrations of the prototype ALHAT system have laid the foundation for the infusion of safe, precision landing capabilities into future planetary exploration missions.

Rocket-based combined-cycle (RBCC) powered spaceliner class vehicle can advantageously employ vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Escher, William J. D.

1995-01-01

The subject is next generation orbital space transporation, taken to be fully reusable non-staged 'aircraft like' systems targeted for routine, affordable access to space. Specifically, the takeoff and landing approach to be selected for such systems is considered, mainly from a propulsion viewpoint. Conventional wisdom has it that any transatmospheric-class vehicle which uses high-speed airbreathing propulsion modes (e.g., scramjet) intrinsically must utilize horizontal takeoff and landing, HTOHL. Although this may be true for all-airbreathing propulsion (i.e., no rocket content as in turboramjet propulsion), that emerging class of powerplant which integrally combines airbreathing and rocket propulsion, referred to as rocket-based combined-cycle (RBCC) propulsion, is considerably more flexible with respect to selecting takeoff/landing modes. In fact, it is proposed that any of the modes of interest may potentially be selected: HTOHL, VTOHL, VTOVL. To illustrate this surmise, the case of a previously documented RBCC-powered 'Spaceliner' class space transport concept, which is designed for vertical takeoff and landing, is examined. The 'RBCC' and 'Spaceliner' categories are first described for background. Departing form an often presumed HTOHL baseline, the leading design and operational advantages of moving to VTOVL are then elucidated. Technical substantiation that the RBCC approach, in fact, enables this capability (but also that of HTOHL and VTOVL) is provided, with extensive reference to case-in-point supporting studies. The paper closes with a set of conditional surmises bearing on its set of conclusions, which point up the operational cost advantages associated with selecting the vertical takeoff and landing mode combination (VTOL), uniquely offered by RBCC propulsion.

Rocket-based combined-cycle (RBCC) powered spaceliner class vehicle can advantageously employ vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Escher, William J. D.

The subject is next generation orbital space transporation, taken to be fully reusable non-staged 'aircraft like' systems targeted for routine, affordable access to space. Specifically, the takeoff and landing approach to be selected for such systems is considered, mainly from a propulsion viewpoint. Conventional wisdom has it that any transatmospheric-class vehicle which uses high-speed airbreathing propulsion modes (e.g., scramjet) intrinsically must utilize horizontal takeoff and landing, HTOHL. Although this may be true for all-airbreathing propulsion (i.e., no rocket content as in turboramjet propulsion), that emerging class of powerplant which integrally combines airbreathing and rocket propulsion, referred to as rocket-based combined-cycle (RBCC) propulsion, is considerably more flexible with respect to selecting takeoff/landing modes. In fact, it is proposed that any of the modes of interest may potentially be selected: HTOHL, VTOHL, VTOVL. To illustrate this surmise, the case of a previously documented RBCC-powered 'Spaceliner' class space transport concept, which is designed for vertical takeoff and landing, is examined. The 'RBCC' and 'Spaceliner' categories are first described for background. Departing form an often presumed HTOHL baseline, the leading design and operational advantages of moving to VTOVL are then elucidated. Technical substantiation that the RBCC approach, in fact, enables this capability (but also that of HTOHL and VTOVL) is provided, with extensive reference to case-in-point supporting studies. The paper closes with a set of conditional surmises bearing on its set of conclusions, which point up the operational cost advantages associated with selecting the vertical takeoff and landing mode combination (VTOL), uniquely offered by RBCC propulsion.

Scheduling of an aircraft fleet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paltrinieri, Massimo; Momigliano, Alberto; Torquati, Franco

1992-01-01

Scheduling is the task of assigning resources to operations. When the resources are mobile vehicles, they describe routes through the served stations. To emphasize such aspect, this problem is usually referred to as the routing problem. In particular, if vehicles are aircraft and stations are airports, the problem is known as aircraft routing. This paper describes the solution to such a problem developed in OMAR (Operative Management of Aircraft Routing), a system implemented by Bull HN for Alitalia. In our approach, aircraft routing is viewed as a Constraint Satisfaction Problem. The solving strategy combines network consistency and tree search techniques.

F-15 RPRV Spin Research Vehicle (SRV) attached to B-52 pylon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

In this ground photo, one of the F-15 RPRV/SRVs is shown on the same pylon used for the X-15 and lifting body flights. The vehicle was a 3/8 scale model of the F-15 aircraft, and was designed for stall and spin research. The cost was $250,000 for each RPRV versus $6.8 million for an actual F-15. After being released from the B-52, the unpowered vehicle was flown by pilots on the ground, including Einar K. Envoldson, William H. Dana, Thomas C. McMurtry, John A. Manke, and Michael C. Swann. During the descent, the F-15 RPRV underwent tests of its stability and control, departure characteristics, spin evaluation at high and low altitude, upright and inverted spins, and different spin modes. On its first 16 flights, the F-15 RPRV was to be recovered in midair by a helicopter. The F-15 RPRV's parachute would be caught by ropes strung between two poles below the helicopter. Of the 16 attempts, 13 were successful, while the three other flights ended with parachute landings and varying amounts of damage. The F-15 RPRVs were then fitted with three retractable skids, which allowed the ground pilot to land the aircraft on the lakebed. Of the next 10 flights, nine were successful lakebed landings, while the other came down by parachute. After 26 flights, the aircraft was renamed the Spin Research Vehicle (SRV) and was used to test different nose configurations. The tests made on flights 27 through 52 were spin mode determination, auto-spin recovery, airflow visualization, the effects of strakes on vortex flow, aft pressure measurements, and a nose-mounted anti-spin parachute. The latter was unusual, as anti-spin parachutes are commonly mounted on the tail. During flight 36, on February 18, 1981, the nose-mounted parachute fouled the pitot tube after deployment. This forced a parachute landing, which was the only one in the SRV flights. The last RPRV/SRV flight was made on July 15, 1981. One of the vehicles has been restored and is on display at the Dryden Flight Research

Fully Self-Contained Vision-Aided Navigation and Landing of a Micro Air Vehicle Independent from External Sensor Inputs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brockers, Roland; Susca, Sara; Zhu, David; Matthies, Larry

2012-01-01

Direct-lift micro air vehicles have important applications in reconnaissance. In order to conduct persistent surveillance in urban environments, it is essential that these systems can perform autonomous landing maneuvers on elevated surfaces that provide high vantage points without the help of any external sensor and with a fully contained on-board software solution. In this paper, we present a micro air vehicle that uses vision feedback from a single down looking camera to navigate autonomously and detect an elevated landing platform as a surrogate for a roof top. Our method requires no special preparation (labels or markers) of the landing location. Rather, leveraging the planar character of urban structure, the landing platform detection system uses a planar homography decomposition to detect landing targets and produce approach waypoints for autonomous landing. The vehicle control algorithm uses a Kalman filter based approach for pose estimation to fuse visual SLAM (PTAM) position estimates with IMU data to correct for high latency SLAM inputs and to increase the position estimate update rate in order to improve control stability. Scale recovery is achieved using inputs from a sonar altimeter. In experimental runs, we demonstrate a real-time implementation running on-board a micro aerial vehicle that is fully self-contained and independent from any external sensor information. With this method, the vehicle is able to search autonomously for a landing location and perform precision landing maneuvers on the detected targets.

Fugitive particulate air emissions from off-road vehicle maneuvers at military training lands

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Military training lands used for off-road vehicle maneuvers may be subject to severe soil loss and air quality degradation as a result of severe wind erosion. The objective of this study was to measure suspended particulate matter resulting from various different vehicle training scenarios. Soil s...

Wet runways. [aircraft landing and directional control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horne, W. B.

1975-01-01

Aircraft stopping and directional control performance on wet runways is discussed. The major elements affecting tire/ground traction developed by jet transport aircraft are identified and described in terms of atmospheric, pavement, tire, aircraft system and pilot performance factors or parameters. Research results are summarized, and means for improving or restoring tire traction/aircraft performance on wet runways are discussed.

Multi-objective trajectory optimization for the space exploration vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Xiaoli; Xiao, Zhen

2016-07-01

The research determines temperature-constrained optimal trajectory for the space exploration vehicle by developing an optimal control formulation and solving it using a variable order quadrature collocation method with a Non-linear Programming(NLP) solver. The vehicle is assumed to be the space reconnaissance aircraft that has specified takeoff/landing locations, specified no-fly zones, and specified targets for sensor data collections. A three degree of freedom aircraft model is adapted from previous work and includes flight dynamics, and thermal constraints.Vehicle control is accomplished by controlling angle of attack, roll angle, and propellant mass flow rate. This model is incorporated into an optimal control formulation that includes constraints on both the vehicle and mission parameters, such as avoidance of no-fly zones and exploration of space targets. In addition, the vehicle models include the environmental models(gravity and atmosphere). How these models are appropriately employed is key to gaining confidence in the results and conclusions of the research. Optimal trajectories are developed using several performance costs in the optimal control formation,minimum time,minimum time with control penalties,and maximum distance.The resulting analysis demonstrates that optimal trajectories that meet specified mission parameters and constraints can be quickly determined and used for large-scale space exloration.

New data for relating land use and urban form to private passenger vehicle miles.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-08-01

This research project developed the most extensive and spatially detailed analysis of : annual vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by type of vehicle, place of residence, and land use : pattern. We combined a unique Massachusetts State dataset of annual odo...

Perseus A High Altitude Remotely Piloted Aircraft being Towed in Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

Perseus design, which began with the Perseus Proof-Of-Concept aircraft. Perseus was initially developed as part of NASA's Small High-Altitude Science Aircraft (SHASA) program, which later evolved into the ERAST project. The Perseus Proof-Of-Concept aircraft first flew in November 1991 and made three low-altitude flights within a month to validate the Perseus aerodynamic model and flight control systems. Next came the redesigned Perseus A, which incorporated a closed-cycle combustion system that mixed oxygen carried aboard the aircraft with engine exhaust to compensate for the thin air at high altitudes. The Perseus A was towed into the air by a ground vehicle and its engine started after it became airborne. Prior to landing, the engine was stopped, the propeller locked in horizontal position, and the Perseus A glided to a landing on its unique bicycle-type landing gear. Two Perseus A aircraft were built and made 21 flights in 1993-1994. One of the Perseus A aircraft reached over 50,000 feet in altitude on its third test flight. Although one of the Perseus A aircraft was destroyed in a crash after a vertical gyroscope failed in flight, the other aircraft completed its test program and remains on display at Aurora's facility in Manassas. Perseus B first flew Oct. 7, 1994, and made two flights in 1996 before being damaged in a hard landing on the dry lakebed after a propeller shaft failure. After a number of improvements and upgrades-including extending the original 58.5-foot wingspan to 71.5 feet to enhance high-altitude performance--the Perseus B returned to Dryden in the spring of 1998 for a series of four flights. Thereafter, a series of modifications were made including external fuel pods on the wing that more than doubled the fuel capacity to 100 gallons. Engine power was increased by more than 20 percent by boosting the turbocharger output. Fuel consumption was reduced with fuel control modifications and a leaner fuel-air mixture that did not compromise power. The

A new approach to complete aircraft landing gear noise prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopes, Leonard V.

This thesis describes a new landing gear noise prediction system developed at The Pennsylvania State University, called Landing Gear Model and Acoustic Prediction code (LGMAP). LGMAP is used to predict the noise of an isolated or installed landing gear geometry. The predictions include several techniques to approximate the aeroacoustic and aerodynamic interactions of landing gear noise generation. These include (1) a method for approximating the shielding of noise caused by the landing gear geometry, (2) accounting for local flow variations due to the wing geometry, (3) the interaction of the landing gear wake with high-lift devices, and (4) a method for estimating the effect of gross landing gear design changes on local flow and acoustic radiation. The LGMAP aeroacoustic prediction system has been created to predict the noise generated by a given landing gear. The landing gear is modeled as a set of simple components that represent individual parts of the structure. Each component, ranging from large to small, is represented by a simple geometric shape and the unsteady flow on the component is modeled based on an individual characteristic length, local flow velocity, and the turbulent flow environment. A small set of universal models is developed and applied to a large range of similar components. These universal models, combined with the actual component geometry and local environment, give a unique loading spectrum and acoustic field for each component. Then, the sum of all the individual components in the complete configuration is used to model the high level of geometric complexity typical of current aircraft undercarriage designs. A line of sight shielding algorithm based on scattering by a two-dimensional cylinder approximates the effect of acoustic shielding caused by the landing gear. Using the scattering from a cylinder in two-dimensions at an observer position directly behind the cylinder, LGMAP is able to estimate the reduction in noise due to shielding

An Active Flow Circulation Controlled Flap Concept for General Aviation Aircraft Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Gregory S.; Viken, Sally A.; Washburn, Anthony E.; Jenkins, Luther N.; Cagle, C. Mark

2002-01-01

A recent focus on revolutionary aerodynamic concepts has highlighted the technology needs of general aviation and personal aircraft. New and stringent restrictions on these types of aircraft have placed high demands on aerodynamic performance, noise, and environmental issues. Improved high lift performance of these aircraft can lead to slower takeoff and landing speeds that can be related to reduced noise and crash survivability issues. Circulation Control technologies have been around for 65 years, yet have been avoided due to trade offs of mass flow, pitching moment, perceived noise etc. The need to improve the circulation control technology for general aviation and personal air-vehicle applications is the focus of this paper. This report will describe the development of a 2-D General Aviation Circulation Control (GACC) wing concept that utilizes a pulsed pneumatic flap.

Aerodynamic configuration development of the highly maneuverable aircraft technology remotely piloted research vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gingrich, P. B.; Child, R. D.; Panageas, G. N.

1977-01-01

The aerodynamic development of the highly maneuverable aircraft technology remotely piloted research vehicle (HiMAT/RPRV) from the conceptual design to the final configuration is presented. The design integrates several advanced concepts to achieve a high degree of transonic maneuverability, and was keyed to sustained maneuverability goals while other fighter typical performance characteristics were maintained. When tests of the baseline configuration indicated deficiencies in the technology integration and design techniques, the vehicle was reconfigured to satisfy the subcritical and supersonic requirements. Drag-due-to-lift levels only 5 percent higher than the optimum were obtained for the wind tunnel model at a lift coefficient of 1 for Mach numbers of up to 0.8. The transonic drag rise was progressively lowered with the application of nonlinear potential flow analyses coupled with experimental data.

Optimal Lateral Guidance for Automatic Landing of a Lightweight High Altitude Long Endurance Unmanned Aerial System with Crosswind Rejection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Nathan Allen

Unmanned aerial systems will be the dominant force in the aviation industry. Among these aircraft the use of high altitude long endurance unmanned aerial systems has increased dramatically. Based on the geometry of these types of aircraft the possible changing weather conditions during long flights poses many problems. These difficulties are compounded by the push towards fully autonomous systems. Large wingspan and, typically, small in-line landing gear make a landing in crosswind exceedingly difficult. This study uses a modified gain scheduling technique for optimizing the landing attitude for a generic vehicle based on geometry and crosswind speed. This is performed by directly utilizing the crosswind estimation to calculate a desired crab and roll angle that gives the lowest risk attitude for landing. An extended Kalman filter is developed that estimates the aircraft states as well as the 3D wind component acting on the aircraft. The aircraft used in this analysis is the DG808S, a large wingspan lightweight electric glider. The aircraft is modelled using Advanced Aircraft Analysis software and a six degree of freedom nonlinear simulation is implemented for testing. The controller used is a nonlinear model predictive controller. The simulations show that the extended Kalman filter is capable of estimating the crosswind and can therefore be used in the full aircraft simulation. Different crosswind settings are used which include both constant crosswind and gust conditions. Crosswind landing capabilities are increased by 35%. Deviation from the desired path in the cruise phase is reduced by up to 68% and time to path convergence is reduced by up to 53%.

Improved aircraft dynamic response and fatigue life during ground operations using an active control landing gear system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcgehee, J. R.; Carden, H. D.; Edson, R.

1978-01-01

A three-degree-of-freedom aircraft landing analysis incorporating a series-hydraulic active control main landing gear has been developed and verified using preliminary experimental data from drop tests of a modified main landing gear from a 2722 kg (6000 lbm) class of airplane. The verified analysis was also employed to predict the landing dynamics of a supersonic research airplane with an active control main landing gear system. The results of this investigation have shown that this type of active gear is feasible and indicate a potential for improving airplane dynamic response and reducing structural fatigue damage during ground operations by approximately 90% relative to that incurred with the passive gear.

Avionics System Architecture for the NASA Orion Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baggerman, Clint; McCabe, Mary; Verma, Dinesh

2009-01-01

It has been 30 years since the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) last developed a crewed spacecraft capable of launch, on-orbit operations, and landing. During that time, aerospace avionics technologies have greatly advanced in capability, and these technologies have enabled integrated avionics architectures for aerospace applications. The inception of NASA s Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) spacecraft offers the opportunity to leverage the latest integrated avionics technologies into crewed space vehicle architecture. The outstanding question is to what extent to implement these advances in avionics while still meeting the unique crewed spaceflight requirements for safety, reliability and maintainability. Historically, aircraft and spacecraft have very similar avionics requirements. Both aircraft and spacecraft must have high reliability. They also must have as much computing power as possible and provide low latency between user control and effecter response while minimizing weight, volume, and power. However, there are several key differences between aircraft and spacecraft avionics. Typically, the overall spacecraft operational time is much shorter than aircraft operation time, but the typical mission time (and hence, the time between preventive maintenance) is longer for a spacecraft than an aircraft. Also, the radiation environment is typically more severe for spacecraft than aircraft. A "loss of mission" scenario (i.e. - the mission is not a success, but there are no casualties) arguably has a greater impact on a multi-million dollar spaceflight mission than a typical commercial flight. Such differences need to be weighted when determining if an aircraft-like integrated modular avionics (IMA) system is suitable for a crewed spacecraft. This paper will explore the preliminary design process of the Orion vehicle avionics system by first identifying the Orion driving requirements and the difference between Orion requirements and those of

Feasibility Study of a Vision-Based Landing System for Unmanned Fixed-Wing Aircraft

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-01

International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security 7 no. 3: 112–117. Accessed April 7, 2017. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ article /pii...the feasibility of applying computer vision techniques and visual feedback in the control loop for an autonomous system. This thesis examines the...integration into an autonomous aircraft control system. 14. SUBJECT TERMS autonomous systems, auto-land, computer vision, image processing

Multiple-Purpose Subsonic Naval Aircraft (MPSNA) Multiple Application Propfan Study (MAPS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winkeljohn, D. M.; Mayrand, C. H.

1986-01-01

A conceptual design study compared a selected propfan-powered aircraft to a turbofan-powered aircraft for multiple Navy carrier-based support missions in the 1995 timeframe. Conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) propfan and turbofan-powered designs and short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) propfan-powered designs are presented. Ten support mission profiles were defined and the aircraft were sized to be able to perform all ten missions. Emphasis was placed on efficient high altitude loiter for Airborne Early Warning (AEW) and low altitude high speed capability for various offensive and tactical support missions. The results of the study show that the propfan-powered designs have lighter gross weights, lower fuel fractions, and equal or greater performance capability than the turbofan-powered designs. Various sensitives were developed in the study, including the effect of using single-rotation versus counter-rotation propfans and the effect of AEW loiter altitude on vehicle gross weight and empty weight. A propfan technology development plan was presented which illustrates that the development of key components can be achieved without accelerated schedules through the extension of current and planned government and civil propfan programs.

Fatal Pediatric Motor Vehicle Crashes on U.S. Native American Indian Lands Compared to Adjacent Non-Indian Lands: Restraint Use and Injury by Driver, Vehicle, Roadway and Crash Characteristics.

PubMed

Oh, Shin Ah; Liu, Chang; Pressley, Joyce C

2017-10-25

There are large disparities in American Indian pediatric motor vehicle (MV) mortality with reports that several factors may contribute. The Fatality Analysis Reporting System for 2000-2014 was used to examine restraint use for occupants aged 0-19 years involved in fatal MV crashes on Indian lands ( n = 1667) and non-Indian lands in adjacent states ( n = 126,080). SAS GLIMMIX logistic regression with random effects was used to generate odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Restraint use increased in both areas over the study period with restraint use on Indian lands being just over half that of non-Indian lands for drivers (36.8% vs. 67.8%, p < 0.0001) and for pediatric passengers (33.1% vs. 59.3%, p < 0.0001). Driver restraint was the strongest predictor of passenger restraint on both Indian and non-Indian lands exerting a stronger effect in ages 13-19 than in 0-12 year olds. Valid licensed driver was a significant predictor of restraint use in ages 0-12 years. Passengers in non-cars (SUVs, vans and pickup trucks) were less likely to be restrained. Restraint use improved over the study period in both areas, but disparities failed to narrow as restraint use remains lower and driver, vehicle and crash risk factors higher for MV mortality on Indian lands.

Fatal Pediatric Motor Vehicle Crashes on U.S. Native American Indian Lands Compared to Adjacent Non-Indian Lands: Restraint Use and Injury by Driver, Vehicle, Roadway and Crash Characteristics

PubMed Central

Oh, Shin Ah; Liu, Chang

2017-01-01

There are large disparities in American Indian pediatric motor vehicle (MV) mortality with reports that several factors may contribute. The Fatality Analysis Reporting System for 2000–2014 was used to examine restraint use for occupants aged 0–19 years involved in fatal MV crashes on Indian lands (n = 1667) and non-Indian lands in adjacent states (n = 126,080). SAS GLIMMIX logistic regression with random effects was used to generate odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Restraint use increased in both areas over the study period with restraint use on Indian lands being just over half that of non-Indian lands for drivers (36.8% vs. 67.8%, p < 0.0001) and for pediatric passengers (33.1% vs. 59.3%, p < 0.0001). Driver restraint was the strongest predictor of passenger restraint on both Indian and non-Indian lands exerting a stronger effect in ages 13–19 than in 0–12 year olds. Valid licensed driver was a significant predictor of restraint use in ages 0–12 years. Passengers in non-cars (SUVs, vans and pickup trucks) were less likely to be restrained. Restraint use improved over the study period in both areas, but disparities failed to narrow as restraint use remains lower and driver, vehicle and crash risk factors higher for MV mortality on Indian lands. PMID:29068393

Perseus B Landing on Runway

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

generation of the Perseus design, which began with the Perseus Proof-Of-Concept aircraft. Perseus was initially developed as part of NASA's Small High-Altitude Science Aircraft (SHASA) program, which later evolved into the ERAST project. The Perseus Proof-Of-Concept aircraft first flew in November 1991 and made three low-altitude flights within a month to validate the Perseus aerodynamic model and flight control systems. Next came the redesigned Perseus A, which incorporated a closed-cycle combustion system that mixed oxygen carried aboard the aircraft with engine exhaust to compensate for the thin air at high altitudes. The Perseus A was towed into the air by a ground vehicle and its engine started after it became airborne. Prior to landing, the engine was stopped, the propeller locked in horizontal position, and the Perseus A glided to a landing on its unique bicycle-type landing gear. Two Perseus A aircraft were built and made 21 flights in 1993-1994. One of the Perseus A aircraft reached over 50,000 feet in altitude on its third test flight. Although one of the Perseus A aircraft was destroyed in a crash after a vertical gyroscope failed in flight, the other aircraft completed its test program and remains on display at Aurora's facility in Manassas. Perseus B first flew Oct. 7, 1994, and made two flights in 1996 before being damaged in a hard landing on the dry lakebed after a propeller shaft failure. After a number of improvements and upgrades-including extending the original 58.5-foot wingspan to 71.5 feet to enhance high-altitude performance--the Perseus B returned to Dryden in the spring of 1998 for a series of four flights. Thereafter, a series of modifications were made including external fuel pods on the wing that more than doubled the fuel capacity to 100 gallons. Engine power was increased by more than 20 percent by boosting the turbocharger output. Fuel consumption was reduced with fuel control modifications and a leaner fuel-air mixture that did not compromise

Description of a landing site indicator (LASI) for light aircraft operation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fuller, H. V.; Outlaw, B. K. E.

1976-01-01

An experimental cockpit mounted head-up type display system was developed and evaluated by LaRC pilots during the landing phase of light aircraft operations. The Landing Site Indicator (LASI) system display consists of angle of attack, angle of sideslip, and indicated airspeed images superimposed on the pilot's view through the windshield. The information is made visible to the pilot by means of a partially reflective viewing screen which is suspended directly in frot of the pilot's eyes. Synchro transmitters are operated by vanes, located at the left wing tip, which sense angle of attack and sideslip angle. Information is presented near the center of the display in the form of a moving index on a fixed grid. The airspeed is sensed by a pitot-static pressure transducer and is presented in numerical form at the top center of the display.

Flight Testing a Real-Time Hazard Detection System for Safe Lunar Landing on the Rocket-Powered Morpheus Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trawny, Nikolas; Huertas, Andres; Luna, Michael E.; Villalpando, Carlos Y.; Martin, Keith E.; Carson, John M.; Johnson, Andrew E.; Restrepo, Carolina; Roback, Vincent E.

2015-01-01

The Hazard Detection System (HDS) is a component of the ALHAT (Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology) sensor suite, which together provide a lander Guidance, Navigation and Control (GN&C) system with the relevant measurements necessary to enable safe precision landing under any lighting conditions. The HDS consists of a stand-alone compute element (CE), an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), and a gimbaled flash LIDAR sensor that are used, in real-time, to generate a Digital Elevation Map (DEM) of the landing terrain, detect candidate safe landing sites for the vehicle through Hazard Detection (HD), and generate hazard-relative navigation (HRN) measurements used for safe precision landing. Following an extensive ground and helicopter test campaign, ALHAT was integrated onto the Morpheus rocket-powered terrestrial test vehicle in March 2014. Morpheus and ALHAT then performed five successful free flights at the simulated lunar hazard field constructed at the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at Kennedy Space Center, for the first time testing the full system on a lunar-like approach geometry in a relevant dynamic environment. During these flights, the HDS successfully generated DEMs, correctly identified safe landing sites and provided HRN measurements to the vehicle, marking the first autonomous landing of a NASA rocket-powered vehicle in hazardous terrain. This paper provides a brief overview of the HDS architecture and describes its in-flight performance.

Friction evaluation of unpaved, gypsum-surface runways at Northrup Strip, White Sands Missile Range, in support of Space Shuttle Orbiter landing and retrieval operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yager, T. J.; Horne, W. B.

1980-01-01

Friction measurement results obtained on the gypsum surface runways at Northrup Strip, White Sands Missile Range, N. M., using an instrumented tire test vehicle and a diagonal braked vehicle, are presented. These runways were prepared to serve as backup landing and retrieval sites to the primary sites located at Dryden Flight Research Center for shuttle orbiter during initial test flights. Similar friction data obtained on paved and other unpaved surfaces was shown for comparison and to indicate that the friction capability measured on the dry gypsum surface runways is sufficient for operations with the shuttle orbiter and the Boeing 747 aircraft. Based on these ground vehicle friction measurements, estimates of shuttle orbiter and aircraft tire friction performance are presented and discussed. General observations concerning the gypsum surface characteristics are also included and several recommendations are made for improving and maintaining adequate surface friction capabilities prior to the first shuttle orbiter landing.

Capabilities of unmanned aircraft vehicles for low altitude weed detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pflanz, Michael; Nordmeyer, Henning

2014-05-01

Sustainable crop production and food security require a consumer and environmental safe plant protection. It is recently known, that precise weed monitoring approaches could help apply pesticides corresponding to field variability. In this regard the site-specific weed management may contribute to an application of herbicides with higher ecologically aware and economical savings. First attempts of precision agriculture date back to the 1980's. Since that time, remote sensing from satellites or manned aircrafts have been investigated and used in agricultural practice, but are currently inadequate for the separation of weeds in an early growth stage from cultivated plants. In contrast, low-cost image capturing at low altitude from unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) provides higher spatial resolution and almost real-time processing. Particularly, rotary-wing aircrafts are suitable for precise path or stationary flight. This minimises motion blur and provides better image overlapping for stitching and mapping procedures. Through improved image analyses and the recent increase in the availability of microcontrollers and powerful batteries for UAVs, it can be expected that the spatial mapping of weeds will be enhanced in the future. A six rotors microcopter was equipped with a modified RGB camera taking images from agricultural fields. The hexacopter operates within predefined pathways at adjusted altitudes (from 5 to 10 m) by using GPS navigation. Different scenarios of optical weed detection have been carried out regarding to variable altitude, image resolution, weed and crop growth stages. Our experiences showed high capabilities for site-specific weed control. Image analyses with regard to recognition of weed patches can be used to adapt herbicide application to varying weed occurrence across a field.

Distributed Turboelectric Propulsion for Hybrid Wing Body Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Hyun Dae; Brown, Gerald V.; Felder, James L.

2008-01-01

Meeting future goals for aircraft and air traffic system performance will require new airframes with more highly integrated propulsion. Previous studies have evaluated hybrid wing body (HWB) configurations with various numbers of engines and with increasing degrees of propulsion-airframe integration. A recently published configuration with 12 small engines partially embedded in a HWB aircraft, reviewed herein, serves as the airframe baseline for the new concept aircraft that is the subject of this paper. To achieve high cruise efficiency, a high lift-to-drag ratio HWB was adopted as the baseline airframe along with boundary layer ingestion inlets and distributed thrust nozzles to fill in the wakes generated by the vehicle. The distributed powered-lift propulsion concept for the baseline vehicle used a simple, high-lift-capable internally blown flap or jet flap system with a number of small high bypass ratio turbofan engines in the airframe. In that concept, the engine flow path from the inlet to the nozzle is direct and does not involve complicated internal ducts through the airframe to redistribute the engine flow. In addition, partially embedded engines, distributed along the upper surface of the HWB airframe, provide noise reduction through airframe shielding and promote jet flow mixing with the ambient airflow. To improve performance and to reduce noise and environmental impact even further, a drastic change in the propulsion system is proposed in this paper. The new concept adopts the previous baseline cruise-efficient short take-off and landing (CESTOL) airframe but employs a number of superconducting motors to drive the distributed fans rather than using many small conventional engines. The power to drive these electric fans is generated by two remotely located gas-turbine-driven superconducting generators. This arrangement allows many small partially embedded fans while retaining the superior efficiency of large core engines, which are physically separated

Endeavour, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 105, atop SCA NASA 911 at Ellington Field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

Endeavour, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 105, atop a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) NASA 911, a modified Boeing 747, is parked on an Ellington Field runway during a stopover on its way to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). A ground crew member, at the top of a mobile stairway, prepares to open NASA 911's hatch to welcome the flight crew to Houston. Others on the runway look up at the massive aircraft carrying the newest addition to the Space Shuttle fleet. This view is a good profile of SCA/OV-105 and shows the orbiter/ aircraft attach points. The spacecraft and aircraft-tandem left Houston later on this day and headed for another stop in Mississippi before landing in Florida on 05-07-91. Ellington Field is near JSC.

Impacts of all terrain vehicles (ATV) on National Forest lands and grasslands [Abstract

Treesearch

Randy B. Foltz; Kristina A. Yanosek

2005-01-01

The US Forest Service has identified unmanaged all terrain vehicle (ATV) use as a threat to forested lands and grasslands. Some undesirable impacts include severely eroded soils, usercreated unplanned roads, disrupted wetland ecosystems, as well as general habitat destruction and degraded water quality throughout forested lands. More insight on how ATV use affects...

STS-38 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, lands on runway 33 at KSC SLF

NASA Image and Video Library

1990-11-20

STS038-S-041 (20 Nov 1990) --- STS-38 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, lands on runway 33 at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF). The main landing gear (MLG) has just touched down on the runway surface as the nose landing gear (NLG) glides above it. The Department of Defense (DOD)-devoted mission came to an end (with complete wheel stop) at 4:43:37 pm (Eastern Standard Time (EST)).

Aerial views of construction on the RLV hangar at the Shuttle Landing Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Looking southwest, this view shows ongoing construction of a multi-purpose hangar, which is part of the $8 million Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Support Complex at Kennedy Space Center. Edging the construction is Sharkey Road, which parallels the landing strip of the Shuttle Landing Facility nearby. The RLV complex will include facilities for related ground support equipment and administrative/ technical support. It will be available to accommodate the Space Shuttle; the X-34 RLV technology demonstrator; the L-1011 carrier aircraft for Pegasus and X-34; and other RLV and X-vehicle programs. The complex is jointly funded by the Spaceport Florida Authority, NASA's Space Shuttle Program and KSC. The facility will be operational in early 2000.

Construction continues on the RLV complex at the Shuttle Landing Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

At the construction site of the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) complex at KSC, a worker takes a measurement. Located near the Shuttle Landing Facility, the complex will include facilities for related ground support equipment and administrative/ technical support. It will be available to accommodate the Space Shuttle; the X-34 RLV technology demonstrator; the L-1011 carrier aircraft for Pegasus and X-34; and other RLV and X-vehicle programs. The complex is jointly funded by the Spaceport Florida Authority, NASA's Space Shuttle Program and KSC. The facility will be operational in early 2000.

Construction continues on the RLV complex at the Shuttle Landing Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Construction is under way for the X-33/X-34 hangar complex near the Shuttle Landing Facility at KSC. The Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) complex will include facilities for related ground support equipment and administrative/ technical support. It will be available to accommodate the Space Shuttle; the X-34 RLV technology demonstrator; the L-1011 carrier aircraft for Pegasus and X-34; and other RLV and X-vehicle programs. The complex is jointly funded by the Spaceport Florida Authority, NASA's Space Shuttle Program and KSC. The facility will be operational in early 2000.

Evaluating source area contributions from aircraft flux measurements over heterogeneous land cover by large eddy simulation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The estimation of spatial patterns in surface fluxes from aircraft observations poses several challenges in presence of heterogeneous land cover. In particular, the effects of turbulence on scalar transport and the different behavior of passive (e.g. moisture) versus active (e.g. temperature) scalar...

Moving base simulation of an ASTOVL lift-fan aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chung, William W. Y.; Borchers, Paul F.; Franklin, James A.

1995-01-01

Using a generalized simulation model, a moving-base simulation of a lift-fan short takeoff/vertical landing fighter aircraft was conducted on the Vertical Motion Simulator at Ames Research Center. Objectives of the experiment were to (1) assess the effects of lift-fan propulsion system design features on aircraft control during transition and vertical flight including integration of lift fan/lift/cruise engine/aerodynamic controls and lift fan/lift/cruise engine dynamic response, (2) evaluate pilot-vehicle interface with the control system and head-up display including control modes for low-speed operational tasks and control mode/display integration, and (3) conduct operational evaluations of this configuration during takeoff, transition, and landing similar to those carried out previously by the Ames team for the mixed-flow, vectored thrust, and augmentor-ejector concepts. Based on results of the simulation, preliminary assessments of acceptable and borderline lift-fan and lift/cruise engine thrust response characteristics were obtained. Maximum pitch, roll, and yaw control power used during transition, hover, and vertical landing were documented. Control and display mode options were assessed for their compatibility with a range of land-based and shipboard operations from takeoff to cruise through transition back to hover and vertical landing. Flying qualities were established for candidate control modes and displays for instrument approaches and vertical landings aboard an LPH assault ship and DD-963 destroyer. Test pilot and engineer teams from the Naval Air Warfare Center, Boeing, Lockheed, McDonnell Douglas, and the British Defence Research Agency participated in the program.

Aerial view of the Shuttle Landing Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

From the air over KSC can be seen the Shuttle Landing Facility. Orbiter landings at the Kennedy Space Center are made on one of the largest runways in the world. The runway is located 3.2 km (2 miles) northwest of the Vehicle Assembly Building and is 4,572 meters (15,000ft) long and 91.4 meters (300ft) wide -- about as wide as the length of a football field. It has 305 meters (1000ft) of paved overruns at each end and the paving thickness is 40.6cm (15 inches) at the center. At left in the photo is the Aircraft Ground Equipment Shed; in the center is the Landing Aids Control Building (LACB) which supports landing operations and houses operations personnel. Located at the northeast corner of the parking apron is the Mate/Demate device (MDD) used to raise and lower the orbiter from its 747 carrier aircraft during ferry operations. The open-truss steel structure is equipped with hoists, adapters and movable platforms for access to certain orbiter components and equipment. It also is equipped with lightning protection devices. The MDD is 45.7 meters (150ft) long, 28.3 meters (93ft) wide and 32 meters (105ft) high. On the landing area in front of the SLF is a T-38 jet airplane.

Constellation Program (CxP) Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) Project Integrated Landing System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baker, John D.; Yuchnovicz, Daniel E.; Eisenman, David J.; Peer, Scott G.; Fasanella, Edward L.; Lawrence, Charles

2009-01-01

Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) Chief Engineer requested a risk comparison of the Integrated Landing System design developed by NASA and the design developed by Contractor- referred to as the LM 604 baseline. Based on the results of this risk comparison, the CEV Chief engineer requested that the NESC evaluate identified risks and develop strategies for their reduction or mitigation. The assessment progressed in two phases. A brief Phase I analysis was performed by the Water versus Land-Landing Team to compare the CEV Integrated Landing System proposed by the Contractor against the NASA TS-LRS001 baseline with respect to risk. A phase II effort examined the areas of critical importance to the overall landing risk, evaluating risk to the crew and to the CEV Crew Module (CM) during a nominal land-landing. The findings of the assessment are contained in this report.

Astronaut Alan Shepard near Lunar Landing Training Vehicle prior to test

NASA Image and Video Library

1970-12-14

S70-56287 (14 Dec. 1970) --- Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr., commander of the Apollo 14 lunar landing mission, stands near a Lunar Landing Training Vehicle (LLTV) prior to a test flight at Ellington Air Force Base, Houston, on Dec. 14, 1970. Shepard will be at the controls of the Apollo 14 Lunar Module (LM) when it lands on the moon in the highlands near Fra Mauro. Astronaut Stuart A. Roosa, command module pilot, will remain with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) in lunar orbit while astronauts Shepard and Edgar D. Mitchell, lunar module pilot, descend in the LM to explore the moon.

The F-18 systems research aircraft facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sitz, Joel R.

1992-01-01

To help ensure that new aerospace initiatives rapidly transition to competitive U.S. technologies, NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility has dedicated a systems research aircraft facility. The primary goal is to accelerate the transition of new aerospace technologies to commercial, military, and space vehicles. Key technologies include more-electric aircraft concepts, fly-by-light systems, flush airdata systems, and advanced computer architectures. Future aircraft that will benefit are the high-speed civil transport and the National AeroSpace Plane. This paper describes the systems research aircraft flight research vehicle and outlines near-term programs.

Automated optimization techniques for aircraft synthesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanderplaats, G. N.

1976-01-01

Application of numerical optimization techniques to automated conceptual aircraft design is examined. These methods are shown to be a general and efficient way to obtain quantitative information for evaluating alternative new vehicle projects. Fully automated design is compared with traditional point design methods and time and resource requirements for automated design are given. The NASA Ames Research Center aircraft synthesis program (ACSYNT) is described with special attention to calculation of the weight of a vehicle to fly a specified mission. The ACSYNT procedures for automatically obtaining sensitivity of the design (aircraft weight, performance and cost) to various vehicle, mission, and material technology parameters are presented. Examples are used to demonstrate the efficient application of these techniques.

Unified Theory for Aircraft Handling Qualities and Adverse Aircraft-Pilot Coupling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hess, R. A.

1997-01-01

A unified theory for aircraft handling qualities and adverse aircraft-pilot coupling or pilot-induced oscillations is introduced. The theory is based on a structural model of the human pilot. A methodology is presented for the prediction of (1) handling qualities levels; (2) pilot-induced oscillation rating levels; and (3) a frequency range in which pilot-induced oscillations are likely to occur. Although the dynamics of the force-feel system of the cockpit inceptor is included, the methodology will not account for effects attributable to control sensitivity and is limited to single-axis tasks and, at present, to linear vehicle models. The theory is derived from the feedback topology of the structural model and an examination of flight test results for 32 aircraft configurations simulated by the U.S. Air Force/CALSPAN NT-33A and Total In-Flight Simulator variable stability aircraft. An extension to nonlinear vehicle dynamics such as that encountered with actuator saturation is discussed.

An area-level model of vehicle-pedestrian injury collisions with implications for land use and transportation planning.

PubMed

Wier, Megan; Weintraub, June; Humphreys, Elizabeth H; Seto, Edmund; Bhatia, Rajiv

2009-01-01

There is growing awareness among urban planning, public health, and transportation professionals that design decisions and investments that promote walking can be beneficial for human and ecological health. Planners need practical tools to consider the impact of development on pedestrian safety, a key requirement for the promotion of walking. Simple bivariate models have been used to predict changes in vehicle-pedestrian injury collisions based on changes in traffic volume. We describe the development of a multivariate, area-level regression model of vehicle-pedestrian injury collisions based on environmental and population data in 176 San Francisco, California census tracts. Predictor variables examined included street, land use, and population characteristics, including commute behaviors. The final model explained approximately 72% of the systematic variation in census-tract vehicle-pedestrian injury collisions and included measures of traffic volume, arterial streets without transit, land area, proportion of land area zoned for neighborhood commercial and residential-neighborhood commercial uses, employee and resident populations, proportion of people living in poverty and proportion aged 65 and older. We have begun to apply this model to predict area-level change in vehicle-pedestrian injury collisions associated with land use development and transportation planning decisions.

Altus I aircraft landing on Edwards lakebed runway 23

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

The remotely-piloted Altus I aircraft lands on Rogers Dry Lake adjacent to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. The short series of test flights sponsored by the Naval Postgraduate School in early August, 1997, were designed to demonstrate the ability of the experimental craft to cruise at altitudes above 40,000 feet for sustained durations. On its final flight Aug. 15, the Altus I reached an altitude of 43,500 feet. The Altus I and its sister ship, the Altus II, are variants of the Predator surveillance drone built by General Atomics/Aeronautical Systems, Inc. They are designed for high-altitude, long-duration scientific sampling missions, and are powered by turbocharged piston engines. The Altus I incorporates a single-stage turbocharger, while the Altus II, built for NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology program, sports a two-stage turbocharger to enable the craft to fly at altitudes above 55,000 feet. The Altus II, the first of the two craft to be completed, made its first flight on May 1, 1996. With its engine augmented by a single-stage turbocharger, the Altus II reached an altitude of 37,000 ft during its first series of development flights at Dryden in Aug., 1996. In Oct. of that year, the Altus II was flown in an Atmospheric Radiation Measurement study for the Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratory in Oklahoma. During the course of those flights, the Altus II set a single-flight endurance record for remotely-operated aircraft of more than 26 hours. The Altus I, completed in 1997, flew a series of development flights at Dryden that summer. Those test flights culminated with the craft reaching an altitude of 43,500 ft while carrying a simulated 300-lb payload, a record for an unmanned aircraft powered by a piston engine augmented with a single-stage turbocharger. The Altus II sustained an altitudeof 55,000 feet for four hours in 1999. A pilot in a control station on the ground flies the craft by radio

Energy Management of Manned Boost-Glide Vehicles: A Historical Perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Day, Richard E.

2004-01-01

As flight progressed from propellers to jets to rockets, the propulsive energy grew exponentially. With the development of rocket-only boosted vehicles, energy management of these boost-gliders became a distinct requirement for the unpowered return to base, alternate landing site, or water-parachute landing, starting with the X-series rocket aircraft and terminating with the present-day Shuttle. The problem presented here consists of: speed (kinetic energy) - altitude (potential energy) - steep glide angles created by low lift-to-drag ratios (L/D) - distance to landing site - and the bothersome effects of the atmospheric characteristics varying with altitude. The primary discussion regards post-boost, stabilized glides; however, the effects of centrifugal and geopotential acceleration are discussed as well. The aircraft and spacecraft discussed here are the X-1, X-2, X-15, and the Shuttle; and to a lesser, comparative extent, Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and lifting bodies. The footprints, landfalls, and methods developed for energy management are also described. The essential tools required for energy management - simulator planning, instrumentation, radar, telemetry, extended land or water range, Mission Control Center (with specialist controllers), and emergency alternate landing sites - were first established through development of early concepts and were then validated by research flight tests.

30 CFR 250.224 - What information on support vessels, offshore vehicles, and aircraft you will use must accompany...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false What information on support vessels, offshore vehicles, and aircraft you will use must accompany the EP? 250.224 Section 250.224 Mineral Resources BUREAU... GAS AND SULPHUR OPERATIONS IN THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF Plans and Information Contents of...

The X-38 vehicle #131R arrives at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-07-11

The X-38 Vehicle 131R, intended to prove the utility of a "lifeboat" crew return vehicle to bring crews home from the International Space Station in the event of an emergency, was unloaded from NASA's Super Guppy transport aircraft on July 11, 2000. The newest X-38 version arrived at Dryden for drop tests from NASA's venerable B-52 mother ship. The tests will evaluate a 7,500 square-foot parafoil intended to permit the CRV to return from space and land in the length of a football field.

The X-38 vehicle #131R arrives at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

The X-38 Vehicle 131R, intended to prove the utility of a 'lifeboat' crew return vehicle to bring crews home from the International Space Station in the event of an emergency, was unloaded from NASA's Super Guppy transport aircraft on July 11, 2000. The newest X-38 version arrived at Dryden for drop tests from NASA's venerable B-52 mother ship. The tests will evaluate a 7,500 square-foot parafoil intended to permit the CRV to return from space and land in the length of a football field.

Evaluation of Lands for Off-Road Recreational Four-Wheel Drive Vehicle Use

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-10-01

21. Hoover, Bob, "Off-Road Vehicle Problem on Public Lands," Proceedings of the 40th Annual Meeting of the Association of Midwest Fish and Wildlife...Trailbike Recreation (U.S. Department of the Interior, Heritage Chonservation and RecreatiýFService, 1978). Planting and Establishment of Trees, Shrubs ...Ground Covers and Vines , TM 5-E3U-4 (DA, 15 June 1976). Pleuther, R. L., A Critique on the Performance of Off-Road Vehicles: Full Scale Test Results

Conceptual Design of a Vertical Takeoff and Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle with 24-HR Endurance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fredericks, William J.

2010-01-01

This paper describes a conceptual design study for a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is able to carry a 25-lb science payload for 24 hr and is able to land and take off at elevations as high as 15,000 ft without human intervention. In addition to the science payload, this vehicle must be able to carry a satellite communication system, and the vehicle must be able to be transported in a standard full-size pickup truck and assembled by only two operators. This project started with a brainstorming phase to devise possible vehicle configurations that might satisfy the requirements. A down select was performed to select a near-term solution and two advanced vehicle concepts that are better suited to the intent of the mission. Sensitivity analyses were also performed on the requirements and the technology levels to obtain a better understanding of the design space. This study found that within the study assumptions the mission is feasible; the selected concepts are recommended for further development.

Statistical analysis of landing contact conditions for three lifting body research vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larson, R. R.

1972-01-01

The landing contact conditions for the HL-10, M2-F2/F3, and the X-24A lifting body vehicles are analyzed statistically for 81 landings. The landing contact parameters analyzed are true airspeed, peak normal acceleration at the center of gravity, roll angle, and roll velocity. Ground measurement parameters analyzed are lateral and longitudinal distance from intended touchdown, lateral distance from touchdown to full stop, and rollout distance. The results are presented in the form of histograms for frequency distributions and cumulative frequency distribution probability curves with a Pearson Type 3 curve fit for extrapolation purposes.

Study of aerodynamic technology for VSTOL fighter attack aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burhans, W., Jr.; Crafta, V. J., Jr.; Dannenhoffer, N.; Dellamura, F. A.; Krepski, R. E.

1978-01-01

Vertical short takeoff aircraft capability, supersonic dash capability, and transonic agility were investigated for the development of Fighter/attack aircraft to be accommodated on ships smaller than present aircraft carriers. Topics covered include: (1) description of viable V/STOL fighter/attack configuration (a high wing, close-coupled canard, twin-engine, control configured aircraft) which meets or exceeds specified levels of vehicle performance; (2) estimates of vehicle aerodynamic characteristics and the methodology utilized to generate them; (3) description of propulsion system characteristics and vehicle mass properties; (4) identification of areas of aerodynamic uncertainty; and (5) a test program to investigate the areas of aerodynamic uncertainty in the conventional flight mode.

Measurements and analysis of aircraft airframe noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Putnam, T. W.; Lasagna, P. L.; White, K. C.

1975-01-01

Flyover measurements of the airframe noise of AeroCommander, JetStar, CV-990, and B-747 aircraft are presented. Data are shown for both cruise and landing configurations. Correlations between airframe noise and aircraft parameters are developed and presented. The landing approach airframe noise for the test aircraft was approximately 10 EPNdB below present FAA certification requirements.

32 CFR 855.14 - Unauthorized landings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Unauthorized landings. 855.14 Section 855.14 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE AIRCRAFT CIVIL AIRCRAFT USE OF UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AIRFIELDS Civil Aircraft Landing Permits § 855.14 Unauthorized landings...

Entry, Descent, and Landing Performance for a Mid-Lift-to-Drag Ratio Vehicle at Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Breanna J.; Braden, Ellen M.; Sostaric, Ronald R.; Cerimele, Christopher J.; Lu, Ping

2018-01-01

In an effort to mature the design of the Mid-Lift-to-Drag ratio Rigid Vehicle (MRV) candidate of the NASA Evolvable Mars Campaign (EMC) architecture study, end-to-end six-degree-of-freedom (6DOF) simulations are needed to ensure a successful entry, descent, and landing (EDL) design. The EMC study is assessing different vehicle and mission architectures to determine which candidate would be best to deliver a 20 metric ton payload to the surface of Mars. Due to the large mass payload and the relatively low atmospheric density of Mars, all candidates of the EMC study propose to use Supersonic Retro-Propulsion (SRP) throughout the descent and landing phase, as opposed to parachutes, in order to decelerate to a subsonic touchdown. This paper presents a 6DOF entry-to-landing performance and controllability study with sensitivities to dispersions, particularly in the powered descent and landing phases.

Landmark navigation and autonomous landing approach with obstacle detection for aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuerst, Simon; Werner, Stefan; Dickmanns, Dirk; Dickmanns, Ernst D.

1997-06-01

A machine perception system for aircraft and helicopters using multiple sensor data for state estimation is presented. By combining conventional aircraft sensor like gyros, accelerometers, artificial horizon, aerodynamic measuring devices and GPS with vision data taken by conventional CCD-cameras mounted on a pan and tilt platform, the position of the craft can be determined as well as the relative position to runways and natural landmarks. The vision data of natural landmarks are used to improve position estimates during autonomous missions. A built-in landmark management module decides which landmark should be focused on by the vision system, depending on the distance to the landmark and the aspect conditions. More complex landmarks like runways are modeled with different levels of detail that are activated dependent on range. A supervisor process compares vision data and GPS data to detect mistracking of the vision system e.g. due to poor visibility and tries to reinitialize the vision system or to set focus on another landmark available. During landing approach obstacles like trucks and airplanes can be detected on the runway. The system has been tested in real-time within a hardware-in-the-loop simulation. Simulated aircraft measurements corrupted by noise and other characteristic sensor errors have been fed into the machine perception system; the image processing module for relative state estimation was driven by computer generated imagery. Results from real-time simulation runs are given.

Terminal area automatic navigation, guidance, and control research using the Microwave Landing System (MLS). Part 2: RNAV/MLS transition problems for aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pines, S.

1982-01-01

The problems in navigation and guidance encountered by aircraft in the initial transition period in changing from distance measuring equipment, VORTAC, and barometric instruments to the more precise microwave landing system data type navaids in the terminal area are investigated. The effects of the resulting discontinuities on the estimates of position and velocity for both optimal (Kalman type navigation schemes) and fixed gain (complementary type) navigation filters, and the effects of the errors in cross track, track angle, and altitude on the guidance equation and control commands during the critical landing phase are discussed. A method is presented to remove the discontinuities from the navigation loop and to reconstruct an RNAV path designed to land the aircraft with minimal turns and altitude changes.

STS-33 Discovery, OV-103, approached by service vehicles after landing

NASA Image and Video Library

1989-11-27

STS033-S-017 (27 Nov 1989) --- The Space Shuttle Discovery is approached by safing vehicles and team members following its late-afternoon landing at Edwards Air Force Base in southern California. A five member crew aboard had just completed the DOD-devoted STS-33 mission. The landing occurred at 16:31:02 p.m. (PST), Nov. 27, 1989. Onboard Discovery for the mission and still aboard the craft when this photo was made were Astronauts Frederick D. Gregory, John E. Blaha, Kathryn C. Thornton, F. Story Musgrave and Manley L. Carter.

STS-29 Discovery, OV-103, lands on Edwards AFB concrete runway 22

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

STS-29 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, main landing gear (MLG) touches down at a speed of approximately 205 knots (235 miles per hour) on concrete runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), California. Nose landing gear (NLG) is deployed and rides above runway surface prior touchdown. Rear view captures OV-103 as it glides past photographer to wheel stop showing the tail section (speedbrake/rudder) and three space shuttle main engines (SSMEs). Mojave desert scrub brush appears in the foreground with aircraft hangar appearing in the background.

Future V/STOL Aircraft For The Pacific Basin

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Albers, James A.; Zuk, John

1992-01-01

Report describes geography and transportation needs of Asian Pacific region, and describes aircraft configurations suitable for region and compares performances. Examines applications of high-speed rotorcraft, vertical/short-takeoff-and-landing (V/STOL) aircraft, and short-takeoff-and landing (STOL) aircraft. Configurations benefit commerce, tourism, and development of resources.

32 CFR 766.12 - Unauthorized landings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 5 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Unauthorized landings. 766.12 Section 766.12... DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY AVIATION FACILITIES BY CIVIL AIRCRAFT § 766.12 Unauthorized landings. An aircraft that... authority, except in a bona fide emergency, is in violation of this part. Civil aircraft landing in...

Construction continues on the RLV complex at the Shuttle Landing Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

At the construction site of the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) complex at KSC, workers take measurements for one of the buildings. Located near the Shuttle Landing Facility, the complex will include facilities for related ground support equipment and administrative/ technical support. It will be available to accommodate the Space Shuttle; the X-34 RLV technology demonstrator; the L-1011 carrier aircraft for Pegasus and X-34; and other RLV and X-vehicle programs. The complex is jointly funded by the Spaceport Florida Authority, NASA's Space Shuttle Program and KSC. The facility will be operational in early 2000.

VSTOL Systems Research Aircraft (VSRA) Harrier

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

NASA's Ames Research Center has developed and is testing a new integrated flight and propulsion control system that will help pilots land aircraft in adverse weather conditions and in small confined ares (such as, on a small ship or flight deck). The system is being tested in the V/STOL (Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing) Systems research Aircraft (VSRA), which is a modified version of the U.S. Marine Corps's AV-8B Harrier jet fighter, which can take off and land vertically. The new automated flight control system features both head-up and panel-mounted computer displays and also automatically integrates control of the aircraft's thrust and thrust vector control, thereby reducing the pilot's workload and help stabilize the aircraft for landing. Visiting pilots will be encouraged to test the new system and provide formal evaluation flights data and feedback. An actual flight test and the display panel of control system are shown in this video.

Eclipse program C-141A aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

This photograph shows the Air Force C-141A that was used in the Eclipse project as a tow vehicle. In 1997 and 1998, the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California, supported and hosted a Kelly Space & Technology, Inc. project called Eclipse, which sought to demonstrate the feasibility of a reusable tow-launch vehicle concept. The project goal was to successfully tow, inflight, a modified QF-106 delta-wing aircraft with an Air Force C-141A transport aircraft. This would demonstrate the possibility of towing and launching an actual launch vehicle from behind a tow plane. Dryden was the responsible test organization and had flight safety responsibility for the Eclipse project. Dryden provided engineering, instrumentation, simulation, modification, maintenance, range support, and research pilots for the test program. The Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC), Edwards, California, supplied the C-141A transport aircraft and crew and configured the aircraft as needed for the tests. The AFFTC also provided the concept and detail design and analysis as well as hardware for the tow system and QF-106 modifications. Dryden performed the modifications to convert the QF-106 drone into the piloted EXD-01 (Eclipse eXperimental Demonstrator-01) experimental aircraft. Kelly Space & Technology hoped to use the results gleaned from the tow test in developing a series of low-cost, reusable launch vehicles. These tests demonstrated the validity of towing a delta-wing aircraft having high wind loading, validated the tow simulation model, and demonstrated various operational procedures, such as ground processing of in-flight maneuvers and emergency abort scenarios.

The second X-43A hypersonic research vehicle, mounted under the right wing of the B-52B launch aircraft, viewed from the B-52 cockpit

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-03-27

The second X-43A hypersonic research vehicle, mounted under the right wing of the B-52B launch aircraft, viewed from the B-52 cockpit. The crew is working on closing out the research vehicle, preparing it for flight.

In-Service Evaluation of HVOF Coated Main Landing Gear on Navy P-3 Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Devereaux, jon L.; Forrest, Clint

2008-01-01

Due to the environmental and health concerns with Electroplated Hard Chrome (EHC), the Hard Chrome Alternatives Team (HCAT) has been working to provide an alternative wear coating for EHC. The US Navy selected Tungsten-Carbide Cobalt (WC- 17Co) High Velocity Oxy-Fuel (HVOF) thermal spray coating for this purpose and completed service evaluations on select aircraft components to support the HCAT charter in identifying an alternative wear coating for chrome plating. Other benefits of WC-Co thermal spray coatings over EHC are enhanced corrosion resistance, improved durability, and exceptional wear properties. As part of the HCAT charter and to evaluate HVOF coatings on operational Navy components, the P-3 aircraft was selected for a service evaluation to determine the coating durability as compared to chrome plating. In April 1999, a VP-30 P-3 aircraft was outfitted with a right-hand Main Landing Gear (MLG) shock strut coated with WCCo HYOF thermal spray applied to the piston barrel and four axle journals. The HVOF coating on the piston barrel and axle journals was applied by Southwest United Industries, Inc. This HVOF coated strut assembly has since completed 6,378 landings. Teardown analysis .for this WC-Co HVOF coated MLG asset is significant in assessing the durability of this wear coating in service relative to EHC and to substantiate Life Cycle Cost (LCC) data to support a retrograde transition from EHC to HVOF thermal spray coatings. Findings from this teardown analysis may also benefit future transitions to HVOF thermal spray coatings by identifying enhancements to finishing techniques, mating bearing and liner material improvements, improved seal materials, and improvements in HVOF coating selection.

Localization Framework for Real-Time UAV Autonomous Landing: An On-Ground Deployed Visual Approach.

PubMed

Kong, Weiwei; Hu, Tianjiang; Zhang, Daibing; Shen, Lincheng; Zhang, Jianwei

2017-06-19

[-5]One of the greatest challenges for fixed-wing unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs) is safe landing. Hereafter, an on-ground deployed visual approach is developed in this paper. This approach is definitely suitable for landing within the global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-denied environments. As for applications, the deployed guidance system makes full use of the ground computing resource and feedbacks the aircraft's real-time localization to its on-board autopilot. Under such circumstances, a separate long baseline stereo architecture is proposed to possess an extendable baseline and wide-angle field of view (FOV) against the traditional fixed baseline schemes. Furthermore, accuracy evaluation of the new type of architecture is conducted by theoretical modeling and computational analysis. Dataset-driven experimental results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the developed approach.

Analytic study of orbiter landing profiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, H. J.

1981-01-01

A broad survey of possible orbiter landing configurations was made with specific goals of defining boundaries for the landing task. The results suggest that the center of the corridors between marginal and routine represents a more or less optimal preflare condition for regular operations. Various constraints used to define the boundaries are based largely on qualitative judgements from earlier flight experience with the X-15 and lifting body research aircraft. The results should serve as useful background for expanding and validating landing simulation programs. The analytic approach offers a particular advantage in identifying trends due to the systematic variation of factors such as vehicle weight, load factor, approach speed, and aim point. Limitations such as a constant load factor during the flare and using a fixed gear deployment time interval, can be removed by increasing the flexibility of the computer program. This analytic definition of landing profiles of the orbiter may suggest additional studies, includin more configurations or more comparisons of landing profiles within and beyond the corridor boundaries.

Development and evaluation of automatic landing control laws for light wing loading STOL aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feinreich, B.; Degani, O.; Gevaert, G.

1981-01-01

Automatic flare and decrab control laws were developed for NASA's experimental Twin Otter. This light wing loading STOL aircraft was equipped with direct lift control (DLC) wing spoilers to enhance flight path control. Automatic landing control laws that made use of the spoilers were developed, evaluated in a simulation and the results compared with these obtained for configurations that did not use DLC. The spoilers produced a significant improvement in performance. A simulation that could be operated faster than real time in order to provide statistical landing data for a large number of landings over a wide spectrum of disturbances in a short time was constructed and used in the evaluation and refinement of control law configurations. A longitudinal control law that had been previously developed and evaluated in flight was also simulated and its performance compared with that of the control laws developed. Runway alignment control laws were also defined, evaluated, and refined to result in a final recommended configuration. Good landing performance, compatible with Category 3 operation into STOL runways, was obtained.

Human Factors Lessons Learned from Flight Testing Wingless Lifting Body Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merlin, Peter William

2014-01-01

Since the 1960s, NASA, the Air Force, and now private industry have attempted to develop an operational human crewed reusable spacecraft with a wingless, lifting body configuration. This type of vehicle offers increased mission flexibility and greater reentry cross range than capsule type craft, and is particularly attractive due to the capability to land on a runway. That capability, however, adds complexity to the human factors engineering requirements of developing such aircraft.

Eclipse program C-141A aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

This photograph shows the Air Force C-141A that was used in the Eclipse project as a tow vehicle. The project used a QF-106 interceptor aircraft to simulate a future orbiter, which would be towed to a high altitude and released to fire its own engines and carry a payload into space. In 1997 and 1998, the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California, supported and hosted a Kelly Space & Technology, Inc. project called Eclipse, which sought to demonstrate the feasibility of a reusable tow-launch vehicle concept. The project goal was to successfully tow, inflight, a modified QF-106 delta-wing aircraft with an Air Force C-141A transport aircraft. This would demonstrate the possibility of towing and launching an actual launch vehicle from behind a tow plane. Dryden was the responsible test organization and had flight safety responsibility for the Eclipse project. Dryden provided engineering, instrumentation, simulation, modification, maintenance, range support, and research pilots for the test program. The Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC), Edwards, California, supplied the C-141A transport aircraft and crew and configured the aircraft as needed for the tests. The AFFTC also provided the concept and detail design and analysis as well as hardware for the tow system and QF-106 modifications. Dryden performed the modifications to convert the QF-106 drone into the piloted EXD-01 (Eclipse eXperimental Demonstrator-01) experimental aircraft. Kelly Space & Technology hoped to use the results gleaned from the tow test in developing a series of low-cost, reusable launch vehicles. These tests demonstrated the validity of towing a delta-wing aircraft having high wing loading, validated the tow simulation model, and demonstrated various operational procedures, such as ground processing of in-flight maneuvers and emergency abort scenarios.

Interfacing and Verifying ALHAT Safe Precision Landing Systems with the Morpheus Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carson, John M., III; Hirsh, Robert L.; Roback, Vincent E.; Villalpando, Carlos; Busa, Joseph L.; Pierrottet, Diego F.; Trawny, Nikolas; Martin, Keith E.; Hines, Glenn D.

2015-01-01

The NASA Autonomous precision Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT) project developed a suite of prototype sensors to enable autonomous and safe precision landing of robotic or crewed vehicles under any terrain lighting conditions. Development of the ALHAT sensor suite was a cross-NASA effort, culminating in integration and testing on-board a variety of terrestrial vehicles toward infusion into future spaceflight applications. Terrestrial tests were conducted on specialized test gantries, moving trucks, helicopter flights, and a flight test onboard the NASA Morpheus free-flying, rocket-propulsive flight-test vehicle. To accomplish these tests, a tedious integration process was developed and followed, which included both command and telemetry interfacing, as well as sensor alignment and calibration verification to ensure valid test data to analyze ALHAT and Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) performance. This was especially true for the flight test campaign of ALHAT onboard Morpheus. For interfacing of ALHAT sensors to the Morpheus flight system, an adaptable command and telemetry architecture was developed to allow for the evolution of per-sensor Interface Control Design/Documents (ICDs). Additionally, individual-sensor and on-vehicle verification testing was developed to ensure functional operation of the ALHAT sensors onboard the vehicle, as well as precision-measurement validity for each ALHAT sensor when integrated within the Morpheus GNC system. This paper provides some insight into the interface development and the integrated-systems verification that were a part of the build-up toward success of the ALHAT and Morpheus flight test campaigns in 2014. These campaigns provided valuable performance data that is refining the path toward spaceflight infusion of the ALHAT sensor suite.

41 CFR 301-10.201 - For what purposes may I use a Government vehicle other than a Government aircraft?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... when public transportation is unavailable or its use is impractical; (c) Between either paragraph (a... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false For what purposes may I use a Government vehicle other than a Government aircraft? 301-10.201 Section 301-10.201 Public...

Airborne Simulation of Launch Vehicle Dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gilligan, Eric T.; Miller, Christopher J.; Hanson, Curtis E.; Orr, Jeb S.

2014-01-01

In this paper we present a technique for approximating the short-period dynamics of an exploration-class launch vehicle during flight test with a high-performance surrogate aircraft in relatively benign endoatmospheric flight conditions. The surrogate vehicle relies upon a nonlinear dynamic inversion scheme with proportional-integral feedback to drive a subset of the aircraft states into coincidence with the states of a time-varying reference model that simulates the unstable rigid body dynamics, servodynamics, and parasitic elastic and sloshing dynamics of the launch vehicle. The surrogate aircraft flies a constant pitch rate trajectory to approximate the boost phase gravity-turn ascent, and the aircraft's closed-loop bandwidth is sufficient to simulate the launch vehicle's fundamental lateral bending and sloshing modes by exciting the rigid body dynamics of the aircraft. A novel control allocation scheme is employed to utilize the aircraft's relatively fast control effectors in inducing various failure modes for the purposes of evaluating control system performance. Sufficient dynamic similarity is achieved such that the control system under evaluation is optimized for the full-scale vehicle with no changes to its parameters, and pilot-control system interaction studies can be performed to characterize the effects of guidance takeover during boost. High-fidelity simulation and flight test results are presented that demonstrate the efficacy of the design in simulating the Space Launch System (SLS) launch vehicle dynamics using NASA Dryden Flight Research Center's Full-scale Advanced Systems Testbed (FAST), a modified F/A-18 airplane, over a range of scenarios designed to stress the SLS's adaptive augmenting control (AAC) algorithm.

A Simulation Study on Take-Off and Landing Dynamics of the Aircraft of a Fly-By-Wire Control System

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-01-07

L:V,"DIN G DYN;AMICS OF THE AIRCRAFT OF A FLY-BY-WIRE CONTROL SYSTEM by Y achang Feng, Gang Chert, Peiqiong Li 93-00985 Distribution unlimit ed. FASTC...FLY-BY-WIRE CONTROL SYSTEM By: Yachang Feng, Gang Chen, Peiqiong- Li English pages: 17 Source: Hangkon, Xuebao, Vol. 12, No. 6, June, 1991; pp. 252-258...Landing Dynamics of the Aircraft of a Fly-By-Wire Control System Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics Yachang FENG, Gang CHEN and Peiqiong Li

Off-road vehicles affect nesting behaviour and reproductive success of American Oystercatchers Haematopus palliatus

USGS Publications Warehouse

Borneman, Tracy E.; Rose, Eli T.; Simons, Theodore R.

2016-01-01

As human populations and associated development increase, interactions between humans and wildlife are occurring with greater frequency. The effects of these interactions, particularly on species whose populations are declining, are of great interest to ecologists, conservationists, land managers and natural resource policy-makers. The American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus, a species of conservation concern in the USA, nests on coastal beaches subject to various forms of anthropogenic disturbance, including aircraft overflights, off-road vehicles and pedestrians. This study assessed the effects of these human disturbances on the incubation behaviour and reproductive success of nesting American Oystercatchers at Cape Lookout National Seashore, on the Atlantic coast of the USA. We expanded on-going monitoring of Oystercatchers at Cape Lookout National Seashore by supplementing periodic visual observations with continuous 24-h video and audio recording at nests. Aircraft overflights were not associated with changes in Oystercatcher incubation behaviour, and we found no evidence that aircraft overflights influenced Oystercatcher reproductive success. However, Oystercatchers were on their nests significantly less often during off-road vehicle and pedestrian events than they were during control periods before the events, and an increase in the number of off-road vehicles passing a nest during incubation was consistently associated with significant reductions in daily nest survival (6% decrease in daily nest survival for a one-vehicle increase in the average number of vehicles passing a nest each day; odds ratio = 0.94; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.90, 0.98) and hatching success (12% decrease in hatching success for a one-vehicle increase in the average number of vehicles passing a nest each day; odds ratio = 0.88; 95% CI 0.76, 0.97). Management of vehicles and pedestrians in areas of Oystercatcher breeding is important for the conservation of American

Active Structural Control for Aircraft Efficiency with the X-56A Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ouellette, Jeffrey

2015-01-01

The X-56A Multi-Utility Technology Testbed is an experimental aircraft designed to study active control of flexible structures. The vehicle is easily reconfigured to allow for testing of different configurations. The vehicle is being used to study new sensor, actuator, modeling and controls technologies. These new technologies will allow for lighter vehicles and new configurations that exceed the efficiency currently achievable. A description of the vehicle and the current research efforts that it enables are presented.

STS-31 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, lands on EAFB concrete runway 22

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

The main landing gear (MLG) of Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, rides along concrete runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), California, bringing mission STS-31 to an end. The nose landing gear (NLG) is suspended above the runway prior to touchdown and wheel stop which occurred at 6:51:00 am (Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)). View shows OV-103's starboard side and deployed rudder/speedbrake. EAFB facilities are seen in the distance.

Research Pilot Milt Thompson in M2-F2 Aircraft Attached to B-52 Mothership

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1966-01-01

NASA research pilot Milt Thompson sits in the M2-F2 'heavyweight' lifting body research vehicle before a 1966 test flight. The M2-F2 and the other lifting-body designs were all attached to a wing pylon on NASA's B-52 mothership and carried aloft. The vehicles were then drop-launched and, at the end of their flights, glided back to wheeled landings on the dry lake or runway at Edwards AFB. The lifting body designs influenced the design of the Space Shuttle and were also reincarnated in the design of the X-38 in the 1990s. NASA B-52, Tail Number 008, is an air launch carrier aircraft, 'mothership,' as well as a research aircraft platform that has been used on a variety of research projects. The aircraft, a 'B' model built in 1952 and first flown on June 11, 1955, is the oldest B-52 in flying status and has been used on some of the most significant research projects in aerospace history. Some of the significant projects supported by B-52 008 include the X-15, the lifting bodies, HiMAT (highly maneuverable aircraft technology), Pegasus, validation of parachute systems developed for the space shuttle program (solid-rocket-booster recovery system and the orbiter drag chute system), and the X-38. The B-52 served as the launch vehicle on 106 X-15 flights and flew a total of 159 captive-carry and launch missions in support of that program from June 1959 to October 1968. Information gained from the highly successful X-15 program contributed to the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo human spaceflight programs as well as space shuttle development. Between 1966 and 1975, the B-52 served as the launch aircraft for 127 of the 144 wingless lifting body flights. In the 1970s and 1980s, the B-52 was the launch aircraft for several aircraft at what is now the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, to study spin-stall, high-angle-of attack, and maneuvering characteristics. These included the 3/8-scale F-15/spin research vehicle (SRV), the HiMAT (Highly Maneuverable Aircraft

Hyper-X Research Vehicle - Artist Concept Mounted on Pegasus Rocket Attached to B-52 Launch Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

This artist's concept depicts the Hyper-X research vehicle riding on a booster rocket prior to being launched by the Dryden Flight Research Center's B-52 at about 40,000 feet. The X-43A was developed to flight test a dual-mode ramjet/scramjet propulsion system at speeds from Mach 7 up to Mach 10 (7 to 10 times the speed of sound, which varies with temperature and altitude). Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, 'air-breathing' engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry

Aurora Flight Sciences' Perseus B Remotely Piloted Aircraft in Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

project. The Perseus Proof-Of-Concept aircraft first flew in November 1991 and made three low-altitude flights within a month to validate the Perseus aerodynamic model and flight control systems. Next came the redesigned Perseus A, which incorporated a closed-cycle combustion system that mixed oxygen carried aboard the aircraft with engine exhaust to compensate for the thin air at high altitudes. The Perseus A was towed into the air by a ground vehicle and its engine started after it became airborne. Prior to landing, the engine was stopped, the propeller locked in horizontal position, and the Perseus A glided to a landing on its unique bicycle-type landing gear. Two Perseus A aircraft were built and made 21 flights in 1993-1994. One of the Perseus A aircraft reached over 50,000 feet in altitude on its third test flight. Although one of the Perseus A aircraft was destroyed in a crash after a vertical gyroscope failed in flight, the other aircraft completed its test program and remains on display at Aurora's facility in Manassas. Perseus B first flew Oct. 7, 1994, and made two flights in 1996 before being damaged in a hard landing on the dry lakebed after a propeller shaft failure. After a number of improvements and upgrades-including extending the original 58.5-foot wingspan to 71.5 feet to enhance high-altitude performance--the Perseus B returned to Dryden in the spring of 1998 for a series of four flights. Thereafter, a series of modifications were made including external fuel pods on the wing that more than doubled the fuel capacity to 100 gallons. Engine power was increased by more than 20 percent by boosting the turbocharger output. Fuel consumption was reduced with fuel control modifications and a leaner fuel-air mixture that did not compromise power. The aircraft again crashed on Oct. 1, 1999, near Barstow, California, suffering moderate damage to the aircraft but no property damage, fire, or injuries in the area of the crash. Perseus B is flown remotely by a pilot

Emergency Highway Landings in General Aviation and the Possible Role of Media Reports.

PubMed

Holzman, Emily; de Voogt, Alex

2017-05-01

To examine the causes and factors of airplane landings on highways and the dangers to occupants of vehicles on the ground. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board online database provided 133 accidents involving a highway landing dating from 2000 to 2013. Supplemental information was sought in online media archives, which reported on 53 of these accidents. Collisions with highway-related objects, other options for landing, and witness accounts were added categories extracted from the narrative statements and media reports. Highway landings occur mostly due to mechanical failures, ineffective preflight or in-flight planning, and fuel exhaustion, in addition to a lack of alternate landing options for a pilot of a fixed-wing aircraft. Most of the landings (N = 108) lead to minor or no injuries at all. A significant proportion of 7 out of 19 collisions with powerlines resulted in a fatality, as opposed to other types of accidents. Collisions with motor vehicles (N = 29) caused minor (N = 23) and serious (N = 2) injuries to people on the ground. Main online media archives covered less than half of all accidents (39.8%). While highway landings are not a recommended landing alternative, mitigation strategies should include a focus on avoiding powerlines and vehicles on the ground. Unfortunately, online media archives are not yet a consistent source of information for general aviation accidents.Holzman E, de Voogt A. Emergency highway landings in general aviation and the possible role of media reports. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2017; 88(5):497-499.

A flight-test and simulation evaluation of the longitudinal final approach and landing performance of an automatic system for a light wing loading STOL aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, S. C.; Hardy, G. H.; Hindson, W. S.

1983-01-01

As part of a comprehensive flight-test program of STOL operating systems for the terminal area, an automatic landing system was developed and evaluated for a light wing loading turboprop aircraft. The aircraft utilized an onboard advanced digital avionics system. Flight tests were conducted at a facility that included a STOL runway site with a microwave landing system. Longitudinal flight-test results were presented and compared with available (basically CTOL) criteria. These comparisons were augmented by results from a comprehensive simulation of the controlled aircraft which included representations of navigation errors that were encountered in flight and atmospheric disturbances. Acceptable performance on final approach and at touchdown was achieved by the autoland (automatic landing) system for the moderate winds and turbulence conditions encountered in flight. However, some touchdown performance goals were marginally achieved, and simulation results suggested that difficulties could be encountered in the presence of more extreme atmospheric conditions. Suggestions were made for improving performance under those more extreme conditions.

Smoke Detection for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sutin, Brian M.; Niu, William; Steiner, George; O'Hara, William; Lewis, John F.

2009-01-01

The Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) requires a smoke detector for the detection of particulate smoke products as part of the Fire Detection and Suppression (FDS) system. The smoke detector described in this paper is an adaptation of a mature commercial aircraft design for manned spaceflight. Changes made to the original design include upgrading the materials and electronic to space-qualified parts, and modifying the mechanical design to withstand launch and landing loads. The results of laboratory characterization of the response of the new design to test particles are presented.

HL-10 after landing with pilot Bill Dana

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1960-01-01

This movie clip, running about 56 seconds, shows NASA pilot Bill Dana exiting the cockpit of the HL-10 and waving to his B-52 drop aircraft, just after landing on the dry lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base, California. A fleet of lifting bodies flown at the NASA Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, from 1963 to l975 demonstrated the ability of pilots to maneuver (in the atmosphere) and safely land a wingless vehicle. These lifting bodies were basically designed so they could fly back to Earth from space and be landed like an aircraft at a pre-determined site. (In 1976 NASA renamed the FRC as the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in honor of Hugh L. Dryden.) These unique research vehicles, with their unconventional aerodynamic shapes, were the M2-F1, M2-F2, M2-F3, HL-10, X-24A, and the X-24B. The information the lifting body program generated contributed to the database that led to development of the current space shuttle program as well as the X-33 and X-38 technology demonstrators. Aerodynamic lift -- essential to flight in the atmosphere -- was obtained from the shape of the vehicles rather than from wings on a normal aircraft. The addition of fins and control surfaces allowed the pilots to stabilize and control the vehicles and regulate their flight paths. All but the M2-F1 were powered by the same type of XLR-11 rocket engine used in the famed Bell X-1 -- first aircraft to fly faster than the speed of sound. The M2-F1, a lightweight prototype, was unpowered. The success of the Dryden M2-F1 program led to the NASA development and construction of two heavyweight lifting bodies based on studies at NASA Ames and Langley research centers -- the M2-F2 and the HL-10, both built by the Northrop Corporation. The 'M' refers to 'manned' and 'F' refers to 'flight' version. 'HL' comes from 'horizontal landing' and '10' is for the tenth lifting body model to be investigated by Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. The HL-10 was delivered to the FRC by Northrop

Aircraft Landing Gear, Ice and Rain Control Systems (Course Outline), Aviation Mechanics 3 (Air Frame):9067.02.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dade County Public Schools, Miami, FL.

This document presents an outline for a 135-hour course designed to familiarize the student with operation, inspection, troubleshooting, and repair of aircraft landing gear, ice and rain control systems. It is designed to help the trainee master the knowledge and skills necessary to become an aviation airframe mechanic. The aviation airframe…

Compound Wing Vertical Takeoff and Landing Small Unmanned Aircraft System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Logan, Michael J. (Inventor); Motter, Mark A. (Inventor); Deloach, Richard (Inventor); Vranas, Thomas L. (Inventor); Prendergast, Joseph M. (Inventor); Lipp, Brittney N. (Inventor)

2017-01-01

Systems, methods, and devices are provided that enable robust operations of a small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) using a compound wing. The various embodiments may provide a sUAS with vertical takeoff and landing capability, long endurance, and the capability to operate in adverse environmental conditions. In the various embodiments a sUAS may include a fuselage and a compound wing comprising a fixed portion coupled to the fuselage, a wing lifting portion outboard of the fixed portion comprising a rigid cross member and a controllable articulating portion configured to rotate controllable through a range of motion from a horizontal position to a vertical position, and a freely rotating wing portion outboard of the wing lifting portion and configured to rotate freely based on wind forces incident on the freely rotating wing portion.

Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Monitoring Department of the Interior Lands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hutt, M. E.; Quirk, B.

2013-12-01

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) technology is quickly evolving and will have a significant impact on Earth science research. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting an operational test and evaluation of UAS to see how this technology supports the mission of the Department of the Interior (DOI). Over the last 4 years, the USGS, working with many partners, has been actively conducting proof of concept UAS operations, which are designed to evaluate the potential of UAS technology to support the mandated DOI scientific, resource and land management missions. UAS technology is being made available to monitor environmental conditions, analyze the impacts of climate change, respond to natural hazards, understand landscape change rates and consequences, conduct wildlife inventories and support related land management and law enforcement missions. Using small UAS (sUAS), the USGS is able to tailor solutions to meet project requirements by obtaining very high resolution video data, acquiring thermal imagery, detecting chemical plumes, and generating digital terrain models at a fraction of the cost of conventional surveying methods. UAS technology is providing a mechanism to collect timely remote sensing data at a low cost and at low risk over DOI lands that can be difficult to monitor and consequently enhances our ability to provide unbiased scientific information to better enable decision makers to make informed decisions. This presentation describes the UAS technology and infrastructure being employed, the application projects already accomplished, lessons learned and future of UAS within the DOI. We fully expect that by 2020 UAS will emerge as a primary platform for all DOI remote sensing applications. Much like the use of Internet technology, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS), UAS have the potential of enabling the DOI to be better stewards of the land.

Lidar Wind Profiler Comparison to Weather Balloon for Support of Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle Landings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Houtas, Franzeska; Teets, Edward H., Jr.

2010-01-01

A comparison study by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA and the Naval Post Graduate School Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Studies, Marina, CA was conducted to show the advantages of an airborne wind profiling lidar system in reducing drift uncertainty along a reentry vehicle descent trajectory. This effort was in support of the once planned Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle ground landing. A Twin Otter Doppler Wind Lidar was flown on multiple flights along the approximate ground track of an ascending weather balloons launched from the Marina Municipal Airport. The airborne lidar used was a 5-milli-Joules, 2-micron infrared laser with a 10-centimeter telescope and a two-axis scanner. Each lidar wind profile contains data for an altitude range between the surface and flight altitude of 2,700 meters, processed on board every 20 seconds. In comparison, a typical weather balloon would traverse that same altitude range with a similar data set available in approximately 15-20 minutes. These tests were conducted on November 15 & 16, 2007. Results comparing the balloon and a 10 minute multiple lidar profile averages show a best case absolute difference of 0.18 m/s (0.35 knots) in speed and 1 degree in direction during light and variable (less than 5 knots, without constant direction) wind conditions. These limited test results indicated a standard deviation wind velocity and direction differences of 0.71 m/s (1.3 knots) and 7.17 degrees for 1800Z, and 0.70 m/s (1.3 knots) and 6.79 degrees, outside of cloud layer.

32 CFR 855.15 - Detaining an aircraft.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Detaining an aircraft. 855.15 Section 855.15 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE AIRCRAFT CIVIL AIRCRAFT USE OF UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AIRFIELDS Civil Aircraft Landing Permits § 855.15 Detaining an aircraft...

32 CFR 855.15 - Detaining an aircraft.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Detaining an aircraft. 855.15 Section 855.15 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE AIRCRAFT CIVIL AIRCRAFT USE OF UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AIRFIELDS Civil Aircraft Landing Permits § 855.15 Detaining an aircraft...

Aircraft tracking and logging for commercial airports

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wren, Lee; Dwyer, David; Thornton, John; Bonsor, Nigel

2002-07-01

Airport congestion is becoming a major problem, with many airports stretched to capacity. Monitoring of airport traffic is becoming of increased importance as airport operators try to maximize their efficiency whilst maintaining a high safety standard. This paper describes a fully automatic electro-optic tracking system, designed to track aircraft whilst on, or near, the runway. The system uses a single camera and several surveyed landmarks to predict the 3D location of the aircraft. Two modes of operation are available: take off and landing, with aircraft statistics recorded for each. Aircraft are tracked until they are clear of the runway, either airborne or having turned off onto a taxiway. Statistics and video imagery are recorded for each aircraft movement, detailing the time interval between landings or take offs, the time taken to clear the runway as well as for landing aircraft, details of approach speed, glide slope, point of touch-down and which exit taxiway was used. This information can be analyzed to monitor efficiency and to highlight violations in any safety regulations.

Design of a Low Cost Short Takeoff-vertical Landing Export Fighter/attack Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Belcher, Anne; Bodeker, Dan, III; Miu, Steve; Petro, Laura; Senf, Cary Taylor; Woeltjen, Donald

1990-01-01

The design of a supersonic short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft is presented that is suitable for export. An advanced four poster, low bypass turbofan engine is to be used for propulsion. Preliminary aerodynamic analysis is presented covering a determination of CD versus CL, CD versus Mach number, as well as best cruise Mach number and altitude. Component locations are presented and center of gravity determined. Cost minimization is achieved through the use of developed subsystems and standard fabrication techniques using nonexotic materials. Conclusions regarding the viability of the STOVL design are presented.

Airborne Simulation of Launch Vehicle Dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Christopher J.; Orr, Jeb S.; Hanson, Curtis E.; Gilligan, Eric T.

2015-01-01

In this paper we present a technique for approximating the short-period dynamics of an exploration-class launch vehicle during flight test with a high-performance surrogate aircraft in relatively benign endoatmospheric flight conditions. The surrogate vehicle relies upon a nonlinear dynamic inversion scheme with proportional-integral feedback to drive a subset of the aircraft states into coincidence with the states of a time-varying reference model that simulates the unstable rigid body dynamics, servodynamics, and parasitic elastic and sloshing dynamics of the launch vehicle. The surrogate aircraft flies a constant pitch rate trajectory to approximate the boost phase gravity turn ascent, and the aircraft's closed-loop bandwidth is sufficient to simulate the launch vehicle's fundamental lateral bending and sloshing modes by exciting the rigid body dynamics of the aircraft. A novel control allocation scheme is employed to utilize the aircraft's relatively fast control effectors in inducing various failure modes for the purposes of evaluating control system performance. Sufficient dynamic similarity is achieved such that the control system under evaluation is configured for the full-scale vehicle with no changes to its parameters, and pilot-control system interaction studies can be performed to characterize the effects of guidance takeover during boost. High-fidelity simulation and flight-test results are presented that demonstrate the efficacy of the design in simulating the Space Launch System (SLS) launch vehicle dynamics using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Armstrong Flight Research Center Fullscale Advanced Systems Testbed (FAST), a modified F/A-18 airplane (McDonnell Douglas, now The Boeing Company, Chicago, Illinois), over a range of scenarios designed to stress the SLS's Adaptive Augmenting Control (AAC) algorithm.

Terminal area automatic navigation, guidance and control research using the Microwave Landing System (MLS). Part 5: Design and development of a Digital Integrated Automatic Landing System (DIALS) for steep final approach using modern control techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halyo, N.

1983-01-01

The design and development of a 3-D Digital Integrated Automatic Landing System (DIALS) for the Terminal Configured Vehicle (TCV) Research Aircraft, a B-737-100 is described. The system was designed using sampled data Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LOG) methods, resulting in a direct digital design with a modern control structure which consists of a Kalman filter followed by a control gain matrix, all operating at 10 Hz. DIALS uses Microwave Landing System (MLS) position, body-mounted accelerometers, as well as on-board sensors usually available on commercial aircraft, but does not use inertial platforms. The phases of the final approach considered are the localizer and glideslope capture which may be performed simultaneously, localizer and steep glideslope track or hold, crab/decrab and flare to touchdown. DIALS captures, tracks and flares from steep glideslopes ranging from 2.5 deg to 5.5 deg, selected prior to glideslope capture. Digital Integrated Automatic Landing System is the first modern control design automatic landing system successfully flight tested. The results of an initial nonlinear simulation are presented here.

X-Wing Research Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

One of the most unusual experimental flight vehicles appearing at NASA's Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (later redesignated Dryden Flight Research Center) in the 1980s was the Rotor Systems Research Aircraft (RSRA) X-Wing aircraft, seen here on the ramp. The craft was developed originally and then modified by Sikorsky Aircraft for a joint NASA-Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program and was rolled out 19 August 1986. Taxi tests and initial low-altitude flight tests without the main rotor attached were carried out at Dryden before the program was terminated in 1988. The unusual aircraft that resulted from the Ames Research Center/Army X-Wing Project was flown at the Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (now Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California, beginning in the spring of 1984, with a follow-on program beginning in 1986. The program, was conceived to provide an efficient combination of the vertical lift characteristic of conventional helicopters and the high cruise speed of fixed-wing aircraft. It consisted of a hybrid vehicle called the NASA/Army Rotor Systems Research Aircraft (RSRA), which was equipped with advanced X-wing rotor systems. The program began in the early 1970s to investigate ways to increase the speed of rotor aircraft, as well as their performance, reliability, and safety . It also sought to reduce the noise, vibration, and maintenance costs of helicopters. Sikorsky Aircraft Division of United Technologies Laboratories built two RSRA aircraft. NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia, did some initial testing and transferred the program to Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California, for an extensive flight research program conducted by Ames and the Army. The purpose of the 1984 tests was to demonstrate the fixed-wing capability of the helicopter/airplane hybrid research vehicle and explore its flight envelope and flying qualities. These tests, flown by Ames pilot G. Warren Hall and Army Maj (soon

75 FR 35329 - Notification and Reporting of Aircraft Accidents or Incidents and Overdue Aircraft, and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-22

...-driven fixed-wing aircraft heavier than air, that is supported in flight by the dynamic reaction of the... reporting of runway incursions: ``Any event in which an aircraft operated by an air carrier: (i) Lands or... during normal operations, such as those involving seaplanes, hot-air balloons, unmanned aircraft systems...

An investigation into the vertical axis control power requirements for landing VTOL type aircraft onboard nonaviation ships in various sea states

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stevens, M. E.; Roskam, J.

1985-01-01

The problem of determining the vertical axis control requirements for landing a VTOL aircraft on a moving ship deck in various sea states is examined. Both a fixed-base piloted simulation and a nonpiloted simulation were used to determine the landing performance as influenced by thrust-to-weight ratio, vertical damping, and engine lags. The piloted simulation was run using a fixed-based simulator at Ames Research center. Simplified versions of an existing AV-8A Harrier model and an existing head-up display format were used. The ship model used was that of a DD963 class destroyer. Simplified linear models of the pilot, aircraft, ship motion, and ship air-wake turbulence were developed for the nonpiloted simulation. A unique aspect of the nonpiloted simulation was the development of a model of the piloting strategy used for shipboard landing. This model was refined during the piloted simulation until it provided a reasonably good representation of observed pilot behavior.

Update of aircraft profile data for the Integrated Noise Model computer program, vol. 3 : appendix B aircraft performance coefficients

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1992-03-01

This report provides aircraft takeoff and landing profiles, : aircraft aerodynamic performance coefficients and engine : performance coefficients for the aircraft data base : (Database 9) in the Integrated Noise Model (INM) computer : program. Flight...

Simulated Rotor Wake Interactions Resulting from Civil Tiltrotor Aircraft Operations Near Vertiport Terminals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Young, Larry A.; Rajagopalan, Ganesh

2013-01-01

A mid-fidelity computational fluid dynamics tool called RotCFD - specifically developed to aid in rotorcraft conceptual design efforts - has been applied to the study of rotor wake interactions of civil tiltrotor aircraft in the immediate vicinity of vertiport/airport ground infrastructure. This issue has grown in importance as previous NASA studies have suggested that civil tiltrotor aircraft can potentially have a significant impact on commercial transport aviation. Current NASA reference designs for such civil tiltrotor aircraft are focused on a size category of 90-120 passengers. Notional concepts of operations include simultaneous non-interfering flight into and out of congested airports having vertiports, that is, prepared VTOL takeoff and landing zones, or underutilized short runways for STOL operation. Such large gross-weight vehicles will be generating very high induced velocities. Inevitably, the interaction of the rotor wake with ground infrastructure such as terminals/jetways must be considered both from an operational as well as design perspective.

Simulation comparison of aircraft landing performance in foggy conditions aided by different UV sensors.

PubMed

Lavigne, Claire; Durand, Gérard; Roblin, Antoine

2009-04-20

In the atmosphere pointlike sources are surrounded by an aureole due to molecular and aerosol scattering. UV phase functions of haze droplets have a very important forward peak that limits signal angular spreading in relation to the clear atmosphere case where Rayleigh scattering predominates. This specific property can be exploited using solar blind UV source detection as an aircraft landing aid under foggy conditions. Two methods have been used to compute UV light propagation, based on the Monte Carlo technique and a semi-empirical approach. Results obtained after addition of three types of sensor and UV runway light models show that an important improvement in landing conditions during foggy weather could be achieved by use of a solar blind UV intensified CCD camera with two stages of microchannel plates.

Launch Vehicle Manual Steering with Adaptive Augmenting Control In-flight Evaluations Using a Piloted Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hanson, Curt

2014-01-01

An adaptive augmenting control algorithm for the Space Launch System has been developed at the Marshall Space Flight Center as part of the launch vehicles baseline flight control system. A prototype version of the SLS flight control software was hosted on a piloted aircraft at the Armstrong Flight Research Center to demonstrate the adaptive controller on a full-scale realistic application in a relevant flight environment. Concerns regarding adverse interactions between the adaptive controller and a proposed manual steering mode were investigated by giving the pilot trajectory deviation cues and pitch rate command authority.

Assessment of dynamic effects on aircraft design loads: The landing impact case

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bronstein, Michael; Feldman, Esther; Vescovini, Riccardo; Bisagni, Chiara

2015-10-01

This paper addresses the potential benefits due to a fully dynamic approach to determine the design loads of a mid-size business jet. The study is conducted by considering the fuselage midsection of the DAEDALOS aircraft model with landing impact conditions. The comparison is presented in terms of stress levels between the novel dynamic approach and the standard design practice based on the use of equivalent static loads. The results illustrate that a slight reduction of the load levels can be achieved, but careful modeling of the damping level is needed. Guidelines for an improved load definition are discussed, and suggestions for future research activities are provided.

Prognostic framing of stakeholders' subjectivities: A case of all-terrain vehicle management on state public lands

Treesearch

Stanley T. Asah; David N. Bengston; Keith Wendt; Leif DeVaney

2012-01-01

Management of all-terrain vehicle (ATV) use on Minnesota state forest lands has a contentious history and land managers are caught between ATV riders, nonmotorized recreationists, private landowners, and environmental advocates. In this paper, we demonstrate the usefulness of framing distinct perspectives about ATV management on Minnesota state public forests,...

A Study of Vehicle Structural Layouts in Post-WWII Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sensmeier, Mark D.; Samareh, Jamshid A.

2004-01-01

In this paper, results of a study of structural layouts of post-WWII aircraft are presented. This study was undertaken to provide the background information necessary to determine typical layouts, design practices, and industry trends in aircraft structural design. Design decisions are often predicated not on performance-related criteria, but rather on such factors as manufacturability, maintenance access, and of course cost. For this reason, a thorough understanding of current best practices in the industry is required as an input for the design optimization process. To determine these best practices and industry trends, a large number of aircraft structural cutaway illustrations were analyzed for five different aircraft categories (commercial transport jets, business jets, combat jet aircraft, single engine propeller aircraft, and twin-engine propeller aircraft). Several aspects of wing design and fuselage design characteristics are presented here for the commercial transport and combat aircraft categories. A great deal of commonality was observed for transport structure designs over a range of eras and manufacturers. A much higher degree of variability in structural designs was observed for the combat aircraft, though some discernable trends were observed as well.

Compilation of Papers Presented to Meeting on Space Vehicle Landing and Recovery Research and Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1962-01-01

A meeting on Space Vehicle Landing and Recovery was held on July 10-11, 1962 at NASA Headquarters. The Centers were asked to participate in this meeting in accordance with their interest, activities, and requirements in the subject area. Primary emphasis was directed toward parachutes, parachute-rocket systems, paragliders, and lifting rotor concepts applicable to bothe booster and spacecraft landing and recovery.

Requirements report for SSTO vertical take-off and horizontal landing vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenberg, H. S.

1994-01-01

This document describes the detailed design requirements and design criteria to support Structures/TPS Technology development for SSTO winged vehicle configurations that use vertical take-off and horizontal landing and delivers 25,000 lb payloads to a 220 nm circular orbit at an inclination of 51.6 degrees or 40,000 lb payloads to a 150 nm circular orbit at a 28.5 degree inclination.

Yawed-Rolling Tire Mechanical Properties Testing of the Navy T-45 Aircraft Tires

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daugherty, Robert H.

2000-01-01

The T-45 Goshawk is a United States Navy Jet aircraft used primarily as a trainer. The aircraft design makes use of "off the shelf" hardware as much as possible and was found to have unusual directional control issues during around operations. The aircraft was involved in numerous pilot-induced-oscillation incidents as well as observed to have unusual directional control reactions to failed main gear tires, a condition that is normally handled relatively easily by conventional aircraft steering control techniques. The behavior of the aircraft's tires had previously been modeled in simulators as a result of approximations provided in 40-year-old reference publications. Since knowledge of the true tire cornering and braking behavior is essential to modeling, understanding, and fixing directional control problems, the United States Navy requested assistance from the NASA Langley Research Center's (LARC) Aircraft Landing Dynamics Facility (ALDF) to define the yawed-rolling mechanical properties of the T-45 aircraft tires. The purpose of this report is to document the results of testing the subject tires at the NASA LaRC ALDF in September 1998. Brief descriptions of the Instrumented Tire Test Vehicle (ITTV) are included to familiarize the reader with the ITTV capabilities, data acquisition system, test and measurement techniques, data accuracy, and analysis and presentation of the testing results.

The welfare effects of restricting off-highway vehicle access to public lands

Treesearch

Paul M. Jakus; John E. Keith; Lu Liu; Dale Blahna

2010-01-01

Off-highway vehicle (OHV) use is a rapidly growing outdoor activity that results in a host of environmental and management problems. Federal agencies have been directed to develop travel management plans to improve recreation experiences, reduce social conflicts, and diminish environmental impacts of OHVs. We examine the effect of land access restrictions on the...

Lunar Excursion Model in Full Scale Wind Tunnel. Apollo Project. Bell Lunar Landing Training Vehicle (LLTV)

NASA Image and Video Library

1969-01-16

Concept model of the Lunar Excursion Module tested in the Full-Scale wind tunnel. -- Published in James R. Hansen, Spaceflight Revolution: NASA Langley Research Center From Sputnik to Apollo, (Washington: NASA, 1995), p. 356.-L69-670 Bell Lunar Landing Training Vehicle (LLTV): Following the crash of a sister Lunar Landing Training Vehicle at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas, the LLTV NASA 952 was sent from Houston to Langley for tests in the 30 x 60 Full Scale Tunnel. The LLTV was returned to Houston for further training use a short time later. NASA 952 is now on exhibit at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Optical communications for transport aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stengel, Robert

1994-01-01

Optical communications for transport aircraft are discussed. The problem involves: increasing demand for radio-frequency bands from an enlarging pool of users (aircraft, ground and sea vehicles, fleet operators, traffic control centers, and commercial radio and television); desirability of providing high-bandwidth dedicated communications to and from every aircraft in the National Airspace System; need to support communications, navigation, and surveillance for a growing number of aircraft; and improved meteorological observations by use of probe aircraft. The solution involves: optical signal transmission support very high data rates; optical transmission of signals between aircraft, orbiting satellites, and ground stations, where unobstructed line-of-sight is available; conventional radio transmissions of signals between aircraft and ground stations, where optical line-of-sight is unavailable; and radio priority given to aircraft in weather.

A synergistic glance at the prospects of distributed propulsion technology and the electric aircraft concept for future unmanned air vehicles and commercial/military aviation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gohardani, Amir S.

2013-02-01

Distributed propulsion is one of the revolutionary candidates for future aircraft propulsion. In this journal article, the potential role of distributed propulsion technology in future aviation is investigated. Following a historical journey that revisits distributed propulsion technology in unmanned air vehicles and military aircraft, features of this specific technology are highlighted in synergy with an electric aircraft concept and a first-of-a-kind comparison to commercial aircraft employing distributed propulsion arrangements. In light of propulsion-airframe integration and complementary technologies such as boundary layer ingestion, thrust vectoring and circulation control, transpired opportunities and challenges are addressed in addition to a number of identified research directions proposed for future aircraft. The motivation behind enhanced means of communication between engineers, researchers and scientists has stimulated a novel proposed definition for the distributed propulsion technology in aviation and is presented herein.

STS-31 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, lands on EAFB concrete runway 22

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

STS-31 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, rolls along concrete runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), California, after nose landing gear (NLG) and main landing gear (MLG) touchdown. This view looks down OV-103's port side from the space shuttle main engines (SSMEs) to the nose section. The SSMEs are gimbaled to their descent position and the rudder/speedbrake is deployed on the vertical stabilizer. Wheel stop occurred at 6:51 am (Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)). In the distance EAFB facilities are visible.

Factors influencing aircraft ground handling performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yager, T. J.

1983-01-01

Problems associated with aircraft ground handling operations on wet runways are discussed and major factors which influence tire/runway braking and cornering traction capability are identified including runway characteristics, tire hydroplaning, brake system anomalies, and pilot inputs. Research results from tests with instrumented ground vehicles and aircraft, and aircraft wet runway accident investigation are summarized to indicate the effects of different aircraft, tire, and runway parameters. Several promising means are described for improving tire/runway water drainage capability, brake system efficiency, and pilot training to help optimize aircraft traction performance on wet runways.

Runway Independent Aircraft Extremely Short Takeoff and Landing Regional Airliner: The Model 110

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, David W.

2003-01-01

Airports throughout the United States are plagued with growing congestion. With the increase in air traffic predicted in the next few years, congestion will worsen. The accepted solution of building larger airplanes to carry more travelers is no longer a viable option, as airports are unable to accommodate larger aircraft without expensive infrastructure changes. Past NASA research has pointed to the need for a new approach, which can economically and safely utilize smaller airports. To study this option further, NASA requested the California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly/SLO) to design a baseline aircraft to be used for system studies. The requirements put forth by NASA are summarized. The design team was requested to create a demonstrator vehicle, which could be built without requiring enabling technology development. To this end, NASA requested that the tested and proven high-lift system of the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III be combined with the fuselage of the BAe-146. NASA also requested that Cal Poly determine the availability and usability of underutilized airports starting with California, then expanding if time and funds permitted to the U.S.

8 CFR 234.2 - Landing requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 8 Aliens and Nationality 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Landing requirements. 234.2 Section 234.2 Aliens and Nationality DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY IMMIGRATION REGULATIONS DESIGNATION OF PORTS OF ENTRY FOR ALIENS ARRIVING BY CIVIL AIRCRAFT § 234.2 Landing requirements. (a) Place of landing. Aircraft...

8 CFR 234.2 - Landing requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 8 Aliens and Nationality 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Landing requirements. 234.2 Section 234.2 Aliens and Nationality DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY IMMIGRATION REGULATIONS DESIGNATION OF PORTS OF ENTRY FOR ALIENS ARRIVING BY CIVIL AIRCRAFT § 234.2 Landing requirements. (a) Place of landing. Aircraft...

8 CFR 234.2 - Landing requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 8 Aliens and Nationality 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Landing requirements. 234.2 Section 234.2 Aliens and Nationality DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY IMMIGRATION REGULATIONS DESIGNATION OF PORTS OF ENTRY FOR ALIENS ARRIVING BY CIVIL AIRCRAFT § 234.2 Landing requirements. (a) Place of landing. Aircraft...

8 CFR 234.2 - Landing requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 8 Aliens and Nationality 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Landing requirements. 234.2 Section 234.2 Aliens and Nationality DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY IMMIGRATION REGULATIONS DESIGNATION OF PORTS OF ENTRY FOR ALIENS ARRIVING BY CIVIL AIRCRAFT § 234.2 Landing requirements. (a) Place of landing. Aircraft...

8 CFR 234.2 - Landing requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 8 Aliens and Nationality 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Landing requirements. 234.2 Section 234.2 Aliens and Nationality DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY IMMIGRATION REGULATIONS DESIGNATION OF PORTS OF ENTRY FOR ALIENS ARRIVING BY CIVIL AIRCRAFT § 234.2 Landing requirements. (a) Place of landing. Aircraft...

Pre-flight transient dynamic analysis of B-52 carrying Space Shuttle solid rocket booster drop-test vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ko, W. L.; Schuster, L. S.

1983-01-01

This paper concerns the transient dynamic analysis of the B-52 aircraft carrying the Space Shuttle solid-rocket booster drop-test vehicle (SRB/DTV). The NASA structural analysis (NASTRAN) finite-element computer program was used in the analysis. The B-52 operating conditions considered for analysis were (1) landing and (2) braking on aborted takeoff runs. The transient loads for the B-52 pylon front and rear hooks were calculated. The results can be used to establish the safe maneuver envelopes for the B-52 carrying the SRB/DTV in landings and brakings.

Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Applications to Land and Natural Resource Management

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, Robert; Smith, Karen; Wescott, Konstance

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) have made dramatic technical advances in the past decade. Their use domestically is currently tightly constrained by existing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations. Within the next few years, the FAA is expected to provide a regulatory framework that allows for a greatly expanded role for UASs in domestic airspace for a wide variety of applications. One of those will be remote sensing for land and natural resource monitoring. While there has recently been a large body of published research on UAS applications to environmental monitoring, in practice, very little has been operationalized by private or publicmore » entities to date. In July 2014, Argonne National Laboratory hosted a workshop dedicated to environmental monitoring UAS applications with attendance by representatives from 11 federal agencies as well as academics. The workshop reviewed the UAS state-of-the-art within the federal arena and barriers to broader UAS use. While a number of agencies, the including National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration, the United States Geological Survey, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Bureau of Land Management have conducted proof-of-concept UAS demonstrations, typically using surplus Department of Defense equipment, the promise of UAS systems at the moment remains untapped for a variety of reasons. The consensus was, however, that UAS systems will play an increasingly important role in cost-effectively supporting timely natural-resource and land-management monitoring needs. Environmental Practice 17: 170–177 (2015)« less

A Highly Reliable and Cost-Efficient Multi-Sensor System for Land Vehicle Positioning.

PubMed

Li, Xu; Xu, Qimin; Li, Bin; Song, Xianghui

2016-05-25

In this paper, we propose a novel positioning solution for land vehicles which is highly reliable and cost-efficient. The proposed positioning system fuses information from the MEMS-based reduced inertial sensor system (RISS) which consists of one vertical gyroscope and two horizontal accelerometers, low-cost GPS, and supplementary sensors and sources. First, pitch and roll angle are accurately estimated based on a vehicle kinematic model. Meanwhile, the negative effect of the uncertain nonlinear drift of MEMS inertial sensors is eliminated by an H∞ filter. Further, a distributed-dual-H∞ filtering (DDHF) mechanism is adopted to address the uncertain nonlinear drift of the MEMS-RISS and make full use of the supplementary sensors and sources. The DDHF is composed of a main H∞ filter (MHF) and an auxiliary H∞ filter (AHF). Finally, a generalized regression neural network (GRNN) module with good approximation capability is specially designed for the MEMS-RISS. A hybrid methodology which combines the GRNN module and the AHF is utilized to compensate for RISS position errors during GPS outages. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed solution, road-test experiments with various scenarios were performed. The experimental results illustrate that the proposed system can achieve accurate and reliable positioning for land vehicles.

A Highly Reliable and Cost-Efficient Multi-Sensor System for Land Vehicle Positioning

PubMed Central

Li, Xu; Xu, Qimin; Li, Bin; Song, Xianghui

2016-01-01

In this paper, we propose a novel positioning solution for land vehicles which is highly reliable and cost-efficient. The proposed positioning system fuses information from the MEMS-based reduced inertial sensor system (RISS) which consists of one vertical gyroscope and two horizontal accelerometers, low-cost GPS, and supplementary sensors and sources. First, pitch and roll angle are accurately estimated based on a vehicle kinematic model. Meanwhile, the negative effect of the uncertain nonlinear drift of MEMS inertial sensors is eliminated by an H∞ filter. Further, a distributed-dual-H∞ filtering (DDHF) mechanism is adopted to address the uncertain nonlinear drift of the MEMS-RISS and make full use of the supplementary sensors and sources. The DDHF is composed of a main H∞ filter (MHF) and an auxiliary H∞ filter (AHF). Finally, a generalized regression neural network (GRNN) module with good approximation capability is specially designed for the MEMS-RISS. A hybrid methodology which combines the GRNN module and the AHF is utilized to compensate for RISS position errors during GPS outages. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed solution, road-test experiments with various scenarios were performed. The experimental results illustrate that the proposed system can achieve accurate and reliable positioning for land vehicles. PMID:27231917

32 CFR 766.11 - Fees for landing, parking and storage.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... aircraft will be charged fees if their government charges similar fees for U.S. Government aircraft. (2... (Regular and Reserve) or retired, provided the aircraft is not used for commercial purposes. (7) Landing... landing), a landing fee in excess of the normal landing fee will be charged to cover the additional...

B-52 Launch Aircraft in Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

NASA's venerable B-52 mothership is seen here photographed from a KC-135 Tanker aircraft. The X-43 adapter is visible attached to the right wing. The B-52, used for launching experimental aircraft and for other flight research projects, has been a familiar sight in the skies over Edwards for more than 40 years and is also both the oldest B-52 still flying and the aircraft with the lowest flight time of any B-52. NASA B-52, Tail Number 008, is an air launch carrier aircraft, 'mothership,' as well as a research aircraft platform that has been used on a variety of research projects. The aircraft, a 'B' model built in 1952 and first flown on June 11, 1955, is the oldest B-52 in flying status and has been used on some of the most significant research projects in aerospace history. Some of the significant projects supported by B-52 008 include the X-15, the lifting bodies, HiMAT (highly maneuverable aircraft technology), Pegasus, validation of parachute systems developed for the space shuttle program (solid-rocket-booster recovery system and the orbiter drag chute system), and the X-38. The B-52 served as the launch vehicle on 106 X-15 flights and flew a total of 159 captive-carry and launch missions in support of that program from June 1959 to October 1968. Information gained from the highly successful X-15 program contributed to the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo human spaceflight programs as well as space shuttle development. Between 1966 and 1975, the B-52 served as the launch aircraft for 127 of the 144 wingless lifting body flights. In the 1970s and 1980s, the B-52 was the launch aircraft for several aircraft at what is now the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, to study spin-stall, high-angle-of attack, and maneuvering characteristics. These included the 3/8-scale F-15/spin research vehicle (SRV), the HiMAT (Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology) research vehicle, and the DAST (drones for aerodynamic and structural testing). The aircraft supported

Requirements report for SSTO vertical take-off/horizontal landing vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenberg, H. S.

1994-01-01

This document describes the detailed design requirements and design criteria to support Structures/TPS Technology development for SSTO winged vehicle configurations that use vertical take-off and horizontal landing and deliver 25,000 lb payloads to a 220 nm circular orbit at an inclination of 51.6 degrees or 40,000 lb payloads to a 150 nm circular orbit at a 28.5 degree of inclination. This document will be updated on a timely basis as informatIon becomes available throughout the project.

Requirements report for SSTO vertical take-off/horizontal landing vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenberg, H. S.

1994-07-01

This document describes the detailed design requirements and design criteria to support Structures/TPS Technology development for SSTO winged vehicle configurations that use vertical take-off and horizontal landing and deliver 25,000 lb payloads to a 220 nm circular orbit at an inclination of 51.6 degrees or 40,000 lb payloads to a 150 nm circular orbit at a 28.5 degree of inclination. This document will be updated on a timely basis as informatIon becomes available throughout the project.

Trajectory Control for Very Flexible Aircraft

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-10-30

aircraft are coupled with the aeroelastic equations that govern the geometrically nonlinear structural response of the vehicle. A low -order strain...nonlinear structural formulation, the finite state aerodynamic model, and the nonlinear rigid body equations together provide a low -order complete...nonlinear aircraft analysis tool. Due to the inherent flexibility of the aircraft modeling, the low order structural fre- quencies are of the same order

Flight Demonstration of X-33 Vehicle Health Management System Components on the F/A-18 Systems Research Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schweikhard, Keith A.; Richards, W. Lance; Theisen, John; Mouyos, William; Garbos, Raymond

2001-01-01

The X-33 reusable launch vehicle demonstrator has identified the need to implement a vehicle health monitoring system that can acquire data that monitors system health and performance. Sanders, a Lockheed Martin Company, has designed and developed a COTS-based open architecture system that implements a number of technologies that have not been previously used in a flight environment. NASA Dryden Flight Research Center and Sanders teamed to demonstrate that the distributed remote health nodes, fiber optic distributed strain sensor, and fiber distributed data interface communications components of the X-33 vehicle health management (VHM) system could be successfully integrated and flown on a NASA F-18 aircraft. This paper briefly describes components of X-33 VHM architecture flown at Dryden and summarizes the integration and flight demonstration of these X-33 VHM components. Finally, it presents early results from the integration and flight efforts.

Flight Demonstration of X-33 Vehicle Health Management System Components on the F/A-18 Systems Research Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schweikhard, Keith A.; Richards, W. Lance; Theisen, John; Mouyos, William; Garbos, Raymond; Schkolnik, Gerald (Technical Monitor)

1998-01-01

The X-33 reusable launch vehicle demonstrator has identified the need to implement a vehicle health monitoring system that can acquire data that monitors system health and performance. Sanders, a Lockheed Martin Company, has designed and developed a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS)-based open architecture system that implements a number of technologies that have not been previously used in a flight environment. NASA Dryden Flight Research Center and Sanders teamed to demonstrate that the distributed remote health nodes, fiber optic distributed strain sensor, and fiber distributed data interface communications components of the X-33 vehicle health management (VHM) system could be successfully integrated and flown on a NASA F-18 aircraft. This paper briefly describes components of X-33 VHM architecture flown at Dryden and summarizes the integration and flight demonstration of these X-33 VHM components. Finally, it presents early results from the integration and flight efforts.

Aircraft Electric Propulsion Systems Applied Research at NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clarke, Sean

2015-01-01

Researchers at NASA are investigating the potential for electric propulsion systems to revolutionize the design of aircraft from the small-scale general aviation sector to commuter and transport-class vehicles. Electric propulsion provides new degrees of design freedom that may enable opportunities for tightly coupled design and optimization of the propulsion system with the aircraft structure and control systems. This could lead to extraordinary reductions in ownership and operating costs, greenhouse gas emissions, and noise annoyance levels. We are building testbeds, high-fidelity aircraft simulations, and the first highly distributed electric inhabited flight test vehicle to begin to explore these opportunities.

Synthesis of the unmanned aerial vehicle remote control augmentation system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tomczyk, Andrzej, E-mail: A.Tomczyk@prz.edu.pl

Medium size Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) usually flies as an autonomous aircraft including automatic take-off and landing phases. However in the case of the on-board control system failure, the remote steering is using as an emergency procedure. In this reason, remote manual control of unmanned aerial vehicle is used more often during take-of and landing phases. Depends on UAV take-off mass and speed (total energy) the potential crash can be very danger for airplane and environment. So, handling qualities of UAV is important from pilot-operator point of view. In many cases the dynamic properties of remote controlling UAV are notmore » suitable for obtaining the desired properties of the handling qualities. In this case the control augmentation system (CAS) should be applied. Because the potential failure of the on-board control system, the better solution is that the CAS algorithms are placed on the ground station computers. The method of UAV handling qualities shaping in the case of basic control system failure is presented in this paper. The main idea of this method is that UAV reaction on the operator steering signals should be similar - almost the same - as reaction of the 'ideal' remote control aircraft. The model following method was used for controller parameters calculations. The numerical example concerns the medium size MP-02A UAV applied as an aerial observer system.« less

A plume capture technique for the remote characterization of aircraft engine emissions.

PubMed

Johnson, G R; Mazaheri, M; Ristovski, Z D; Morawska, L

2008-07-01

A technique for capturing and analyzing plumes from unmodified aircraft or other combustion sources under real world conditions is described and applied to the task of characterizing plumes from commercial aircraft during the taxiing phase of the Landing/Take-Off (LTO) cycle. The method utilizes a Plume Capture and Analysis System (PCAS) mounted in a four-wheel drive vehicle which is positioned in the airfield 60 to 180 m downwind of aircraft operations. The approach offers low test turnaround times with the ability to complete careful measurements of particle and gaseous emission factors and sequentially scanned particle size distributions without distortion due to plume concentration fluctuations. These measurements can be performed for individual aircraft movements at five minute intervals. A Plume Capture Device (PCD) collected samples of the naturally diluted plume in a 200 L conductive membrane conforming to a defined shape. Samples from over 60 aircraft movements were collected and analyzed in situ for particulate and gaseous concentrations and for particle size distribution using a Scanning Particle Mobility Sizer (SMPS). Emission factors are derived for particle number, NO(x), and PM2.5 for a widely used commercial aircraft type, Boeing 737 airframes with predominantly CFM56 class engines, during taxiing. The practical advantages of the PCAS include the capacity to perform well targeted and controlled emission factor and size distribution measurements using instrumentation with varying response times within an airport facility, in close proximity to aircraft during their normal operations.

Study of the dynamic of motion landing vehicles in the planet's atmosphere using inflatable braking device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koryanov, Vsevolod; Harri, Ari-Matti; Kazakovtcev, Victor

At present paper analyzes the dynamics of movement of the landing vehicle (LV) with an inflatable braking device (IBD). During the movement in the planet's atmosphere with LV with IBD are significant aerodynamic loads, which can lead to a change in a non-rigid shape and appearance of the shell IBD current asymmetries LV with IBD. The presence arising in the manufacture of structural LV asymmetry results in a stabilized descent in the process of turning the LV with IBD various dynamic phenomena, such as the vibrational-rotational resonance, the resonance autorotation, altering the dynamics of angular motion of the LV. As a result of work carried out, among others, the following conclusions: 1. In the first step of descent of landing vehicle possible high angles of attack, however, the very small quantities of the velocity head. 2. In the second phase of descent arise spatial angles of attack, caused by small structural asymmetries of LV. These angles of attack, together with increasing magnitude of the velocity head cause these significant increase in lateral load. The increase in the transverse load leads to an increase in the asymmetry of the external form, which causes an additional increase in the spatial angle of attack. Depending on the magnitude of the transverse stiffness IBD or leads to a certain additional increase in the spatial angle of attack, or a possible buckling landing vehicle. 3. In the third (final) stage of the descent at subsonic speed landing vehicle with additional inflatable braking device does not influence the stiffness braking, changing the dynamics of angular motion slightly. This is due to the small size of the ram on the subsonic long trajectory and, accordingly, small deformation additional inflatable braking device. This research was supported by the European Commission Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013 under grant agreement n 263255 RITD.

Vehicle Integrated Prognostic Reasoner (VIPR) Final Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bharadwaj, Raj; Mylaraswamy, Dinkar; Cornhill, Dennis; Biswas, Gautam; Koutsoukos, Xenofon; Mack, Daniel

2013-01-01

A systems view is necessary to detect, diagnose, predict, and mitigate adverse events during the flight of an aircraft. While most aircraft subsystems look for simple threshold exceedances and report them to a central maintenance computer, the vehicle integrated prognostic reasoner (VIPR) proactively generates evidence and takes an active role in aircraft-level health assessment. Establishing the technical feasibility and a design trade-space for this next-generation vehicle-level reasoning system (VLRS) is the focus of our work.

Design and control of a vertical takeoff and landing fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malang, Yasir

With the goal of extending capabilities of multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for wetland conservation missions, a novel hybrid aircraft design consisting of four tilting rotors and a fixed wing is designed and built. The tilting rotors and nonlinear aerodynamic effects introduce a control challenge for autonomous flight, and the research focus is to develop and validate an autonomous transition flight controller. The overall controller structure consists of separate cascaded Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controllers whose gains are scheduled according to the rotors' tilt angle. A control mechanism effectiveness factor is used to mix the multi-rotor and fixed-wing control actuators during transition. A nonlinear flight dynamics model is created and transition stability is shown through MATLAB simulations, which proves gain-scheduled control is a good fit for tilt-rotor aircraft. Experiments carried out using the prototype UAV validate simulation results for VTOL and tilted-rotor flight.

A Design Study of the Inflated Sphere Landing Vehicle, Including the Landing Performance and the Effects of Deviations from Design Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, E. Dale

1961-01-01

The impact motion of the inflated sphere landing vehicle with a payload centrally supported from the spherical skin by numerous cords has been determined on the assumption of uniform isentropic gas compression during impact. The landing capabilities are determined for a system containing suspension cords of constant cross section. The effects of deviations in impact velocity and initial gas temperature from the design conditions are studied. Also discussed are the effects of errors in the time at which the skin is ruptured. These studies indicate how the design parameters should be chosen to insure reliability of the landing system. Calculations have been made and results are presented for a sphere inflated with hydrogen, landing on the moon in the absence of an atmosphere. The results are presented for one value of the skin-strength parameter.

Closed-loop, pilot/vehicle analysis of the approach and landing task

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, M. R.; Schmidt, D. K.

1986-01-01

In the case of approach and landing, it is universally accepted that the pilot uses more than one vehicle response, or output, to close his control loops. Therefore, to model this task, a multi-loop analysis technique is required. The analysis problem has been in obtaining reasonable analytic estimates of the describing functions representing the pilot's loop compensation. Once these pilot describing functions are obtained, appropriate performance and workload metrics must then be developed for the landing task. The optimal control approach provides a powerful technique for obtaining the necessary describing functions, once the appropriate task objective is defined in terms of a quadratic objective function. An approach is presented through the use of a simple, reasonable objective function and model-based metrics to evaluate loop performance and pilot workload. The results of an analysis of the LAHOS (Landing and Approach of Higher Order Systems) study performed by R.E. Smith is also presented.

Interaction of Aircraft Wakes From Laterally Spaced Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Proctor, Fred H.

2009-01-01

Large Eddy Simulations are used to examine wake interactions from aircraft on closely spaced parallel paths. Two sets of experiments are conducted, with the first set examining wake interactions out of ground effect (OGE) and the second set for in ground effect (IGE). The initial wake field for each aircraft represents a rolled-up wake vortex pair generated by a B-747. Parametric sets include wake interactions from aircraft pairs with lateral separations of 400, 500, 600, and 750 ft. The simulation of a wake from a single aircraft is used as baseline. The study shows that wake vortices from either a pair or a formation of B-747 s that fly with very close lateral spacing, last longer than those from an isolated B-747. For OGE, the inner vortices between the pair of aircraft, ascend, link and quickly dissipate, leaving the outer vortices to decay and descend slowly. For the IGE scenario, the inner vortices ascend and last longer, while the outer vortices decay from ground interaction at a rate similar to that expected from an isolated aircraft. Both OGE and IGE scenarios produce longer-lasting wakes for aircraft with separations less than 600 ft. The results are significant because concepts to increase airport capacity have been proposed that assume either aircraft formations and/or aircraft pairs landing on very closely spaced runways.

Ground Processing Affordability for Space Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ingalls, John; Scott, Russell

2011-01-01

standard repairs need to be in-place as well as easily added. Many routine inspections and maintenance can be like an aircraft overhaul. Modifications and technology upgrades should be expected. Another factor affecting ground operations efficiency is trending. It is essential for RLV's, and also useful for ELV's which fly the same or similar models again. Good data analysis of technical and processing performance will determine fixes and improvements needed for safety, design, and future processing. Collecting such data on new or low-frequency vehicles is a challenge. Lessons can be learned from the Space Shuttle, or even the Concorde aircraft. For all of the above topics, efficient business systems must be established for comprehensive program management and good throughput. Drawings, specifications, and manuals for an entire launch vehicle are often in different formats from multiple vendors, plus they have proprietary constraints. Nonetheless, the integration team must ensure that all data needed is compatible and visible to each appropriate team member. Ground processing systems for scheduling, tracking, problem resolution, etc. must be well laid-out. The balance between COTS (commercial off the shelf) and custom software is difficult. Multiple customers, vendors, launch sites, and landing sites add to the complexity of efficient IT (Information Technology) tools.

STS-53 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, lands on runway 22 at EAFB, Calif

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-12-09

STS-53 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, is slowed by a red, white, and blue drag chute during its landing on concrete runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), California. Main landing gear (MLG) touchdown occurred at 12:43:17 pm (Pacific Standard Time (PST)). This aft view of OV-103 shows the drag chute deployed from its compartment at the base of the vertical tail, the speedbrake/rudder flaps open, and the space shuttle main engines (SSMEs). Both MLG and nose landing gear (NLG) ride along the runway surface. Desert scrub brush appears in the foreground and mountains are seen in the background.

An investigation of errors and data processing techniques for an RF multilateration system. [position and velocity measurements of vertical takeoff aircraft during landing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Britt, C. L., Jr.

1975-01-01

The development of an RF Multilateration system to provide accurate position and velocity measurements during the approach and landing phase of Vertical Takeoff Aircraft operation is discussed. The system uses an angle-modulated ranging signal to provide both range and range rate measurements between an aircraft transponder and multiple ground stations. Range and range rate measurements are converted to coordinate measurements and the coordinate and coordinate rate information is transmitted by an integral data link to the aircraft. Data processing techniques are analyzed to show advantages and disadvantages. Error analyses are provided to permit a comparison of the various techniques.

Application of the concept of dynamic trim control and nonlinear system inverses to automatic control of a vertical attitude takeoff and landing aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, G. A.; Meyer, G.

1981-01-01

A full envelope automatic flight control system based on nonlinear inverse systems concepts has been applied to a vertical attitude takeoff and landing (VATOL) fighter aircraft. A new method for using an airborne digital aircraft model to perform the inversion of a nonlinear aircraft model is presented together with the results of a simulation study of the nonlinear inverse system concept for the vertical-attitude hover mode. The system response to maneuver commands in the vertical attitude was found to be excellent; and recovery from large initial offsets and large disturbances was found to be very satisfactory.

Airborne Subscale Transport Aircraft Research Testbed: Aircraft Model Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jordan, Thomas L.; Langford, William M.; Hill, Jeffrey S.

2005-01-01

The Airborne Subscale Transport Aircraft Research (AirSTAR) testbed being developed at NASA Langley Research Center is an experimental flight test capability for research experiments pertaining to dynamics modeling and control beyond the normal flight envelope. An integral part of that testbed is a 5.5% dynamically scaled, generic transport aircraft. This remotely piloted vehicle (RPV) is powered by twin turbine engines and includes a collection of sensors, actuators, navigation, and telemetry systems. The downlink for the plane includes over 70 data channels, plus video, at rates up to 250 Hz. Uplink commands for aircraft control include over 30 data channels. The dynamic scaling requirement, which includes dimensional, weight, inertial, actuator, and data rate scaling, presents distinctive challenges in both the mechanical and electrical design of the aircraft. Discussion of these requirements and their implications on the development of the aircraft along with risk mitigation strategies and training exercises are included here. Also described are the first training (non-research) flights of the airframe. Additional papers address the development of a mobile operations station and an emulation and integration laboratory.

Flight evaluation of stabilization and command augmentation system concepts and cockpit displays during approach and landing of powered-lift STOL aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Franklin, J. A.; Innis, R. C.; Hardy, G. H.

1980-01-01

A flight research program was conducted to assess the effectiveness of manual control concepts and various cockpit displays in improving altitude (pitch, roll, and yaw) and longitudinal path control during short takeoff aircraft approaches and landings. Satisfactory flying qualities were demonstrared to minimum decision heights of 30 m (100 ft) for selected stabilization and command augmentation systems and flight director combinations. Precise landings at low touchdown sink rates were achieved with a gentle flare maneuver.

An engineering optimization method with application to STOL-aircraft approach and landing trajectories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jacob, H. G.

1972-01-01

An optimization method has been developed that computes the optimal open loop inputs for a dynamical system by observing only its output. The method reduces to static optimization by expressing the inputs as series of functions with parameters to be optimized. Since the method is not concerned with the details of the dynamical system to be optimized, it works for both linear and nonlinear systems. The method and the application to optimizing longitudinal landing paths for a STOL aircraft with an augmented wing are discussed. Noise, fuel, time, and path deviation minimizations are considered with and without angle of attack, acceleration excursion, flight path, endpoint, and other constraints.

Derivation and definition of a linear aircraft model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duke, Eugene L.; Antoniewicz, Robert F.; Krambeer, Keith D.

1988-01-01

A linear aircraft model for a rigid aircraft of constant mass flying over a flat, nonrotating earth is derived and defined. The derivation makes no assumptions of reference trajectory or vehicle symmetry. The linear system equations are derived and evaluated along a general trajectory and include both aircraft dynamics and observation variables.

HL-10 first flight landing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1966-01-01

The HL-10 Lifting Body completes its first research flight with a landing on Rogers Dry Lake. Due to control problems, pilot Bruce Peterson had to land at a higher speed than originally planned in order to keep the vehicle under control. The actual touchdown speed was about 280 knots. This was 30 knots above the speed called for in the flight plan. The HL-10's first flight had lasted 3 minutes and 9 seconds. The HL-10 was one of five heavyweight lifting-body designs flown at NASA's Flight Research Center (FRC--later Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California, from July 1966 to November 1975 to study and validate the concept of safely maneuvering and landing a low lift-over-drag vehicle designed for reentry from space. Northrop Corporation built the HL-10 and M2-F2, the first two of the fleet of 'heavy' lifting bodies flown by the NASA Flight Research Center. The contract for construction of the HL-10 and the M2-F2 was $1.8 million. 'HL' stands for horizontal landing, and '10' refers to the tenth design studied by engineers at NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. After delivery to NASA in January 1966, the HL-10 made its first flight on Dec. 22, 1966, with research pilot Bruce Peterson in the cockpit. Although an XLR-11 rocket engine was installed in the vehicle, the first 11 drop flights from the B-52 launch aircraft were powerless glide flights to assess handling qualities, stability, and control. In the end, the HL-10 was judged to be the best handling of the three original heavy-weight lifting bodies (M2-F2/F3, HL-10, X-24A). The HL-10 was flown 37 times during the lifting body research program and logged the highest altitude and fastest speed in the Lifting Body program. On Feb. 18, 1970, Air Force test pilot Peter Hoag piloted the HL-10 to Mach 1.86 (1,228 mph). Nine days later, NASA pilot Bill Dana flew the vehicle to 90,030 feet, which became the highest altitude reached in the program. Some new and different lessons were learned through the

Progress in supersonic cruise aircraft technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Driver, C.

1978-01-01

The supersonic cruise aircraft research program identified significant improvements in the technology areas of propulsion, aerodynamics, structures, takeoff and landing procedures, and advanced configuration concepts. Application of these technology areas to a commercial aircraft is discussed. An advanced SST family of aircraft which may be environmentally acceptable, have flexible range-payload capability, and be economically viable is projected.

Analysis of the dynamics of movement of the landing vehicle with an inflatable braking device on the final trajectory under the influence of wind load

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koryanov, V.; Kazakovtsev, V.; Harri, A.-M.; Heilimo, J.; Haukka, H.; Aleksashkin, S.

2015-10-01

This research work is devoted to analysis of angular motion of the landing vehicle (LV) with an inflatable braking device (IBD), taking into account the influence of the wind load on the final stage of the movement. Using methods to perform a calculation of parameters of angular motion of the landing vehicle with an inflatable braking device based on the availability of small asymmetries, which are capable of complex dynamic phenomena, analyzes motion of the landing vehicle at the final stage of motion in the atmosphere.

Aircraft Rollout Iterative Energy Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kinoshita, L.

1986-01-01

Aircraft Rollout Iterative Energy Simulation (ARIES) program analyzes aircraft-brake performance during rollout. Simulates threedegree-of-freedom rollout after nose-gear touchdown. Amount of brake energy dissipated during aircraft landing determines life expectancy of brake pads. ARIES incorporates brake pressure, actual flight data, crosswinds, and runway characteristics to calculate following: brake energy during rollout for up to four independent brake systems; time profiles of rollout distance, velocity, deceleration, and lateral runway position; and all aerodynamic moments on aircraft. ARIES written in FORTRAN 77 for batch execution.

Bacteria that Travel: The Quality of Aircraft Water

PubMed Central

Handschuh, Harald; Dwyer, Jean O’; Adley, Catherine C.

2015-01-01

The travelling population is increasing globally year on year. International tourist arrival figures reached 1087 million in 2013 and 1133 million in 2014; of which 53% and 54% respectively accounted for air transport. The water on board aircraft is sourced from surface or ground water; piped to a central filling point and distributed to each aircraft by water service vehicles at the home base or at the destination airport. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the microbial, chemical (pH; Total and Free chlorine) and physical (temperature) quality of water from two aircraft, long- and short-haul, as well as from the original water source and the water service vehicle. A total of 154 water samples were collected and analysed. Long-haul flights were found to be significantly poorer in terms of microbial quality than short haul flights (p = 0.015). Furthermore, correlation and regression analysis showed that the water service vehicle was a significant source of increased microbial load in aircraft. Microbial diversity was also demonstrated, with 37 bacterial species identified belonging to eight classes: γ-Proteobacteria; β-Proteobacteria; α-Proteobacteria; Bacilli; Actinobacteria; Flavobacteria; Sphingobacteria and Cytophaga; using phenotypic and 16S rDNA sequence-based analysis. We present a novel quantified study of aircraft-related potable water supplies. PMID:26529000

Bacteria that Travel: The Quality of Aircraft Water.

PubMed

Handschuh, Harald; O'Dwyer, Jean; Adley, Catherine C

2015-10-30

The travelling population is increasing globally year on year. International tourist arrival figures reached 1087 million in 2013 and 1133 million in 2014; of which 53% and 54% respectively accounted for air transport. The water on board aircraft is sourced from surface or ground water; piped to a central filling point and distributed to each aircraft by water service vehicles at the home base or at the destination airport. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the microbial, chemical (pH; Total and Free chlorine) and physical (temperature) quality of water from two aircraft, long- and short-haul, as well as from the original water source and the water service vehicle. A total of 154 water samples were collected and analysed. Long-haul flights were found to be significantly poorer in terms of microbial quality than short haul flights (p = 0.015). Furthermore, correlation and regression analysis showed that the water service vehicle was a significant source of increased microbial load in aircraft. Microbial diversity was also demonstrated, with 37 bacterial species identified belonging to eight classes: γ-Proteobacteria; β-Proteobacteria; α-Proteobacteria; Bacilli; Actinobacteria; Flavobacteria; Sphingobacteria and Cytophaga; using phenotypic and 16S rDNA sequence-based analysis. We present a novel quantified study of aircraft-related potable water supplies.

A hypersonic research vehicle to develop scramjet engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gregorek, G. M.; Reuss, R. L.

1990-01-01

Four student design teams produced conceptual designs for a research vehicle to develop the supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) engines necessary for efficient hypersonic flight. This research aircraft would provide flight test data for prototype scramjets that is not available in groundbased test facilities. The design specifications call for a research aircraft to be launched from a carrier aircraft at 40,000 feet and a Mach number of 0.8. The aircraft must accelerate to Mach 6 while climbing to a 100,000 foot altitude and then ignite the experimental scramjet engines for acceleration to Mach 10. The research vehicle must then be recovered for another flight. The students responded with four different designs, two piloted waverider configurations, and two unmanned vehicles, one with a blended body-wing configuration, the other with a delta wing shape. All aircraft made use of an engine database provided by the General Electric Aircraft Engine Group; both turbofan ramjet and scramjet engine performance using liquid hydrogen fuel was available. Explained here are the students' conceptual designs and the aerodynamic and propulsion concepts that made their designs feasible.

Evaluation of Flying Qualities and Guidance Displays for an Advanced Tilt-Wing STOL Transport Aircraft in Final Approach and Landing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frost, Chad R.; Franklin, James A.; Hardy, Gordon H.

2002-01-01

A piloted simulation was performed on the Vertical Motion Simulator at NASA Ames Research Center to evaluate flying qualities of a tilt-wing Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) transport aircraft during final approach and landing. The experiment was conducted to assess the design s handling qualities, and to evaluate the use of flightpath-centered guidance for the precision approach and landing tasks required to perform STOL operations in instrument meteorological conditions, turbulence, and wind. Pilots rated the handling qualities to be satisfactory for all operations evaluated except those encountering extreme crosswinds and severe windshear; even in these difficult meteorological conditions, adequate handling qualities were maintained. The advanced flight control laws and guidance displays provided consistent performance and precision landings.

Interface concerns of ejector integration in V/STOL aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowry, R. B.

1979-01-01

A number of areas which have in the past contributed to weight, complexity, and thrust losses in the ejector-powered V/STOL vehicle were identified. Most of these interfaces taken singly do not represent a severe compromise to the vehicle; however, the bottom line is that the sum of compromises and the subsequent effects on performance, flight operations and maintenance have rendered the ejector V/STOL aircraft unattractive. In addition to some of the unique ejector/aircraft integration problems, the vehicle by virtue of having a V/STOL capability, is compromised in other areas. To be successful and acceptable, the advantages must outweight the disadvantages and simplicity with minimum penalties must be the rule. It is concluded that more emphasis must be placed on the ejector/aircraft interface for the concept to be successful.

Adaptable System for Vehicle Health and Usage Monitoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woodart, Stanley E.; Woodman, Keith L.; Coffey, Neil C.; Taylor, Bryant D.

2005-01-01

Aircraft and other vehicles are often kept in service beyond their original design lives. As they age, they become susceptible to system malfunctions and fatigue. Unlike future aircraft that will include health-monitoring capabilities as integral parts in their designs, older aircraft have not been so equipped. The Adaptable Vehicle Health and Usage Monitoring System is designed to be retrofitted into a preexisting fleet of military and commercial aircraft, ships, or ground vehicles to provide them with state-of-the-art health- and usage-monitoring capabilities. The monitoring system is self-contained, and the integration of it into existing systems entails limited intrusion. In essence, it has bolt-on/ bolt-off simplicity that makes it easy to install on any preexisting vehicle or structure. Because the system is completely independent of the vehicle, it can be certified for airworthiness as an independent system. The purpose served by the health-monitoring system is to reduce vehicle operating costs and to increase safety and reliability. The monitoring system is a means to identify damage to, or deterioration of, vehicle subsystems, before such damage or deterioration becomes costly and/or disastrous. Frequent monitoring of a vehicle enables identification of the embryonic stages of damage or deterioration. The knowledge thus gained can be used to correct anomalies while they are still somewhat minor. Maintenance can be performed as needed, instead of having the need for maintenance identified during cyclic inspections that take vehicles off duty even when there are no maintenance problems. Measurements and analyses acquired by the health-monitoring system also can be used to analyze mishaps. Overall, vehicles can be made more reliable and kept on duty for longer times. Figure 1 schematically depicts the system as applied to a fleet of n vehicles. The system has three operational levels. All communication between system components is by use of wireless

THE BUREAU OF AERONAUTICS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR WATER-BASED AIRCRAFT,

DTIC Science & Technology

WATER BASED AIRCRAFT, BUDGETS), RESEARCH MANAGEMENT, FLIGHT TESTING, WIND TUNNEL MODELS, TABLES(DATA), AIRCRAFT, TEST VEHICLES, HYDRODYNAMICS, PIERS, FLOATING DOCKS, LOADS(FORCES), WATER , STABILITY, SPRAYS, NAVAL AIRCRAFT.

Aircraft signal definition for flight safety system monitoring system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gibbs, Michael (Inventor); Omen, Debi Van (Inventor)

2003-01-01

A system and method compares combinations of vehicle variable values against known combinations of potentially dangerous vehicle input signal values. Alarms and error messages are selectively generated based on such comparisons. An aircraft signal definition is provided to enable definition and monitoring of sets of aircraft input signals to customize such signals for different aircraft. The input signals are compared against known combinations of potentially dangerous values by operational software and hardware of a monitoring function. The aircraft signal definition is created using a text editor or custom application. A compiler receives the aircraft signal definition to generate a binary file that comprises the definition of all the input signals used by the monitoring function. The binary file also contains logic that specifies how the inputs are to be interpreted. The file is then loaded into the monitor function, where it is validated and used to continuously monitor the condition of the aircraft.

Eclipse program QF-106 aircraft in flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

This photo shows one of the QF-106s used in the Eclipse project in flight. In 1997 and 1998, the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California, supported and hosted a Kelly Space & Technology, Inc. project called Eclipse, which sought to demonstrate the feasibility of a reusable tow-launch vehicle concept. The project goal was to successfully tow, inflight, a modified QF-106 delta-wing aircraft with an Air Force C-141A transport aircraft. This would demonstrate the possibility of towing and launching an actual launch vehicle from behind a tow plane. Dryden was the responsible test organization and had flight safety responsibility for the Eclipse project. Dryden provided engineering, instrumentation, simulation, modification, maintenance, range support, and research pilots for the test program. The Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC), Edwards, California, supplied the C-141A transport aircraft and crew and configured the aircraft as needed for the tests. The AFFTC also provided the concept and detail design and analysis as well as hardware for the tow system and QF-106 modifications. Dryden performed the modifications to convert the QF-106 drone into the piloted EXD-01 (Eclipse eXperimental Demonstrator-01) experimental aircraft. Kelly Space & Technology hoped to use the results gleaned from the tow test in developing a series of low-cost, reusable launch vehicles. These tests demonstrated the validity of towing a delta-wing aircraft having high wing loading, validated the tow simulation model, and demonstrated various operational procedures, such as ground processing of in-flight maneuvers and emergency abort scenarios.

Recent Progress Towards Predicting Aircraft Ground Handling Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yager, T. J.; White, E. J.

1981-01-01

The significant progress which has been achieved in development of aircraft ground handling simulation capability is reviewed and additional improvements in software modeling identified. The problem associated with providing necessary simulator input data for adequate modeling of aircraft tire/runway friction behavior is discussed and efforts to improve this complex model, and hence simulator fidelity, are described. Aircraft braking performance data obtained on several wet runway surfaces is compared to ground vehicle friction measurements and, by use of empirically derived methods, good agreement between actual and estimated aircraft braking friction from ground vehilce data is shown. The performance of a relatively new friction measuring device, the friction tester, showed great promise in providing data applicable to aircraft friction performance. Additional research efforts to improve methods of predicting tire friction performance are discussed including use of an instrumented tire test vehicle to expand the tire friction data bank and a study of surface texture measurement techniques.

Design considerations for attaining 250-knot test velocities at the aircraft landing dynamics facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gray, C. E., Jr.; Snyder, R. E.; Taylor, J. T.; Cires, A.; Fitzgerald, A. L.; Armistead, M. F.

1980-01-01

Preliminary design studies are presented which consider the important parameters in providing 250 knot test velocities at the Aircraft Landing Dynamics Facility. Four major components of this facility are: the hydraulic jet catapult, the test carriage structure, the reaction turning bucket, and the wheels. Using the hydraulic-jet catapult characteristics, a target design point was selected and a carriage structure was sized to meet the required strength requirements. The preliminary design results indicate that to attain 250 knot test velocities for a given hydraulic jet catapult system, a carriage mass of 25,424 kg (56,000 lbm.) cannot be exceeded.

Control Law for Automatic Landing Using Fuzzy-Logic Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, Akio; Inagaki, Yoshiki

The effectiveness of a fuzzy-logic control law for automatically landing an aircraft that handles both the control to lead an aircraft from horizontal flight at an altitude of 500 meters to flight along the glide-path course near the runway, as well as the control to direct the aircraft to land smoothly on a runway, was investigated. The control law for the automatic landing was designed to match the design goals of directing an aircraft from horizontal flight to flight along a glide-path course quickly and smoothly, and for landing smoothly on a runway. The design of the control law and evaluation of the control performance were performed considering the ground effect at landing. As a result, it was confirmed that the design goals were achieved. Even if the characteristics of the aircraft change greatly, the proposed control law is able to maintain the control performance. Moreover, it was confirmed to be able to land an aircraft safely during air turbulence. The present paper indicates that fuzzy-logic control is an effective and flexible method when applied to the control law for automatic landing, and the design method of the control law using fuzzy-logic control was obtained.

X-Wing Research Vehicle in Hangar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1987-01-01

One of the most unusual experimental flight vehicles appearing at NASA's Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (later redesignated Dryden Flight Research Center) in the 1980s was the Rotor Systems Research Aircraft (RSRA) X-Wing aircraft, seen here on the ramp. The craft was developed originally and then modified by Sikorsky Aircraft for a joint NASA-Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program and was rolled out 19 August 1986. Taxi tests and initial low-altitude flight tests without the main rotor attached were carried out at Dryden before the program was terminated in 1988. The unusual aircraft that resulted from the Ames Research Center/Army X-Wing Project was flown at the Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (now Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California, beginning in the spring of 1984, with a follow-on program beginning in 1986. The program, was conceived to provide an efficient combination of the vertical lift characteristic of conventional helicopters and the high cruise speed of fixed-wing aircraft. It consisted of a hybrid vehicle called the NASA/Army Rotor Systems Research Aircraft (RSRA), which was equipped with advanced X-wing rotor systems. The program began in the early 1970s to investigate ways to increase the speed of rotor aircraft, as well as their performance, reliability, and safety . It also sought to reduce the noise, vibration, and maintenance costs of helicopters. Sikorsky Aircraft Division of United Technologies Laboratories built two RSRA aircraft. NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia, did some initial testing and transferred the program to Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California, for an extensive flight research program conducted by Ames and the Army. The purpose of the 1984 tests was to demonstrate the fixed-wing capability of the helicopter/airplane hybrid research vehicle and explore its flight envelope and flying qualities. These tests, flown by Ames pilot G. Warren Hall and Army Maj (soon

Robot Drills Holes To Relieve Excess Tire Pressures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carrott, David T.

1996-01-01

Small, relatively inexpensive, remotely controlled robot called "tire assault vehicle" (TAV) developed to relieve excess tire pressures to protect ground crew, aircraft equipment, and nearby vehicles engaged in landing tests of CV-990 Landing System Research Aircraft. Reduces costs and saves time in training, maintenance, and setup related to "yellow" and "red" tire conditions. Adapted to any heavy-aircraft environment in which ground-crew safety at risk because of potential for tire explosions. Also ideal as scout vehicle for performing inspections in hazardous locations.

X-38 vehicle #131R during pre-launch with B-52 008 mothership and F-18 chase aircraft

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-11-02

The X-38 prototypes are intended to perfect a "crew lifeboat" for the International Space Station. The X-38 vehicle 131R demonstrates a huge 7,500 square-foot parafoil that will that will enable the Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) to land on the length of a football field after returning from space. The CRV is intended to serve as an emergency transport to carry a crew to safety in the event of problems with the International Space Station.

X-38 vehicle #131R during pre-launch with B-52 008 mothership and F-18 chase aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

The X-38 prototypes are intended to perfect a 'crew lifeboat' for the International Space Station. The X-38 vehicle 131R demonstrates a huge 7,500 square-foot parafoil that will that will enable the Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) to land on the length of a football field after returning from space. The CRV is intended to serve as an emergency transport to carry a crew to safety in the event of problems with the International Space Station.

Aircraft Anomaly Detection Using Performance Models Trained on Fleet Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gorinevsky, Dimitry; Matthews, Bryan L.; Martin, Rodney

2012-01-01

This paper describes an application of data mining technology called Distributed Fleet Monitoring (DFM) to Flight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA) data collected from a fleet of commercial aircraft. DFM transforms the data into aircraft performance models, flight-to-flight trends, and individual flight anomalies by fitting a multi-level regression model to the data. The model represents aircraft flight performance and takes into account fixed effects: flight-to-flight and vehicle-to-vehicle variability. The regression parameters include aerodynamic coefficients and other aircraft performance parameters that are usually identified by aircraft manufacturers in flight tests. Using DFM, the multi-terabyte FOQA data set with half-million flights was processed in a few hours. The anomalies found include wrong values of competed variables, (e.g., aircraft weight), sensor failures and baises, failures, biases, and trends in flight actuators. These anomalies were missed by the existing airline monitoring of FOQA data exceedances.

Configuration Studies of Personal Air Vehicles. Personal Air Vehicle and Flying Jeep Concepts: A Commentary on Promising Approaches or What Goes Around Comes Around (About Every Twenty Years)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, David W.

2001-01-01

The NASA/Langley Personal Air Vehicle (PAV) Exploration (PAVE) and the DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) Dual Air/Road Transportation System (DARTS) projects were established to investigate the feasibility of creating vehicles which could replace, or at the very least augment, personal ground and air transportation schemes. This overall goal implies integrating several technology areas with practical everyday transportation requirements to design a class of vehicles which will achieve the following goals: (1) Vertical, Extremely Short, or Short Takeoff and Landing (VTOL, ESTOL, STOL) capability; (2) Operation at block speeds markedly faster than current combinations of land and air transportation, particularly in critical market areas; (3) Unit cost comparable to current luxury cars and small general aviation aircraft; (4) Excellent reliability; (5) Excellent safety; (6) Ability to integrate with existing land and air transportation systems. The conclusions of these configuration studies are summarized as follows: (1) Creation of the five assigned configurations prompted added explorations, some of which were dead-ends; (2) Some components could be common to all configurations such as avionics and dual-mode suspension schemes; (3) Single-Mode PAVs can be created by removing dual-mode-specific items; (4) Aviation history provided some intriguing starting points, as in what goes around comes around; (5) CTOL (Conventional Take-off and Landing) and STOL dual-mode PAVs look feasible with single-mode PAVs being simplifications of the dual-mode approach; (6) VTOL PAVs will require development; (7) More exotic collapsing mechanisms mechanisms need development; (8) As a teaching tool, PAVs are not yet a well-enough bounded design problem.

Determination of the Actual Land Use Pattern Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Multispectral Camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dindaroğlu, T.; Gündoğan, R.; Gülci, S.

2017-11-01

The international initiatives developed in the context of combating global warming are based on the monitoring of Land Use, Land Use Changes, and Forests (LULUCEF). Determination of changes in land use patterns is used to determine the effects of greenhouse gas emissions and to reduce adverse effects in subsequent processes. This process, which requires the investigation and control of quite large areas, has undoubtedly increased the importance of technological tools and equipment. The use of carrier platforms and commercially cheaper various sensors have become widespread. In this study, multispectral camera was used to determine the land use pattern with high sensitivity. Unmanned aerial flights were carried out in the research fields of Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University campus area. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (multi-propeller hexacopter) was used as a carrier platform for aerial photographs. Within the scope of this study, multispectral cameras were used to determine the land use pattern with high sensitivity.

Multi-Objective Trajectory Optimization of a Hypersonic Reconnaissance Vehicle with Temperature Constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masternak, Tadeusz J.

This research determines temperature-constrained optimal trajectories for a scramjet-based hypersonic reconnaissance vehicle by developing an optimal control formulation and solving it using a variable order Gauss-Radau quadrature collocation method with a Non-Linear Programming (NLP) solver. The vehicle is assumed to be an air-breathing reconnaissance aircraft that has specified takeoff/landing locations, airborne refueling constraints, specified no-fly zones, and specified targets for sensor data collections. A three degree of freedom scramjet aircraft model is adapted from previous work and includes flight dynamics, aerodynamics, and thermal constraints. Vehicle control is accomplished by controlling angle of attack, roll angle, and propellant mass flow rate. This model is incorporated into an optimal control formulation that includes constraints on both the vehicle and mission parameters, such as avoidance of no-fly zones and coverage of high-value targets. To solve the optimal control formulation, a MATLAB-based package called General Pseudospectral Optimal Control Software (GPOPS-II) is used, which transcribes continuous time optimal control problems into an NLP problem. In addition, since a mission profile can have varying vehicle dynamics and en-route imposed constraints, the optimal control problem formulation can be broken up into several "phases" with differing dynamics and/or varying initial/final constraints. Optimal trajectories are developed using several different performance costs in the optimal control formulation: minimum time, minimum time with control penalties, and maximum range. The resulting analysis demonstrates that optimal trajectories that meet specified mission parameters and constraints can be quickly determined and used for larger-scale operational and campaign planning and execution.

Pathfinder-Plus aircraft in flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

The Pathfinder-Plus solar-powered aircraft is shown taking off from a runway, then flying at low altitude over the ocean. The vehicle, which looks like a flying ruler, operates at low airspeed. Among the missions proposed for a solar-powered aircraft are communications relay, atmospheric studies, pipeline monitoring and gas leak detection, environmental monitoring using thermal and radar images, and disaster relief and monitoring.

The History of the XV-15 Tilt Rotor Research Aircraft: From Concept to Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maisel, Martin D.; Giulianetti, Demo J.; Dugan, Daniel C.

2000-01-01

This monograph is a testament to the efforts of many people overcoming multiple technical challenges encountered while developing the XV-15 tilt rotor research aircraft. The Ames involvement with the tilt rotor aircraft began in 1957 with investigations of the performance and dynamic behavior of the Bell XV-3 tilt rotor aircraft. At that time, Ames Research Center was known as the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). As we approach the new millennium, and after more than 40 years of effort and the successful completion of our initial goals, it is appropriate to reflect on the technical accomplishments and consider the future applications of this unique aircraft class, the tilt rotor. The talented engineers, technicians, managers, and leaders at Ames have worked hard with their counterparts in the U.S. rotorcraft industry to overcome technology barriers and to make the military and civil tilt rotor aircraft safer, environmentally acceptable, and more efficient. The tilt rotor aircraft combines the advantages of vertical takeoff and landing capabilities, inherent to the helicopter, with the forward speed and range of a fixed wing turboprop airplane. Our studies have shown that this new vehicle type can provide the aviation transportation industry with the flexibility for highspeed, long-range flight, coupled with runway-independent operations, thus having a significant potential to relieve airport congestion. We see the tilt rotor aircraft as an element of the solution to this growing air transport problem.

Knowledge-based scheduling of arrival aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krzeczowski, K.; Davis, T.; Erzberger, H.; Lev-Ram, I.; Bergh, C.

1995-01-01

A knowledge-based method for scheduling arrival aircraft in the terminal area has been implemented and tested in real-time simulation. The scheduling system automatically sequences, assigns landing times, and assigns runways to arrival aircraft by utilizing continuous updates of aircraft radar data and controller inputs. The scheduling algorithms is driven by a knowledge base which was obtained in over two thousand hours of controller-in-the-loop real-time simulation. The knowledge base contains a series of hierarchical 'rules' and decision logic that examines both performance criteria, such as delay reduction, as well as workload reduction criteria, such as conflict avoidance. The objective of the algorithms is to devise an efficient plan to land the aircraft in a manner acceptable to the air traffic controllers. This paper will describe the scheduling algorithms, give examples of their use, and present data regarding their potential benefits to the air traffic system.

NASA Langley Distributed Propulsion VTOL Tilt-Wing Aircraft Testing, Modeling, Simulation, Control, and Flight Test Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rothhaar, Paul M.; Murphy, Patrick C.; Bacon, Barton J.; Gregory, Irene M.; Grauer, Jared A.; Busan, Ronald C.; Croom, Mark A.

2014-01-01

Control of complex Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft traversing from hovering to wing born flight mode and back poses notoriously difficult modeling, simulation, control, and flight-testing challenges. This paper provides an overview of the techniques and advances required to develop the GL-10 tilt-wing, tilt-tail, long endurance, VTOL aircraft control system. The GL-10 prototype's unusual and complex configuration requires application of state-of-the-art techniques and some significant advances in wind tunnel infrastructure automation, efficient Design Of Experiments (DOE) tunnel test techniques, modeling, multi-body equations of motion, multi-body actuator models, simulation, control algorithm design, and flight test avionics, testing, and analysis. The following compendium surveys key disciplines required to develop an effective control system for this challenging vehicle in this on-going effort.

Enabling efficient vertical takeoff/landing and forward flight of unmanned aerial vehicles: Design and control of tandem wing-tip mounted rotor mechanisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mancuso, Peter Timothy

Fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that offer vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and forward flight capability suffer from sub-par performance in both flight modes. Achieving the next generation of efficient hybrid aircraft requires innovations in: (i) power management, (ii) efficient structures, and (iii) control methodologies. Existing hybrid UAVs generally utilize one of three transitioning mechanisms: an external power mechanism to tilt the rotor-propulsion pod, separate propulsion units and rotors during hover and forward flight, or tilt body craft (smaller scale). Thus, hybrid concepts require more energy compared to dedicated fixed-wing or rotorcraft UAVs. Moreover, design trade-offs to reinforce the wing structure (typically to accommodate the propulsion systems and enable hover, i.e. tilt-rotor concepts) adversely impacts the aerodynamics, controllability and efficiency of the aircraft in both hover and forward flight modes. The goal of this research is to develop more efficient VTOL/ hover and forward flight UAVs. In doing so, the transition sequence, transition mechanism, and actuator performance are heavily considered. A design and control methodology was implemented to address these issues through a series of computer simulations and prototype benchtop tests to verify the proposed solution. Finally, preliminary field testing with a first-generation prototype was conducted. The methods used in this research offer guidelines and a new dual-arm rotor UAV concept to designing more efficient hybrid UAVs in both hover and forward flight.

Comprehensive Analysis of Two Downburst-Related Aircraft Accidents

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shen, J.; Parks, E. K.; Bach, R. E.

1996-01-01

Although downbursts have been identified as the major cause of a number of aircraft takeoff and landing accidents, only the 1985 Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and the more recent (July 1994) Charlotte, North Carolina, landing accidents provided sufficient onboard recorded data to perform a comprehensive analysis of the downburst phenomenon. The first step in the present analysis was the determination of the downburst wind components. Once the wind components and their gradients were determined, the degrading effect of the wind environment on the airplane's performance was calculated. This wind-shear-induced aircraft performance degradation, sometimes called the F-factor, was broken down into two components F(sub 1) and F(sub 2), representing the effect of the horizontal wind gradient and the vertical wind velocity, respectively. In both the DFW and Charlotte cases, F(sub 1) was found to be the dominant causal factor of the accident. Next, the aircraft in the two cases were mathematically modeled using the longitudinal equations of motion and the appropriate aerodynamic parameters. Based on the aircraft model and the determined winds, the aircraft response to the recorded pilot inputs showed good agreement with the onboard recordings. Finally, various landing abort strategies were studied. It was concluded that the most acceptable landing abort strategy from both an analytical and pilot's standpoint was to hold constant nose-up pitch attitude while operating at maximum engine thrust.

36 CFR 331.14 - Aircraft.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... GOVERNING THE PROTECTION, USE AND MANAGEMENT OF THE FALLS OF THE OHIO NATIONAL WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AREA, KENTUCKY AND INDIANA § 331.14 Aircraft. (a) The operation of aircraft on WCA lands and waters is prohibited... business of the Federal Government or used in emergency rescue in accordance with the directions of the...

19 CFR 122.42 - Aircraft entry.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY... aircraft commander or an agent. (b) Place of entry—(1) First landing at international airport. Entry shall be made at the international airport at which first landing is made. (2) First landing at another...

19 CFR 122.42 - Aircraft entry.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY... aircraft commander or an agent. (b) Place of entry—(1) First landing at international airport. Entry shall be made at the international airport at which first landing is made. (2) First landing at another...

19 CFR 122.42 - Aircraft entry.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY... aircraft commander or an agent. (b) Place of entry—(1) First landing at international airport. Entry shall be made at the international airport at which first landing is made. (2) First landing at another...

19 CFR 122.42 - Aircraft entry.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY... aircraft commander or an agent. (b) Place of entry—(1) First landing at international airport. Entry shall be made at the international airport at which first landing is made. (2) First landing at another...

32 CFR 766.12 - Unauthorized landings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 32 National Defense 5 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Unauthorized landings. 766.12 Section 766.12 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY MISCELLANEOUS RULES USE OF DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY AVIATION FACILITIES BY CIVIL AIRCRAFT § 766.12 Unauthorized landings. An aircraft that...

The fiber-optic high-speed data bus for a new generation of military aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uhlhorn, Roger W.

1991-02-01

The avionic suite for the next generation of military aircraft is being designed with component and module commonality in mind in order to control recurring costs and capitalize on economy of scale. The backbone of the suite fashioned out of these modular building blocks is the fiber-optic bit-serial time-division multiplexed high-speed data bus (HSDB), operating at 50 Mb/s, which provides command and control communications among most of the aircraft subsystems and can be used to provide communications for a fly-by-light flight-control system or for the block transfer of data between mass memories and data processors. The fiber-optic HSDB is examined from the top down, beginning with an overview of the evolution of avionic architectures. A review is given of the standardization activity associated with development of the network, the protocols chosen to implement the desired communication functions, configuration options, and the fiber-optic components used in the bus interfaces or other active nodes of the network. It is believed that the utility of the bus extends beyond aircraft to spacecraft, ships, and land vehicles.

Recent Developments in Aircraft Flyover Noise Simulation at NASA Langley Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rizzi, Stephen A.; Sullivan, Brenda M.; Aumann, Aric R.

2008-01-01

The NASA Langley Research Center is involved in the development of a new generation of synthesis and simulation tools for creation of virtual environments used in the study of aircraft community noise. The original emphasis was on simulation of flyover noise associated with subsonic fixed wing aircraft. Recently, the focus has shifted to rotary wing aircraft. Many aspects of the simulation are applicable to both vehicle classes. Other aspects, particularly those associated with synthesis, are more vehicle specific. This paper discusses the capabilities of the current suite of tools, their application to fixed and rotary wing aircraft, and some directions for the future.

Application of active control landing gear technology to the A-10 aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ross, I.; Edson, R.

1983-01-01

Two concepts which reduce the A-10 aircraft's wing/gear interface forces as a result of applying active control technology to the main landing gear are described. In the first concept, referred to as the alternate concept a servovalve in a closed pressure control loop configuration effectively varies the size of the third stage spool valve orifice which is embedded in the strut. This action allows the internal energy in the strut to shunt hydraulic flow around the metering orifice. The command signal to the loop is reference strut pressure which is compared to the measured strut pressure, the difference being the loop error. Thus, the loop effectively varies the spool valve orifice size to maintain the strut pressure, and therefore minimizes the wing/gear interface force referenced.

In-situ Charge Determination for Vapor Cycle Systems in Aircraft (Postprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-10-22

control and operation in support of the Energy Optimized Aircraft (EOA) initiative and the Integrated Vehicle ENergy Technology (INVENT) program...the Energy Optimized Aircraft (EOA) initiative and the Integrated Vehicle ENergy Technology (INVENT) program. Previous papers on ToTEMS have discussed...stationary chillers include a reduction in cooling capacity due to reduced availability of liquid for evaporation. In addition, the coefficient of

Dryden B-52 Launch Aircraft on Dryden Ramp

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

NASA's venerable B-52 mothership sits on the ramp in front of the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. Over the course of more than 40 years, the B-52 launched numerous experimental aircraft, ranging from the X-15 to the X-38, and was also used as a flying testbed for a variety of other research projects. NASA B-52, Tail Number 008, is an air launch carrier aircraft, 'mothership,' as well as a research aircraft platform that has been used on a variety of research projects. The aircraft, a 'B' model built in 1952 and first flown on June 11, 1955, is the oldest B-52 in flying status and has been used on some of the most significant research projects in aerospace history. Some of the significant projects supported by B-52 008 include the X-15, the lifting bodies, HiMAT (highly maneuverable aircraft technology), Pegasus, validation of parachute systems developed for the space shuttle program (solid-rocket-booster recovery system and the orbiter drag chute system), and the X-38. The B-52 served as the launch vehicle on 106 X-15 flights and flew a total of 159 captive-carry and launch missions in support of that program from June 1959 to October 1968. Information gained from the highly successful X-15 program contributed to the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo human spaceflight programs as well as space shuttle development. Between 1966 and 1975, the B-52 served as the launch aircraft for 127 of the 144 wingless lifting body flights. In the 1970s and 1980s, the B-52 was the launch aircraft for several aircraft at what is now the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, to study spin-stall, high-angle-of attack, and maneuvering characteristics. These included the 3/8-scale F-15/spin research vehicle (SRV), the HiMAT (Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology) research vehicle, and the DAST (drones for aerodynamic and structural testing). The aircraft supported the development of parachute recovery systems used to recover the space shuttle solid rocket

Comparison Virtual Landing Gear Drop Test for Commuter Aircraft Utilize MSC ADAMS And Solidworks Motion Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hidayat, Dony; Istiyanto, Jos; Agus Sumarsono, Danardono

2018-04-01

Loads at main landing gear while touchdown impact is function of aircraft weight and ground reaction load factor. In regulation states ground reaction load factor at Vsink = 3.05 m/s is below 3. Contact/impact force from simulation using MSC ADAMS is 94680 N, while using Solidworks Motion Analysis is 97691 N. The difference between MSC ADAMS and Solidworks Motion Analysis is 3.08%. The ground reaction load factor in MSC ADAMS is 2.78 while in Solidworks Motion Analysis is 2.87.

Descent and Landing Triggers for the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle Exploration Flight Test-1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bihari, Brian D.; Semrau, Jeffrey D.; Duke, Charity J.

2013-01-01

The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) will perform a flight test known as Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) currently scheduled for 2014. One of the primary functions of this test is to exercise all of the important Guidance, Navigation, Control (GN&C), and Propulsion systems, along with the flight software for future flights. The Descent and Landing segment of the flight is governed by the requirements levied on the GN&C system by the Landing and Recovery System (LRS). The LRS is a complex system of parachutes and flight control modes that ensure that the Orion MPCV safely lands at its designated target in the Pacific Ocean. The Descent and Landing segment begins with the jettisoning of the Forward Bay Cover and concludes with sensing touchdown. This paper discusses the requirements, design, testing, analysis and performance of the current EFT-1 Descent and Landing Triggers flight software.

Models for estimating runway landing capacity with Microwave Landing System (MLS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tosic, V.; Horonjeff, R.

1975-01-01

A model is developed which is capable of computing the ultimate landing runway capacity, under ILS and MLS conditions, when aircraft population characteristics and air traffic control separation rules are given. This model can be applied in situations when only a horizontal separation between aircraft approaching a runway is allowed, as well as when both vertical and horizontal separations are possible. It is assumed that the system is free of errors, that is that aircraft arrive at specified points along the prescribed flight path precisely when the controllers intend for them to arrive at these points. Although in the real world there is no such thing as an error-free system, the assumption is adequate for a qualitative comparison of MLS with ILS. Results suggest that an increase in runway landing capacity, caused by introducing the MLS multiple approach paths, is to be expected only when an aircraft population consists of aircraft with significantly differing approach speeds and particularly in situations when vertical separation can be applied. Vertical separation can only be applied if one of the types of aircraft in the mix has a very steep descent angle.

Parachute Testing for the NASA X-38 Crew Return Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stein, Jenny M.

2005-01-01

NASA's X-38 program was an in-house technology demonstration program to develop a Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) for the International Space Station capable of returning seven crewmembers to Earth when the Space Shuttle was not present at the station. The program, managed out of NASA's Johnson Space Center, was started in 1995 and was cancelled in 2003. Eight flights with a prototype atmospheric vehicle were successfully flown at Edwards Air Force Base, demonstrating the feasibility of a parachute landing system for spacecraft. The intensive testing conducted by the program included testing of large ram-air parafoils. The flight test techniques, instrumentation, and simulation models developed during the parachute test program culminated in the successful demonstration of a guided parafoil system to land a 25,000 Ib spacecraft. The test program utilized parafoils of sizes ranging from 750 to 7500 p. The guidance, navigation, and control system (GN&C) consisted of winches, laser or radar altimeter, global positioning system (GPS), magnetic compass, barometric altimeter, flight computer, and modems for uplink commands and downlink data. The winches were used to steer the parafoil and to perform the dynamic flare maneuver for a soft landing. The laser or radar altimeter was used to initiate the flare. In the event of a GPS failure, the software navigated by dead reckoning using the compass and barometric altimeter data. The GN&C test beds included platforms dropped from cargo aircraft, atmospheric vehicles released from a 8-52, and a Buckeye powered parachute. This paper will describe the test program and significant results.

Using two detectors concurrently to monitor ambient dose equivalent rates in vehicle surveys of radiocesium contaminated land.

PubMed

Takeishi, Minoru; Shibamichi, Masaru; Malins, Alex; Kurikami, Hiroshi; Murakami, Mitsuhiro; Saegusa, Jun; Yoneya, Masayuki

2017-10-01

In response to the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), vehicle-borne monitoring was used to map radiation levels for radiological protection of the public. By convention measurements from vehicle-borne surveys are converted to the ambient dose equivalent rate at 1 m height in the absence of the vehicle. This allows for comparison with results from other types of survey, including surveys with hand-held or airborne instruments. To improve the accuracy of the converted results from vehicle-borne surveys, we investigated combining measurements from two detectors mounted on the vehicle at different heights above the ground. A dual-detector setup was added to a JAEA monitoring car and compared against hand-held survey meter measurements in Fukushima Prefecture. The results obtained by combining measurements from two detectors were within ±20% of the hand-held reference measurements. The mean absolute percentage deviation from the reference measurements was 7.2%. The combined results from the two detectors were more accurate than those from either the roof-mounted detector, or the detector inside the vehicle, taken alone. One issue with vehicle-borne surveys is that ambient dose equivalent rates above roads are not necessarily representative of adjacent areas. This is because radiocesium is often deficient on asphalt surfaces, as it is easily scrubbed off by rain, wind and vehicle tires. To tackle this issue, we investigated mounting heights for vehicle-borne detectors using Monte Carlo gamma-ray simulations. When radiocesium is deficient on a road compared to the adjacent land, mounting detectors high on vehicles yields results closer to the values adjacent to the road. The ratio of ambient dose equivalent rates reported by detectors mounted at different heights in a dual-detector setup indicates whether radiocesium is deficient on the road compared to the adjacent land. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights

NASA Aircraft Controls Research, 1983

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beasley, G. P. (Compiler)

1984-01-01

The workshop consisted of 24 technical presentations on various aspects of aircraft controls, ranging from the theoretical development of control laws to the evaluation of new controls technology in flight test vehicles. A special report on the status of foreign aircraft technology and a panel session with seven representatives from organizations which use aircraft controls technology were also included. The controls research needs and opportunities for the future as well as the role envisioned for NASA in that research were addressed. Input from the panel and response to the workshop presentations will be used by NASA in developing future programs.

X-15 landing on lakebed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1960-01-01

In this 17-second video clip, the X-15 is shown in flight and then landing on Rogers Dry Lakebed adjacent to Edwards Air Force Base. It is followed by an F-104A chase aircraft, whose pilot provided a second set of eyes to the X-15 pilot on landing in case of any problems. The video shows the skids on the back of the X-15 contacting the lakebed, with the aircraft's nose then rotating downward until the nose landing gear was on the lakebed.

A head up display format for application to V/STOL aircraft approach and landing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merrick, Vernon K.; Farris, Glenn G.; Vanags, Andrejs A.

1990-01-01

A head up display (HUD) format developed at NASA Ames Research Center to provide pilots of V/STOL aircraft with complete flight guidance and control information for category-3C terminal-area flight operations, is described in detail. These flight operations cover a large spectrum, from STOL operations on land-based runways to VTOL operations on small ships in high seas. Included in this description is a complete geometrical specification of the HUD elements and their drive laws. The principal features of this display format are the integration of the flightpath and pursuit guidance information into a narrow field of view, easily assimilated by the pilot with a single glance, and the superposition of vertical and horizontal situation information. The display is a derivative of a successful design developed for conventional transport aircraft. The design is the outcome of many piloted simulations conducted over a four-year period. Whereas the concepts on which the display format rests could not be fully exploited because of field-of-view restrictions, and some reservations remain about the acceptability of superimposing vertical and horizontal situation information, the design successfully fulfilled its intended objectives.

Global mortality attributable to aircraft cruise emissions.

PubMed