Combining Distributed Measurements of Air Data, IMU and GPS for Gliding Parachute Applications

Abstract

Within a collaborative work between the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Georgia Institute of Technology and Earthly Dynamics, the benefit of the joint use of multiple in-canopy sensor pods (ICSPs) together with a riser-mounted airflow sensor (RMAS) was evaluated. Wind tunnel tests have been conducted for testing and calibrating the RMAS using the previous and also a new configuration with a rounded front cover, the latter with promising results. The sensors have been applied together on personnel parafoils for flight testing in order to collect sensor data from the different sensors and to create a comprehensive database of flight test data for different maneuvers and control configurations. The paper provides details about the sensor systems used, the conducted wind tunnel and flight tests, the evaluated data and obtained results, and gives an outlook on the beneficial use of such combined sensor systems in future gliding parachute applications.