A400M Handling Qualities Study Algorithms for Flight Test Evaluation of the A400M Military Transport Aircraft: PIO Detection Software

Kurzfassung

The evaluation of flight test results nearly always has to be performed under timecritical circumstances. Often succeeding test points and sorties depend on the successful completion of another test point which has to be assessed beforehand. To increase effectiveness, algorithms to facilitate and accelerate flight test evaluation w.r.t. handling qualities are necessary that allow a partially automated way to assess critical parameters. Two packages with algorithms have been developed in the frame of the A400M HQ Study 2009-2010 (Contract No. Q/LR1A/9A037/1A173, [1]). This is the second report. Report one ("Evaluation of Flight Test Data for Handling Quality Assessment Using the Example of a Military Transport Aicraft Similar to the A400M"[9]) is provided separately. This second part introduces the PIO Detection Software, which was inspired by the tool ROVER which was orginally developed by Mitchell et al.[4]. It allows the evaluation of PIOs in real-time and during the post-processing phase if the required information is made available (based on flight test instrumention (FTI) and/or telemetry data). The data required for the PIO Detection Software made up of basic flight mechanical parameters that are standard parameters for most tests and therefore will be very likely provided by the FTI.