NASA 

National Aeronautics and 

Facts

Space Administration 

Dryden Flight Research Center 

P.O. Box 273

Edwards, California 93523 

Voice 661-276-3449 

FAX 661-276-3566 

pao@dfrc.nasa.gov FS-2003-10-007 DFRC 

Walter C. Williams

Research Aircraft Integration Facility

NASA Dryden's Research Aircraft Integration Facility was officially opened under the name of Integrated Test 

Facility (ITF) on October 24, 1992. It 

was renamed the Walter C. Williams 

Research Aircraft Integration Facility 

(RAIF) on November 17, 1995. Williams was the first director of what later 

became the NASA Dryden Flight 

Research Center located on Edwards 

Air Force Base, Calif. The test facility 

allows researchers and technicians to 

integrate and test aircraft systems such 

as flight controls, avionics, electrical 

systems, and other related systems 

simultaneously before each flight. 

Flight test confidence is greatly enhanced by qualifying inter-active 

aircraft systems in a controlled environment. In the RAIF, each element of 

a flight vehicle can be regulated and 

monitored in real time as it interacts 

with the other aircraft systems. Until 

the ITF was developed, pre-flight checks were carried out independently and often at several locations. 

The Building 

The RAIF was built to accommodate a mix of commercial and fighter aircraft at one time. The RAIF significantly reduces aircraft systems checkout time and costs. 

The RAIF is a 120,000 square-foot, multi-story building. It contains six test bays in three separate areas. Test 

bays one, two, and three are located behind a single door that is 50 feet high and spans 225 feet. The combined 

size of these test bays is 225 feet wide by 135 feet deep, large enough for a single transport-size aircraft to be 

placed in the multiple-bay area. On the opposite side of the structure, test bays four and five have a common 

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door that is 40 feet high and 126 feet wide. Test bays 

four and five together are 125 feet wide by 99 feet 

deep. The door to test bay six is 40 feet high and 100 

feet wide. Test bay six is 97 feet wide by 99 feet deep. 

A full-height wall separates test bays five and six. 

Located in the central section of the RAIF are the test 

systems used to carry out the automated test and 

integration functions. Each test bay is linked to a 

second-floor control room overlooking that area. 

Aircraft services, including electrical systems, a 

central hydraulic system for each side of the building, 

and central cooling air are required during systems 

integration and functional checks. With the exception 

of engine runs all inflight aircraft functions that 

simulate real flight can be carried out in the RAIF. 

The front two-story section of the building contains 

offices for project management, engineering and 

administrative personnel. 

Design and construction cost of the RAIF was $22.5 

million. 

RAIF Functions 

Key to ground test operations in the RAIF is the 

ability to perform real-time simulation with the actual 

flight vehicle, "fooling" the vehicle into thinking it is 

flying. 

Testing in the RAIF is carried out through automated 

techniques in which each aircraft is interfaced to a 

high-fidelity, real-time simulation. The process is 

controlled by an engineering workstation that establishes initial conditions for the test, initiates the test 

run, monitors its progress, and records and stores data 

generated. The workstation also analyzes results of 

individual tests, compares results of multiple tests, and 

produces reports. 

Computers used in the automated, aircraft-testing 

process also are capable of operating in a stand-alone 

mode with a simulation cockpit, complete with its own 

instruments and controls. Development and modification of control laws; qualification of aerodynamic, 

propulsion and guidance models; and flight planning 

functions traditionally associated with real-time 

simulation also can be carried out in this manner. 

Workstations provide test engineers with computeraided test tools, minimizing the time required to 

qualify new flight software. The RAIF is data-linked 

to Dryden's mission control rooms and other facilities. 

This gives researchers and engineers real-time comparisons of flight and simulation results and allows for 

immediate clearance of flight test points. This same 

capability also provides realistic training for mission 

controllers. 

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Simulation 

Simulation systems in the RAIF support many configurations for each project, with varying levels of 

aircraft hardware included. Simulations are used for a 

variety of research purposes such as determining time 

histories, frequency responses, conducting redundancy 

management tests, failure modes and effects tests, and 

pilot evaluations. Simulations also support pilot training, 

flight-research mission planning and report writing. 

Ground Vibration Test 

Ground vibration test (GVT) systems, formerly located in the Dryden Flight Loads Laboratory (FLL), 

are now in the RAIF. As research aircraft are prepared 

for certain flight programs, it is necessary to measure 

and test their strength to withstand vibrations. This 

ensures structural integrity and safety through all 

phases of flight research. 

Support Staff 

The RAIF is staffed by an experienced research team 

of technicians and engineers with backgrounds in all 

phases of flight simulation, flight control verification 

and validation, control theory, aircraft structures, 

electromechanical hardware design and fabrication, 

and remotely augmented aircraft operations. 

The facility is the only one of its kind in the United 

States. It is considered a national aerospace research 

asset that is available for use, under specific agreements, by other government agencies and 

U.S. aerospace companies.

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