Because the RPV can make many flights a day, it allows us to collect data from more areas of the flight envelope, in less time, than we could do using full-scale simulators. Md. The small-scale plane was developed by NC State in cooperation with the Naval Aviation Systems Team, Bihrle Applied Research Inc. and SWB Turbines Inc., with additional input provided by McDonnell Aircraft and NASA Langley Research Center. The plane was demonstrated for Navy officials and aerospace contractors this week at the Johnston County Airport in Smithfield. What sets the plane apart from previous scale models used in Navy test flights, researchers say, is the complexity of its on-board systems and its capability for sustained flight. Designing and building the 140-pound craft took nearly 20 months.
Longer flights allow the plane to collect more data with less downtime.
In flight, the plane is controlled electronically by a remote pilot stationed nearby on the ground. The pilot sets test parameters and controls flight patterns and maneuvers. On-board computers then record flight data, showing how the plane is performing. Wind tunnels traditionally have been used to obtain much of the test data on new planes, he says, but are limited in their ability to assess thrust effects and flight control interactions in an unrestricted environment. By using the small- scale test plane, engineers can gather that data without having to use advanced mathematical methods and a massive amount of computations.