Integrated Control and Display Research for Transition and Vertical Flight on the NASA V/STOL Research Aircraft (VSRA)

Abstract

Results of a substantial body of ground-based simulation experiments indicate that a high degree of precision of operation for recovery aboard small ships in heavy seas and low visibility with acceptable levels of effort by the pilot can be achieved by integrating the aircraft flight and propulsion controls. The availability of digital fly-by-wire controls makes it feasible to implement an integrated control design to achieve and demonstrate in flight the operational benefits promised by the simulation experience. It remains to validate these systems concepts in flight to establish their value for advanced short takeoff vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft designs. This paper summarizes analytical studies and simulation experiments that provide a basis for the flight research program that will develop and validate critical technologies for advanced STOVL aircraft through the development and evaluation of advanced, integrated control and display concepts and lays out the plan for the flight program that will be conducted on NASA's V/STOL Research Aircraft (VSRA).

Aircraft and Rotorcraft System Identification

“…This was essentially a YAV-8B Harrier aircraft equipped with a flyby-wire research flight-control system and integrated displays. 183 System identification flight testing using automated frequency sweeps of the ailerons was conducted at a flight condition of 120 kn. The objective of the identification effort was to determine state-space models of the structural responses in support of control system design and stability-margin verification.…”

Control and display combinations for blind vertical landings

“…5 ' 14 Until now, these concepts have been refined and evaluated only in fixed and moving-base piloted simulations. To stimulate further development of these concepts before flight tests using a modified YAV-8B Harrier, 14 a flight investigation was conducted on a variable-stability helicopter. The primary advantage of the helicopter is that it provides an efficient hovering platform for flight examination of the control and display concepts and pilot-vehicle operational issues.…”