This viewgraph document reviews the status of several Dryden projects. They are: the Ikhana Project, development of the F-15 Intelligent Flight Control System, the development of a C-20A Precision Autopilot for use in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR), the development of the X-48B Blended Wing Body aircraft, and development of Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)

Cox, Timothy H.

NASA Technical Reports Server

March 2008 
NASA Dryden Status 
Aerospace Control & Guidance Sub-committee 
Salt Lake City, Utah 
March 2008 
Tim Cox 
(661) 276-2126 
Timothy.h.cox@nasa.gov 
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20080014796 2019-08-30T04:14:14+00:00Z
March 2008 
Ikhana Project Update 
•  Successful completion of 
Western States Fire 
Mission 
•  Ames, USFS 
•  FEMA and California 
request support during 
Southern California 
wildfires 
•  Positive feedback from fire 
commanders on benefit of 
near real time imageries  
•  ARTS III research controller 
software/hardware ready 
for SIL integration 
•  GA perform SIL integration 
tests in mid-March 2008 
•  Further research TBD 
•  Dryden developed Fiber Optic Wing 
Shape Sensing ready for flight test 
pending final review 
•  Sensors and wiring installed 
•  Ground test completed 
•  Flight test is scheduled for mid-March 
2008 
March 2008 
F-15 Intelligent Flight Control System Status 
•  Flight tested adaptive control 
response to an unstable 
airframe 
–  Destabilizing feedback of alpha 
to canards (canard multipliers) 
–  The adaptive controller restored 
acceptable gain and phase 
margins 
•  Flight tested failed stabilator 
actuator: 0, 2, 4 deg from trim 
–  Pilot opinions generally  
favorable 
–  PIO case formation flight 
•  Investigating handling quality 
metrics for cross-coupling 
Stable 
Unstable 
Stable 
Unstable 
Reduced Stability 
Stability Margins Derived From Flight Data 
March 2008 
•  Current Plans 
–  Finish evaluations of canard multiplier 
–  Investigate cross-coupling metrics 
–  Improve adaptive controller to: 
»  Reduce transients (upon failure insertion) 
»  Improve tracking performance 
»  Reduce cross-coupling effects 
–  Flight test into summer 08 
»  Canard multiplier 
»  Jammed stabilator 
Intelligent Flight Control System (IFCS), cont’d  
Failure inserted Right Stab at 10 sec. 
Current adaptive controller response 
Re-designed adaptive controller response 
R
ol
l S
tic
k 
N
z 
March 2008 
C-20A Precision Autopilot Results 
•  Requirement: Fly within a 10 meter tube 90 percent of the time with calm to light 
atmospheric disturbances 
•  Flight envelope performance (see figure) 
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) 
10 Meter Tube 
90 Percentile 
70 Percentile 
50 Percentile 
Cruise Envelope 
MSR (Min fuel) 
Mach Limit w/ Pod 
March 2008 
X-48B Blended Wing Body 
•  9 flights completed (as of 
Feb 22) 
•  Initial slats extended 
envelope has been cleared 
–  Forward to Aft CG range 
–  Wide airspeed range 
•  Accurate matches between 
simulation data and flight 
data 
•  Slats retracted envelope clearance 
begins in a few weeks 
–  Higher speed 
–  Less margin 
•  Potential testbed for intelligent flight 
control research 
March 2008 
SOFIA 
•  Stratospheric Observatory for 
Infrared Astronomy  
–  2.5 m infrared telescope 
–  Door cavity 
–  Platform is 747 SP 
•  Closed door envelope 
clearance complete 
–  Structures emphasis 
–  Flight dynamics relatively 
unaltered 
–  Baseline established 
•  Open door flights scheduled 
winter 09 
–  Envelope clearance 
–  Early science requirement 
–  Autopilot development to 
support science 
To Fly What Others Imagine …


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