This paper reviews selected results from a recent Air Force study on the flying qualities of military hypersonic aircraft. The focus is on the effect of the long path-attitude lag, characteristic of hypersonic aircraft, on flying qualities. Analysis of data from a pilot-in-the-loop simulation, conducted in the Rockwell International Hypersonic Simulator, is reviewed. The results presented were obtained for a generic pitch rate command/attitude hold SCAS type, one of two types examined. The results indicate some pilot preference for pitch rate overshoot to (Presumably) improve the effective path response. Uncertainty in the results was quantified and is consistent with pilot ambivalence about the tradeoff between attitude and path response. Pilot preference is also found to be highly sensitive to command limiter settings and hold type.
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