EVALUATING AIRCRAFT WETTING AND IN-FLIGHT LIQUID FUEL MIGRATION DURING F-35 FUEL DUMP TESTING

摘要

A flight test program was conducted on the F-35B and F-35C to evaluate aircraft surface wetting and migration, during and after fuel dump operations. The purpose was to verify that the aircraft fuel dump system met engineering, operational, and safety requirements. Testing focused on observing and documenting the movement of the liquid fuel after being jettisoned and relied on the use of fuel reactive paint along with extensive in-flight and post-flight inspections and photographs. During testing, deficiencies were found that required several changes to the fuel dump hardware and procedures to correct. Unique flight operations such as F-35B flight and landings in Short Take Off Vertical Landing (STOVL) mode, and F-35C carrier operations were assessed to verify fuel dump could be safely conducted with these aircraft configurations and operating environments. Lessons learned during the flight test program included which variables were the most important to control, how to reduce the time between tests, and methods that improved the consistency of the data collected. The flight test program concluded in 2014 and demonstrated satisfactory F-35B and F-35C fuel dump system performance required by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.