Progress in the Migration of Flight Test Analysis Routines to Python

摘要

In recent years, Python programming language and its associated scientific libraries have been increasingly accepted in the Flight Test Engineering community. Its ability to essentially replace high-cost engineering and scientific software for many disciplines, including Flight Test Engineering, makes its consideration imperative as an alternative. Python's open-source nature and status as a low-cost, low-risk alternative makes it popular in the engineering academic arena; many entry-level Engineers have experience coding engineering tools in Python. This trend was clearly developing by 2016, and, at the ITEA Instrumentation Workshop in 2016, the author delivered a presentation proposing the migration of Flight Test Engineering routines to Python and describing the advantages of using tools like the Interactive Analysis and Display Software (IADS). Significant interest was generated at this Workshop. Many subsequent Python presentations and classes have been offered at ITEA Symposia and workshops. Since the 2016 Workshop, direct uses of Python and ways to allow users to write Python code from within other software packages have helped streamline flight test analysis efforts. This paper will document the progress made since 2016, experience gained with some of the available Python libraries will be shared, and various tools that have been developed in Python for users will be introduced and described in detail. An attempt will also be made to assess the acceptance of Python in the Flight Test community at large.