Determination of Instrument Errors by Compatibility Checking - Results from Dynamic Flight Test Data

摘要

The considerable potential benefits of compatibility checking of aircraft dynamic flight data have in the past not been fully realised when applied to real data. It is suggested in this report that this is partly due to the presence of errors in the real data which are not usually accounted for in computer simulation studies. When factors such as accelerometer offset from centre of gravity, measurement time delays and other non-linearities are accounted for, good results can be achieved with moderate quality instrumentation. The effect of these factors on the identified instrument errors are studied in this report and confidence in the results established by a careful comparison with instrument calibrations and expected errors. Other considerations, such as the influence of manoeuvre shape and the inclusion of altitude record, are also discussed, and the conditions for successful application of compatibility checking techniques to flight data are summarised. The importance of understanding the instrumentation system is highlighted.