Recent Flight Test Experience with Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

摘要

The NASA Dryden Flight Research Center has had substantial involvement with uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the past. These vehicles include the Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology (HiMAT) aircraft and a new breed of UAVs, such as the X-36 and the Pathfinder. This article describes lessons learned with the current UAVs which may help others in any stage of UAV design or flight testing. Topics discussed include airspace factors, weather factors, frequency availability, range safety, human factors and crew station design, hardware and software design redundancy, ground testing, simulator use, flight testing procedures, crew training, and environmental testing.