Aircraft

Aircraft Dynamics Measurement

FSL were required to develop a “flight testing” system. FSL developed a high G force FSLPak-4i which incorporates NovAtel’s SPAN inertial technology into a compact and light design weighing just 1.7kg. In “flight tests” the system recorded 12G dynamics with centimetre and sub-arc minute precision.  The aircraft was fitted with a 512C antenna and FSL’s Ring Laser Gyro inside a lightweight housing. The GPS was also housed in a lightweight housing in a special certified compartment behind the pilot’s seat.

The centimetre and sub-mil precision at 100Hz translated itself into high speed precision animation for television broadcasting. TV presenters were able to overlay historical and actual aircraft runs for step-by-step performance comparisons.

The software utilized was Pi Research’s Toolbox Suite which is more normally seen in motorsport. However it was an excellent tool for presenting high speed dynamics data in real-time and post-processing by way of live radio links between the aircraft and ground.