Flight Simulator Training and Flight Test - Example

Introduction Invention of airplane was one of the greatest achievements in improving the movement of people and goods. Aircraft in its initial state of invention would not be of any use in the current world economy. The economic and social demands have grown to unpredictable levels. Nevertheless aircrafts have remained relevant in this century due to constant research, ground testing and flight testing. The most important part of this is motion. Aircraft move in the air where there is air resistance and its own weight that hinder its motion. It is out of this that the researchers have given some critical attention in order to make this early technology a success. To carry out flight simulator testing in aircraft industry it requires experts with high level of skills in aerodynamics. Flight simulator is used for flight training, and in development of aircrafts themselves. Moreover, the aircraft crew needs to know how to interpret the data obtained and its relevance in the practical flying of the aircraft.. The aircraft simulator testing do not necessarily depend upon the subjective judgement of the aircrew but it is also concerned with the assessment of the flying qualities and characteristics. For a flight simulator to be considered successful it must meet the basic objectives of its development and must consider both normal and abnormal system operation cases. This enables early realization of a fault in the real flight and corrected early. Flight simulators use various types of hardware and software depending on the aircraft and the objective. Discussion Experiment This experiment involved simulation of aircraft flight using a program and the results recorded in an excel spreadsheet. The aspects recorded were altitude, direction of flight, airspeed and vertical speed all in respect to time taken by the flight. This kind of simulation is used to design complex aircraft control system that is used to monitor flight of an aircraft. During this practical the participant designed and implemented control systems that were longitudinal in nature. The laboratory experimentation was mainly concerned with the portion of lateral direction for the controlled system. The experiment was also concerned with designing and implementing control and true stability Results Altitude vs Time The results yielded produced values of that were quite many therefore the values represented below are only the first fourteen set of data. The excel results are as shown below Time (sec) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Altitude (Ft) 437 437 437 437 437 437 437 437 437 437 437 437 437 437 437 Graph of altitude (ft) vs Time (Sec) From the results obtained it is possible to make some conclusion in terms of altitude of an aircraft while flying. First the aircraft rises to a minimum altitude 437 feet in a very short time. It is also evident that the aircraft rises from one altitude level to another in a very short time and maintains that altitude for some time. This variation continues until it reaches maximum altitude of about 3164ft. During descending this variation also take place but it should not go below the minimum flying altitude of 437ft unless it is landing. Direction vs Time Time (sec) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Heading (00) 343 343 343 343 343 343 343 343 343 343 343 343 343 343 343 Graph of Direction (0c) vs Time (sec) The analysis of the graphical presentation of data and information for the relationship between the direction in degrees and time indicate there are variations in the direction of the aircraft. The aircraft moves in true North from start and gradually changes direction. It is also noted that at a given time it changes direction abruptly. It is also noted that after this instance it keeps on varying its direction. Reasons for variation in direction are attributed to direction and environmental conditions that the aircraft may come across. These conditions may include fog and mist. This ensures that the flight take the shortest time possible to land at its destination regardless of the frequency of changes in direction experienced by the flight. Airspeed Vs Time Time (sec) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Airspeed (knots) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 From the graph relationship above it can be assumed that the airspeed makes a linear relationship with time, however, it assumes a non-linear nature after about 37 seconds. This nature continues for about 31 seconds after which after which it varies continuously but after it reaches a maximum of 102knots it decreases to zero. This relationship can be best summarized by the fact that at greater altitude the speed of air increases steadily and this only decreases when the aircraft descends to lower altitude. Vertical speed (ft) vs Time (min) Time (sec) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Vertical speed (ft) per min 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 It can be summarized that the vertical speed steadily increases with increase in time up to a vertical speed of 846 ft per min and it starts varying with time. These fluctuations are irregular and decrease or increase with time. Conclusion The analysis and outcomes of the flight simulation test have clearly been discussed and illustrated the importance of each tabulation. The module of variable stability allows adjustments in the stability of aerodynamics as well as parameters of control stability These tabulations show the importance of flight simulation before a real flight and correct adjustments made before take-off. This simulation also allows us to appreciate the importance of control system tower at the airports. It is therefore correct to conclude that the objectives of the laboratory test were well met. References Allerton, D. (2009). Principles of flight simulation. Chichester, UK, Wiley. Read More