Search

The article focuses on the U.S. Air Force's B-2 bomber's development and how the design techniques, technologies and management approaches it fostered are being applied today. An impressive list of technologies, design tools, management techniques, manufacturing processes and myriad lessons spawned by the B-2 program are contributing to many commercial and military programs. The B-2's "stealth" or low observability (LO) enables unprecedented penetration of enemy territory, essentially neutralizing very costly air defense systems. Designed as a Cold War weapon system, the B-2 was also a central player in an economic war to break the then-Soviet Union's financial back.

The article examines the Rig Approach System (RAS), an automated control system for helicopters created by Sikorsky Aircraft for the approach to landing on drilling platforms operated by the offshore oil and gas industries during instrument flying conditions. Initial use of the RAS by Petroleum Helicopters Inc. and its July 2013 certification by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are discussed.

The article presents developments related to the aviation industry. U.S. Air Force officials say a December 20 crash at Nellis AFB, Nevada, that destroyed an F/A-22 Raptor was the result of a flight control system problem. The malfunction was caused by a power interruption to the aircraft's three rate sensor assemblies, which made them fail and left the aircraft unflyable. The $408-billion Defense appropriations bill for Fiscal 2006 is expected to go to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives later this week. The first two-day solar-powered flight was made June 1-3, marking a large step toward "perpetual" flight. The aircraft that will become Japan's first KC-767J tanker has arrived at Boeing's Wichita, Kansas, facility to begin modification.

Reports the United States Air Force investigation into scenarios which may have led to the loss of flight control data causing a low-altitude explosion of a Titan 4A/Centaur during launch of a National Reconnaissance Office `Mercury' signal intelligence spacecraft. Cost of the failure; The scenarios; Comments on the loss of an older-generation sigint; How the Titan which exploded was the last of the `4A' models to be launched.

Reports on Raytheon's Equipment Division's teamup with Raytheon's Beech Aircraft unit to develop low-cost fly-by-light technology to be used for engine and flight controls in most Beech airplanes. Companies in consortium formed to develop the technology; Fly-by-light technology as replacement for control cables used in general aviation aircraft since the 1930s.

The article evaluates the InSight flight deck system from Universal Avionics.

The article offers information on the risk reduction flight tests conducted by the U.S. Navy for its Northrop Grumman E-20 Advanced Hawkeye early warning aircraft. Topics discussed include views of U.S. Navy Commander Andrew Ballinger on E-20 Aerial Refueling Program, efforts made by security company Northrop Grumman for reducing crew fatigue and enhancing refueling operations for E-20 Advanced Hawkeye, and modifications of the flight-control software by Northrop Grumman.

The article focuses on the requests for proposals (RFP) issued by the aircraft maker Boeing for the Boeing 777X airplane's new systems and equipment. It mentions that RFPs are focused on the systems and actuation of the moving surfaces on the aircraft's composite wing and development of GE9X engine for the 777X by the General Electric. It informs that integrated flight-control electronics (IFCE) and air-data function will be developed by aerospace firm BAE Systems.

The article reports that Gulfstream and BAE Systems set out to reintroduce the intuitiveness of mechanically coupled flight controls by integrating electronically coupled sidesticks on the G500 and G600 business jets. It mentions business jets will be the first commercial FBW aircraft with active sidesticks in service with the certification of the Irkut MC-21 single-aisle jet. It presents views of Fred George, aircraft evaluation editor of Aviation Week, on the same.

The article informs that testing of an adaptive flight controller that could enable pilots to save a damaged or out-of-control aircraft is underway. It is noted that the first flight of the L1 adaptive control law on Calspan's variable stability inflight simulator test aircraft (VISTA) F-16 occurred on August 26, 2016. It is stated that advanced testing of the L1 occurred due to increase in loss-of-control inflight LOC-I) air transport accidents

This article reports that as of August 22, 2016, the U.S. Air Force is more than midway through the first phase of flight tests of the Automatic Integrated Collision Avoidance System (Auto ICAS), a combat flight safety system designed to prevent both air-to-air and air-to-ground collisions. Mentioned are the developers of Auto ICAS, including the aerospace company Lockheed Martin, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The article examines automatic control systems for drone aircraft and the use of autonomous and nondeterministic control systems in aeronautics. A report by the U.S. National Research Council on the use of such control systems in aeronautics is discussed, particularly its examination of challenges to their use including lack of accepted design, testing, validation and verification of airplane software.

The article discusses the aircraft company Hawker Beechcraft Corp. (HBC), examining its block point upgrade (BPU) program for the Hawker 4000 flagship. The aircraft will include a takeoff-and-landing-distance (TOLD) computer, the electronic Jeppesen JeppView charts package, and automatic throttles. The author discusses his experience flying the aircraft as well as operating weight, windshear warnings, and takeoff.

The article discusses the flight control system (FCS) of the Boeing 787 passenger jet, looking at how the plane's fly-by-wire FCS was used to reduce areas with excessive loads. 787 project engineer Mike Sinnett discusses the importance of the FCS, while pilot Mike Carriker talks about the thrust asymmetry protection (TAP) system, which can be used in the event of engine failure.

The article discusses a flight-control upgrade developed for the Chinook heavy-lift helicopter from Boeing. Topics covered include the safety and performance benefits of fly-by-wire (FBW), the changes made by the Active Parallel Actuator Subsystem (APAS) in the Chinook, and the cost of FBW capabilities being made lower through APAS.

The article focuses on problems faced in the integration of interoperability in aircraft systems. According to Wayne Willhite, chief engineer and head of the Weapons engagement office at the China Lake Naval Air Warfare Center, organizations such as the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency provide most of the funding for horizontal integration unlike military services.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles in previous issues including "The Riddle of Flight 447," in the June 8, 2009 issue, " a letter from Bill Hansen on the Age 60 Rule of Boeing, and "VH-71: Spending To Save," in the June 8, 2009 issue.

The article reports on the plans of Bombardier to give its CSeries commercial jet airliner family the best of both Boeing and Airbus approaches to fly-by-wire systems. The difference between the digital flight control system designs of Airbus and Boeing are explained. Benjamin Boehm, Bombardier's CSeries program director, says the company selected Parker Aerospace to develop fly-by-wire systems for all its new wide-body aircraft starting with the CSeries.

The article reports on how the airplane details showed Boeing's technology push goes well beyond 787's composite airframe. It says that several distinctive external features of the 787 were clearly visible for the first time at rollout, including a protruding keel beam, larger air scoops, smaller flight control and flap surface actuators, as well as the smooth butt joints between the adjacent one-piece composite fuselage barrel sections.

The article reports that the revised U.S. Air Force (USAF) requirements forced Northrop Grumman Corp's B-2 design engineers to redesign the bomber's wing to handle high gust-induced loading. The original B-2 planform could not develop enough flight control power to compensate for sharp gusts. The redesigned wing's new inboard elevon provided most of the gust-load-alleviation power needed, but it had to react very quickly. Northrop reshaped the wing's leading edge as part of the redesign. Now, the bomber has sharp points at its outer wingtip and nose, but a rounded leading edge in between.

The article focuses on the challenges, pressures, disappointments and victories that characterized the U.S. Air Force's B-2 stealth bomber development effort. As the B-2's first flight approached in 1989, Northrop Grumman Corp. counted more than 100 members of a "Century Club," who had worked more than 100 hours per week for 100 straight days. Early in the flight control system design effort, there was considerable disagreement among engineers about the potential impact of "ground effect," the interaction between the B-2's large wing and the ground during landings. Further, almost 75% of the U.S. aerospace engineers qualified in computer-aided design techniques had been trained through the B-2 program.

The article presents information on the electric-based control-surface actuation system for the fighter aircraft F-35 A's. The F-35As flight control system is the first of its kind to be installed in a U.S. fighter aircraft and utilizes an electrohydrostatic actuation system (EHAS) and a wing leading-edge flap actuation system. Both systems operate in response to signals from triplex redundant vehicle management computers that receive power from a triple-redundant, 270-VDC electrical system consisting of two generators and a battery.

This article focuses on NASA's recent investigation report according to which AeroVironment Inc.'s Helios solar-powered drone came apart last year because of a change in weight distribution along the wing that reduced safety margins and a lack of adequate analysis methods to detect the risk of this change, according to a list of root causes in Helios virtually exploded inflight on June 26, 2003, after a few divergent pitch oscillations caused the airspeed to become too high for the structure. The purpose of the flight was to test a primary fuel cell power source as part of the NASA Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology program. The report states that the aircraft is complex to analyze, with nonlinear interactions between the flexible structure, unsteady aerodynamics, the flight control system, propulsion and winds.

The completion of a long-anticipated $1.5-billion agreement to acquire the 44,000-ton aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov from Russia will give India a regional advantage because the ship comes equipped with 46 MiG-29K naval fighters and eight Ka-28 antisubmarine and Ka-31 early warning helicopters. The MiG-29Ks will be equipped with fly-by-wire digital flight controls and an open architecture avionics suite built around the Zhuk-M phased-array radar and optronics sensor package. The purchase is India's second largest weapons import.

The article focuses on the fact that using simulators to develop upset recovery procedures could lead to negative training. Airline pilots who have completed upset recovery training may discover that a real aircraft actually responds quite differently than their companies' motion-base simulators, possibly leading to inadvertent loss of control during an actual in flight emergency. Further, pilots can be trained to use rudder inappropriately and actually cause structural damage or loss of a tail fin by aggressively cycling the rudder during an upset event. These and related issues are being explored by the Society of Automotive Engineers' S7 committee, which deals with transport-category aircraft flight deck and handling qualities standards.

In a situation reminiscent of United Airlines Inc. DC-10 landing without hydraulics in Iowa in 1989, the crew of a DHL A300 hit by a missile relied solely on engine power without flight controls to land at Baghdad. Pierre Ghyoot, secretary general of the Belgian Cockpit Association told that pilots were able to guide the aircraft to a safe landing on November 22 using only engine power settings. The aircraft lost all three hydraulic systems and all flight controls. Using engine thrust alone, United crew was able to crash-land the crippled aircraft at Sioux City, Iowa, airport and the majority of passengers survived.

Focuses on the capabilities of the controller pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) air traffic control system. Launch of the CPDLC at the Miami Center; Capabilities and benefits of the CPDLC; Implications of navigation precision for airspace use.

Reports the susceptibility of the tiltrotor aircraft to rotor flow instabilities in Maryland. Calculations of the rotor wake; Production of three different colors corresponding to each blade tip; Challenges of the authority on the control system.

Presents a chart depicting models of control and targeting systems. Description of the 105H of BAE Systems; Applications of the M 146 of Bei International; List of systems developed by Lockheed Martin.

The article offers aviation industry news briefs as of April-May 2015. Topics discussed include launch of Irkut MS-21 airliner with active side-sticks as part of its fly-by-wire flight control system; analysis of air-breathing rocket concept by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL); and plans of aircraft engineer Rob Coatney to set a record for unmanned aircraft by flying his Gooney Bird UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) by exceeding more than 100 hours flight.

The article offers information on the Magic Carpet software, a flight-control and guidance software for carrier landings. Topics discussed include testing of the software made at the Boeing F/A-18E/F aircraft at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland, by the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command, testing of the software to be made at an aircraft carrier off the U.S. East Coast and views of Lieutenant Brent Robinson, test pilot of squadron VX-23 at Patuxent River, on the software.

Analyses the failure of the first Delta 3 booster after its launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida on August 26, 1998. Boeing's plans to change an instruction flight control system software to identify and ignore the 4-Hz. roll oscillation that ultimately caused destruction of the vehicle and its communications satellite payload; Details of the incident; Comments of Clarence Quan, head of the Delta 3 investigation for Boeing; Lessons learned as a result of the failure.

Focuses on a report by the US National Research Council urging more fly-by-wire tests. The report finding that unexpected flight control problems are more likely to occur as new fly-by-wire and fly-by-light flight control systems are developed; Why the council adopted the term Aircraft-Pilot Coupling (APC); Advantages of fly-by-wire; Aircraft accidents involving APC problems, including the crash of a YF-22 and a China Airlines Airbus A300-600.

Discusses NASA's removal of human space flight control to bring about a world of networked workstations. Direction of space shuttle Discovery's space shuttle orbiter functions from the under-construction Mission Control Center at the Johnson Space Center; Details of the working of the new control center.

Reports on the final testing of the United States Air Force's (USAF) new computerized mission planning system. Delay of the delivery of the Air Force's mission support system (AFMSS) core software being developed by Sanders, a Lockheed-martin company; Provision of service to mission planning needs of all aircraft of the USAF; Problems related to safety of flight and operational suitability.

Reports on Global Majic Software Inc.'s Aircraft Instruments ActiveX Library and Aircraft Dynamics ActiveX Control 1.0. Features; Practical uses; Simulation properties; Contact information.

The article talks about the Maritime Augmented Guidance with Integrated Controls for Carrier Approach and Recovery Precision Enabling Technologies or Magic Carpet, a flight-control technology developed by the U.S. Navy and British researchers. Topics discussed include the technology's goal to reduce the number of training landings needed to qualify pilots for carrier operations, the contract given to Boeing to build Magic Carpet, and the one billion U.S. dollars to be saved by the U.S. Navy.

The article discusses the move of the aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co. to improve the flight control system of its 787 aircraft. It states that the company will be installing revised software loads and fine-tuning some areas of the 787 system. It notes that they will be working with airline company LAN Airlines SA to eliminate the root causes and will implement modifications. It mentions that the improvements of the control system will roll straight into the development of the 787-10 aircraft.

The article lists the aircraft manufacturers playing major roles in new aircraft programs in the aftermarket, wherein the list includes Moog, Avtron Aerospace, and Heico's Aerospace Parts group.

The article discusses the certification memorandum (CM) being developed by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to advise product developers to ensure the quality of standards nuts and bolts. Particular focus is given to the "2012 Safety Information Bulletin" from which the EASA partly based the CM. Details relating to the design review, which is to be performed by design approval holders to help reduce the risk of installing defective fasteners, are presented.

The article focuses on the software which was developed by the U.S. Army's Aeroflightdynamics Directorate (AFDD) under the Autonomous Rotorcraft (ARC) project. Topics discussed include the software that would enable terrain-aware autonomy in an unmanned rotorcraft, the Phase 2 flights using a laser-radar sensor and guided by a fly-by-wire testbed helicopter, and algorithms for safe landing area determination (SLAD) and obstacle field navigation (OFN).

The article notes that the periodical has released two editions for the week of April 29, 2013, which both include a special report on the Boeing 787 aircraft, flight control furloughs in the U.S., and U.S. missile tracking satellite efforts.

The article discusses the development of fly-by-wire (FBW) aircraft technology by Parker Aerospace. FBW systems allow cockpit data to be sent to a flight control computer (FCC) which sends specific commands to flight-control surfaces based on the inputs, in order to improve aircraft handling, performance, and safety. Topics include Parker's design of electric backup hydrostatic actuators (EBHA) for Gulfstream G650 aircraft, prevention of computer failures, and aircraft stick-to-surface systems.

The article considers research by the U.S. National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) and aerospace industries firm Boeing Co. on the variable-camber continuous trailing-edge flap system (VCCTEF), a system which would provide active control of the motions of flexible wings in jet transports The system is intended to reduce fuel consumption and noise during jet transport flights.

The article reports that Kazan Helicopters, a subsidiary of Russian Helicopters, will remove fly-by-wire (FBW) controls from its twin-turbine Ansat helicopter. The article says that Kazan has announced a version of the Ansat with hydromechanical flight controls, noting that the Ansat with an FBW system has not been commercially successful, in part because it is not certified for passenger transportation.

The article discusses the test program of the Lockheed Mart F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). J. D. McFarlan, vice president for F-35 testing, discusses flight trials of the F-35 variants, data on flight envelopes for low-rate initial production (LRIP), and flying rates in 2011 and 2012. The testing of flight-control modifications, mission systems, and aircraft handling qualities is discussed.

The article reports that the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) is increasing funding for sea-based aviation and is developed flight-control software which would improve landings on aircraft carriers. The article says that the software uses an algorithm to augment the landing approach, working with the Bedford Array light system and head-up display (HUD) symbols. The article examines how the software could effect life-cycle costs and aircraft design.

The article focuses on the flight control technology Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto-GCAS). It states that the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and aerospace company Lockheed Martin developed Auto-GCAS to perform automatic avoidance maneuvers to prevent ground collisions. It mentions that Auto-GCAS is set for adoption in the Lockheed Martin F-22 and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. It also states that a space shuttle mission in 2000 provided detailed terrain data for the system.

The article discusses U.S. government deliberations associated with the aerospace industry. Topics include the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) fiscal 2012 budget and its use, the NextGen satellite-based air traffic management system and associated budget issues, and the decision of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to help fund an automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) demonstration with JetBlue Airways.

The article focuses on the Space-Based Infrared Systems (Sbirs) satellites by Lockheed Martin. It states that the U.S. Air Force plans on forcing greater capability out of new systems starting with the Sbirs. It mentions that the Sbirs was delayed due to the need to rework flight control software and adding a sunshade to protect infrared detectors. It comments that the first Sbirs is planned to be launched into geosynchronous orbit on April 30, 2010.