Applied Aerodynamics Laboratory
Flight Test Lab
The
Flight Test Laboratory is one of the Applied Aerodynamics Laboratories at
Western Michigan University. It is used to support AAE 459 - Flight Test
Design and research. The laboratory is a modern airborne data-acquisition
facility, equipped to flight-test customer aircraft components in the WMU
Flight Test Cessna R182 or to conduct flight tests using the customer’s
aircraft. The Flight Test Laboratory is available on a contract basis.
The Flight Test Aircraft Laboratory is equipped with:
- Power (120 vac, 28 vdc, 24 vdc, 12 vdc, and 5 vdc)
- A flexible data-acquisition system with 2 gigabytes of onboard data storage
- Air-to-ground telemetry
- A two-way UHF link to the ground facility
The Flight Test Laboratory includes equipment to measure:
- Air data (angle of attack, angle of yaw, dynamic and atmospheric static pressures)
- Accelerations (three axis)
- Rates (roll, pitch, and yaw)
- Pressure and temperature both inside and outside the fuselage
- Control positions and forces.
The ground facility provides:
- A complete electronics instrumentation laboratory
- An engineering flight support station equipped with two-way radio communications, telemetry receiver, and data storage
- Computer and software data analysis and presentation support
- Hangar and maintenance support
Flight Test Aircraft
Flight Test Cessna R182 on the ramp |
In the AAL Flight Test Hanger |
Instrumentation
Air Data Boom pitot/static head, mounted from the left wing tip |
Air Data Boom yaw and angle of attach vanes, mounted from the left wing tip |
Thrust cell (currently under development) |
Stall Margin Research
The panel display and control for the Audible Stall Margin System |
The lead edge pressure port for the Audible Stall Margin System |
