This new column will feature a brief description, photo or video, and/or reference that talks about a Flight Test Technique that students at USAF Test Pilot School are currently learning. It’s an alphabetical list of FTTs together with a chronological account of what future test pilots and flight test engineers are doing right now. It will complement the previous Friday’s FTT tweets as well.
What is an FTT? It is the fundamental maneuver building block used by flight test engineers and experimental test pilots.
If you are wondering “what is a systems FTT?” then start here.
Examples of systems flight test on civil aircraft include TAWS–terrain avoidance and warning system.
Terrain awareness and avoidance are one of the hottest areas of system flight test, research and development.
TAWS (terrain avoidance warning system)–a terrain database integrated with an aircraft navigation system and multi-function displays.
@NASADryden and @LockheedMartin have been been flight testing Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology integrated with the aircraft flight control system/autopilot on an F-16 flying test bed at Edwards AFB. Click here for the NASA website, photos, and videos about the project.
3 Videos
NASA’s Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System from @AvWeekGuy:
1. Overview: Training and Flying NASA’s ACAT Flying Test Bed
2. F-16 low level from Lake Owens to Sierra Nevada Mountains
3. Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) are also designed to increase terrain awareness: @GulfstreamAero /Honeywell SVS Flight Test
Previous: Doublets and Singlets
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This post summarizes references and #FTT tweets from the previous Friday. What is #FTT Friday?
#FTT Friday
Each Friday, @FlightTestFact will deliver examples, definitions, and explanations of flight test techniques for the entire day. You can view these tweets by searching for #FTT and #flighttest as depicted below. You can also click on the picture below to be taken to the twitter search results. What FTT would you like to know more about?
For more information, you can read the post What is an FTT? or check out the alphabetical index or the FTT blog category for several examples, test cards, and videos of FTTs.
