Found this old article - "Refuse to Crash" technology
09-25-2007 | 11:49 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Found this old article - "Refuse to Crash" technology
I think these Nasa guys were just trying find an excuse to fly R/C jets:
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/imp...light/gtm.html
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/imp...light/gtm.html
09-25-2007 | 05:51 PM
#2
My Feedback: (24)
RE: Found this old article - "Refuse to Crash" technology - funny stuff
I actually work on that project and have flown that 757 model in the photograph. Its 55 lbs, wet on ~900 sq. inches of wing area with two AMT 180Sp engines. It actually flys very well - dispite the 140+ oz./sq. ft. wing loading..
We just finished a week long deployment where we flew a PCM Models L1011 (it is the "test" bird) with an IMU and high-speed data down link. The data (216HZ - full aircraft state) goes into a bank of computers in the MOS (Mobile Operations Station) where its used to generate a synthetic vision display for the research pilot. We did 8 flights where we turned over control to the research pilot to fly from inside the MOS using the displays. At this point, he was still flying using a buddy box on a trainer cord from the "safety pilot" outside, but the quality of the research manuvers he could do with all of that information was quite impressive. For example, one of the flight cards called for figure "8's" with the straight legs for 6 seconds at 80 knots + or - only 2 knots and another one was trim shots at 80 knots + or - 5 knots and altitude + or - 50 feet. He could nail those right on where as a ground-based pilot could never come that close (we tried many times). It was really fun to watch the precision that the research pilot could fly from the MOS.
The next step is to use the high-speed uplink which will allow the research pilot to control the aircraft through the MOS computers using normal stick and throttles at the research pilot station. Then, once that is working, the MOS computers can actually run flight control software in the loop and the "refuse-to-crash" software verification can begin.
Its a fun project, but 4 or 5 days on the UAV runway at Wallops from 7 AM to 6PM does take a bit out of you. Flying big $ airplanes off of a 50' wide runway with salt marshes on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other and with 20 researchers watching and everything being video taped isn't exactly relaxing either...
Still, there are worse ways to make a dollar, for sure...
Bob
We just finished a week long deployment where we flew a PCM Models L1011 (it is the "test" bird) with an IMU and high-speed data down link. The data (216HZ - full aircraft state) goes into a bank of computers in the MOS (Mobile Operations Station) where its used to generate a synthetic vision display for the research pilot. We did 8 flights where we turned over control to the research pilot to fly from inside the MOS using the displays. At this point, he was still flying using a buddy box on a trainer cord from the "safety pilot" outside, but the quality of the research manuvers he could do with all of that information was quite impressive. For example, one of the flight cards called for figure "8's" with the straight legs for 6 seconds at 80 knots + or - only 2 knots and another one was trim shots at 80 knots + or - 5 knots and altitude + or - 50 feet. He could nail those right on where as a ground-based pilot could never come that close (we tried many times). It was really fun to watch the precision that the research pilot could fly from the MOS.
The next step is to use the high-speed uplink which will allow the research pilot to control the aircraft through the MOS computers using normal stick and throttles at the research pilot station. Then, once that is working, the MOS computers can actually run flight control software in the loop and the "refuse-to-crash" software verification can begin.
Its a fun project, but 4 or 5 days on the UAV runway at Wallops from 7 AM to 6PM does take a bit out of you. Flying big $ airplanes off of a 50' wide runway with salt marshes on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other and with 20 researchers watching and everything being video taped isn't exactly relaxing either...
Still, there are worse ways to make a dollar, for sure...
Bob
