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DWC FLIGHT TEST EDUCATION AT UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL IN

REALIZATION OF CDIO INITIATIVES

2009 International CDIO ConferenceJune 7-10, 2009Singapore Polytechnic

M. Sadraey, D. Joyce, J. O’Donnell, N. Bertozzi

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Why flight test in an undergraduate Aeronautical Engineering curriculum?

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….The Motivation

• The “Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate” (CDIO) initiative

• DWC joined the CDIO initiative in May 2006

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CDIO at DWC

• Features of the DWC Application of CDIO

– Students will be well-grounded in theoretical bases of engineering;

– Small class size will allow for regular presentations and one-on-one communication;

– Students will get extensive machine shop experience beginning with the first semester;

– Students will have multiple open-ended design experiences beginning with the first semester;

– Students will receive multiple concurrent engineering experiences, taking a product from design and analysis to simulation to manufacturing to assembly and testing; and

– Students will have systems integration experience: sensors, controls, software.

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CDIO at DWC

• Features of the DWC Application of CDIO

– Students will be well-grounded in theoretical bases of engineering;

– Small class size will allow for regular presentations and one-on-one communication;

– Students will get extensive machine shop experience beginning with the first semester;

– Students will have multiple open-ended design experiences beginning with the first semester;

– Students will receive multiple concurrent engineering experiences, taking a product from design and analysis to simulation to manufacturing to assembly and testing; and

– Students will have systems integration experience: sensors, controls, software.

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Evaluate selected aspects of aircraft performance/flying qualities/systems for a customer to support decisions concerning system development, acquisition, specification or regulatory compliance, and operational use.

Implement - Operate

Conduct research and advance applied technology

Conceive - Design

CDIO and Flight Test

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In line with CDIO Standard 8--active learning--that is, “Teaching and learning based on active experiential learning methods,” a flight test engineering experience was integrated into the Aeronautical Engineering program.

An educational tool was developed to allow students to

Master a deeper working knowledge of technical fundamentals

in Flight Dynamics

An “inflight laboratory exercise” supporting:

• EG 418 Flight Dynamics I – Aircraft Performance• EG 419 Flight Dynamics II – Aircraft Stability and Control

CDIO and Flight Dynamics

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The Tools

The Aircraft

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The Tools

The Aircraft

The Flight Test Instrumentation

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The Tools

The Aircraft

The Flight Test Instrumentation

The Faculty

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Test Aircraft

• Cessna 172R Registration N688DW– Production Normal/Utility Category C-172

• Modified with Engineering Instrumentation– Designed, manufactured, and installed by

Calspan Corporation– Modification approved by FAA under a Form 337– Aircraft retains Normal/Utility Category

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Aircraft Instrumentation• Calspan Miniaturized Flight Data

Recording System

• Engineering Quality Data– High sample rate– High data quantity– Easily employed inflight– Easily downloaded to a laptop– 32 parameters simultaneously recorded

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Control Surface Transducers and

Magnetometer (Heading Transducer)

Aileron Position Transducer Elevator & Rudder Transducers and Magnetometer

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Independent Pitot-Static System and

Independent GPS ReceiverPitot Probe on Right Wing GPS Receiver on Instrument Glare Shield

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The heart of the system…