Flight Test: the Discipline

Why Flight Test?

Since the Wright Brothers first flew at Kitty Hawk, aerodynamicists, engineers, and mathematicians have conquered the equations of flight. So, we should be able to know everything from wind tunnels, simulation, and computation, right?

No. The dynamics of flight require in air test. It is impossible to replicate all the flight conditions on the ground. Or there may be specific flight conditions on the ground. Or there may be specific flight regimes that are poorly defined or too complex to model, such as the flow field around an aircraft carrier.

But if we must test in flight, how can we do that safely, efficiently, and effectively? This book describes the basic principles and concepts of flight test. Beginning with the questions and goals of flight test, and showing the parallel between flight test engineering and the Scientific Method, FLIGHT TEST: THE DISCIPLINE covers all the steps of test planning, execution, and reporting.

Whether you are a professional flight test engineer or a novice, an aviation buff, or aircrew, you will enjoy the discussion in this book and understand how flight test is a crucial part of man's development of flight.

The authors of this book represent vast experience within US Naval Aviation flight test. They bring their array of knowledge and skill to any test team, showing the fundamentals of flight test and most importantly, the "Why?" of what we do in flight test.

This book was written to complement the FLIGHT TEST: THE DISCIPLINE training course presented by AVIAN at www.avian.com and Peter Tyson at www.phtyson.com