Flight test instrumentation
Monitoring and recording equipment for aircraft flight tests.
Flight test instrumentation (FTI) refers to the monitoring and recording gear installed on aircraft to support specific flight tests. In a new aircraft development program, several test aircraft are used, each assigned particular tasks for development and certification. These aircraft receive FTI customized for their individual roles.
To measure physical quantities like air pressure on a wing surface or fuel pressure in a line, various transducers are needed. These sensors convert the physical input into an electrical signal, which is then recorded by a data acquisition system. A key part of this system is the data acquisition unit (DAU)—a rugged, reliable electronic box that connects to the FTI sources. The current trend is to make these DAUs as small as possible and place them closer to the sensors. This miniaturization poses design challenges, such as maintaining functionality in harsh environments while shrinking the chassis. For users, however, it means shorter wiring, improved accuracy, and simpler installation and maintenance.
To keep costs low and speed up delivery, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) systems are often used. This approach, along with FTI originally developed for atmospheric aerospace applications, is now increasingly adopted for space launchers and vehicles. In such cases, more extensive testing and qualification are performed to ensure reliability in the more hostile conditions found at high altitudes and in space, including exposure to ionizing radiation.
- Components
- data acquisition units (DAU), transducers, data acquisition system
- Transducer function
- respond to physical quantities and produce an electrical equivalent
- Design trend
- smaller units moved closer to sensors
- Common approach
- commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) systems
Lore & Background
Flight test instrumentation includes different types of transducers that respond to particular physical quantities, such as air pressure on a wing surface or fuel pressure in a fuel tube, and produce an electrical equivalent recorded by a data acquisition system. A core component of this system is the data acquisition unit (DAU), an electronic box that interfaces to FTI sources and is typically designed to be rugged and reliable. The current trend is to make these units as small as possible and move them closer to the sensors, which presents challenges for designers of the data acquisition chassis, such as coping with inhospitable environments and maintaining functionality with smaller designs. For the end user, this trend means shorter wiring, better accuracy, and easier installation and maintenance.
Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) systems are commonly used to keep costs low and speed delivery. This approach, and the use of FTI originally developed for aerospace applications within Earth's atmosphere, is increasingly common for space launchers and vehicles. More extensive testing and qualification is generally performed to help ensure reliability in the more hostile environments encountered at high altitudes and in space, such as ionizing radiation.
Reader's Guide
Flight test instrumentation is significant as the essential monitoring and recording equipment fitted to aircraft for specific flight tests. The source article describes its role in development programs for new aircraft designs, where multiple aircraft each have tasks for development and certification tests and are fitted with FTI specific to those tasks. The article notes that a core component is the data acquisition unit, which interfaces to FTI sources and is designed to be rugged and reliable. The trend toward smaller units placed closer to sensors brings challenges for chassis designers but benefits end users through shorter wiring, better accuracy, and easier installation and maintenance. The article also highlights the increasing use of commercial off-the-shelf systems and FTI originally developed for atmospheric aerospace applications in space launchers and vehicles, with more extensive testing and qualification performed to ensure reliability in hostile environments like those with ionizing radiation. The legacy of FTI, as described, is its adaptation from aircraft testing to space applications, driven by cost and delivery speed considerations.
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