Advanced Flight Controls Systems (AFCS) – What level of understanding for flight test?

Rhys Williams, Empire Test Pilots’ School, QinetiQ, MOD Boscombe Down, United Kingdom
Andrew Robinson, Empire Test Pilots’ School, QinetiQ, MOD Boscombe Down, United Kingdom

Abstract

Many flight test programs, both military and civil, involve aircraft with highly augmented flight control systems (FCS) often incorporating advanced flight control law designs. What level of AFCS understanding is therefore required by the test team to facilitate a safe and effective test program, and to enable successful communication with the First Customer and the wider aviation community?

As the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) moves towards the mandatory licensing of flight test engineers and test pilots, including a common curriculum for future flight test training courses, the breadth and depth of material to be covered will be open to considerable discussion and debate. How much AFCS training is required?

Engineers and pilots, the former potentially possessing limited flying experience, will undertake flight test training courses having come from diverse academic and technical backgrounds. The delivery of AFCS theory and test practice represents just one topic within a demanding syllabus.

This paper examines the necessary breadth and depth of AFCS training based upon extensive delivery of this subject at the Empire Test Pilots’ School (ETPS) involving theoretical ground-school, laptop based training, motion simulators, variable stability aircraft, and highly augmented production aircraft.