Classification Based on Flight Conditions

Maneuvers are performed repeatedly at different flight conditions: Mach number and altitude for general flight testing and parameter estimation process. Usually the maneuvers are performed for different AOA and AOSS. The knowledge of flight condition is very important for flight data analysis and hence flight condition details should be included in the data bank to identify the flight data.

7.9.2.2 Classification Based on Aircraft Configuration

The maneuvers are also performed for several aircraft configurations: (1) undercar­riage is up or down (retracted), (2) flap position is zero, graded, or full, and (3) CG positions are fore, mid, or aft. Proper classification will need this configuration information also.

7.9.3 Data Storage and Organization

Aircraft stability and control analysis requires flight data (the responses of the aircraft to the chosen input type for a specified maneuver) in ASCII format. Also, additional information/data, such as maneuver type, flight conditions, mass and inertia, and CG position, should be stored in a form that enables quick storage/modification and retrieval, with clear indication of association of this information/data to the ASCII file containing corresponding data. The actual flight data in ASCII files with unique file names can be put in one data bank. The second data bank can contain relevant information/data that are required for analysis/parameter estimation. This data bank can also contain the results of stability/control analysis and parameter estimation. The information in the second data bank is stored as records in different tables that are created using some database engine, e. g., Oracle 8 [18]. The structure of the tables consists of records as rows and fields as columns. The information/data/results particular to one time segment of the data (i. e., one ASCII file) are stored in different tables as records along with FILE_INDEX. This index is unique and connects the fields between the tables. If the data file is known then all the information/results corresponding to this data file can be accessed. This is done by selecting the record in different tables containing the same FILE_INDEX name. For a known FILE_INDEX of a given maneuver at a given flight condition, the corresponding flight data (ASCII file) and related information/data can be identified. With this arrangement, the new data files and the related information/data can be appended to the data banks in respective places as and when the need arises.