Flight Test Techniques for Quantifying Pitch Rate and Angle of Attack Rate Dependencies

Three different types of maneuvers were designed to separately quantify pitch rate and angle of attack rate contributions to the nondimensional aerodynamic pitching moment coefficient. These maneuvers combined pilot inputs and automatic multisine excitations, and were demonstrated with the subscale T-2 and Bat-4 airplanes using the NASA AirSTAR flight test facility. Stability and control derivatives, in particular $$ were accurately estimated from the flight test data. These maneuvers can be performed with many types of aircraft, and the results can be used to improve physical insight into the flight dynamics, facilitate more accurate comparisons with wind tunnel experiments or numerical investigations, and increase simulation prediction fidelity.