FLYING-QUALITIES ANALYSIS OF AN UNMANNED AIR VEHICLE

Flight tests of a half-scale radio-controlled model of the Pioneer unm anned air vehicle (UAV) were conducted for static longitudinal and lat eral-directional stability-and-control characteristics. The air vehicl e was instrumented to measure control-surface deflections, angle of at tack, sideslip angle, and airspeed; telemetry was used to downlink the data to a ground recorder for later processing. A wind-tunnel test of a 0.4-scale Pioneer at full-scale Reynolds numbers was also carried o ut, as well as a numerical study using a low-order panel method. The f light-test determination of the neutral point agrees well with the oth er methods of prediction and indicated that the static margin was suff icient to open the restricted c.g. envelope. Other control-related con siderations may provide overriding concerns, however. Crosswind limits were determined from steady-sideslip maneuvers and the flight data co mpared very favorably to that of the other data sources. Low-cost scal ed-vehicle flight testing appears to be a viable tool in providing aer odynamic data for UAV simulation and training purposes.