DEVELOPMENT, CERTIFICATION, AND FLIGHT TESTING OF AN OPTIONALLY PILOTED AIRCRAFT FOR UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM FLIGHT TEST TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING AT THE NATIONAL TEST PILOT SCHOOL
The National Test Pilot School (NTPS) began offering an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flight test short course in April of 2006. Initially various flight test techniques were taught solely via simulation. To improve the value of training provided it was considered necessary for NTPS to operate an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). Accordingly, a Cessna 150 was converted into an Optionally Piloted Aircraft (OPA). The aircraft was certified in August of 2010 as an OPA by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and following comprehensive ground testing the first flight of the OPA occurred in June 2011. Subsequently two phases of flight testing were completed the second of which was completed in early 2013. Current certification requires that the OPA be operated with a certified safety pilot on-board who can deactivate the ground-controlled autopilot system if necessary. The system is capable of being controlled via command direction or in a remotely piloted vehicle mode. This paper outlines the development, flight testing, and certification process that has been undertaken to date. Additionally, the paper will include a description of the development, evaluation, and validation of flight test techniques using the OPA as a surrogate for UASs.
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