The Use of an Automated Flight Test Management System in the Development of a Rapid-prototyping Flight Research Facility

Eugene L. Duke * Marle D. Hewett t Randal W. Brumbaugh David M. Tartt t Robert F. Antoniewicz * Arvind K. Agarwal 5 An automated flight test management system (ATMS) and its use to develop a rapid-prototyping flight research facility for artificial intelligence-based flight systems concepts are described. The ATMS provides a flight test engineer with a set of tools that assist in flight planning and simulation. This system will be capable of controlling an aircraft during flight test by performing closed-loop guidance functions, range management, and maneuver-quality monitoring. The rapid-prototyping flight research facility is being developed at the Dryden Flight Research Facility of the NASA AmResearch Center (Ames-Dryden) to provide early flight assessment of emerging artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The facility is being developed as one element of the aircraft automation program which focuses on the qualification and validation of embedded real-time AI-based systems.