Flight Test of Takeoff Performance Monitoring System

The use of trademarks or names of manufacturers in this report is for accurate reporting and does not constitute an ocial endorsement, either expressed or implied, of such products or manufacturers by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Summary The Takeo Performance Monitoring System (TOPMS) has been developed at the Langley Research Center and ight tested on the Transport System Research Vehicle (TSRV), a highly modied Boeing 737-100 research airplane. The TOPMS is a computer software and hardware graphics system that visually displays current runway position, acceleration performance, engine status, and other situation advisory information to aid pilots in their decision to continue or to abort a takeo. A total of 55 takeo and 30 abort situations were investigated at ve airelds. The TOPMS was tested for various nominal and o-nominal conditions, including normal takeos; reduced-throttle takeos; induced-acceleration deciencies; simulated-engine failures; and several gross-weight, runway-geometry, runway-surface, and ambient conditions. All tests were made on dry runways. Before brake release, the TOPMS algorithm generated pretakeo-predicted performance using the nominal acceleration computed with data for the existing and/or expected conditions. Then the algorithm computed real-time performance based on measured acceleration during takeo and compared this with the predicted performance. Additionally, the algorithm provided graphical GO/NO-GO advice (conveyed by situation advisory ags|SAF's) and continually updated the predicted position of where the airplane could be braked to a stop. Full-time symbology depicted the airplane progress and performance; advisory and predicted stop point information appeared only when dictated by the situation. The TOPMS algorithm was programmed on the TSRV existing ight displays computer. The airplane high-speed digital autonomous terminal access communication (DATAC) system supplied the algorithm with measured data from the airplane sensors and delivered computed data to drive symbol-ogy on the airplane electronic display screens. Three sources of acceleration signals were used during the test series. The airplane body-mounted accelerome-ters and a gimballed inertial measuring unit (IMU) generated satisfactory TOPMS input signals. Part-way through the TOPMS test series, a strap-down air data and inertial reference system (ADIRS) package replaced the IMU on the TSRV. However, the ADIRS along-track acceleration signal was so noisy that its use was discontinued after six test runs. (In post BLOCKINight analysis, this signal was found to be inadequately ltered for use in the runway research operations conducted in this study.) The ight tests demonstrated that TOPMS technology developed on the TSRV B-737 simulator had been successfully transferred to the …