Flight test techniques for the X-29A aircraft

The X-29A advanced technology demonstrator is a single-seat, single-engine aircraft with a forward-swept wing. The aircraft incorporates many advanced technologies being considered for this country's next generation of aircraft. This unusual aircraft configuration, which had never been flown before, required a precise approach to flight envelope expansion. This paper describes the real-time analysis methods and flight test techniques used during the envelope expansion of the X-29A aircraft, including new and innovative techniques that provided for a safe, efficient envelope expansion. The use of integrated test blocks in the expansion program and in the overall flight test approach is discussed.