Initial flight test of a ground deployed system for flying qualities assessment

NASA-Ames has developed a safe, repeatable, high-precision flying-qualities study system whose Adaptable Target Lighting Array System (ATLAS) furnishes a flying-qualities task that emulates a ground-attack mission with ground-deployed targets lighted in an unpredictable sequence; the pilot must aim the aircraft at whatever target is lighted. Two flight-test programs have been instituted to test the suitability of ATLAS. While the first of these uses a variable-stability aircraft to ascertain whether ATLAS has provided a suitable task for general flying qualities research, using an HUD-tracking task for comparison, the second employed the X-29A FSW research aircraft to demonstrate that ATLAS is appropriate for such research in the case of a specific aircraft.