Description: Tablet-computer based Electronic Flight Bags (EFB) have become ubiquitous in airplane flight decks in recent years. IO Aeronautical Autonomy Labs proposes this project to extend these tablet applications with a series of functions, specifically designed to provide real-time support to NASA and the flight test community in the execution of flight test. Some specific functionalities that we envision as being useful to flight testers include: • interactive test cards that track test point execution in real-time and verify test point completion, • calculation of dynamics and control inputs for getting precisely on condition given the current aircraft state, • sensing, calculating, and plotting important parameters in the cockpit, • and annunciations of potential safety concerns to the pilot and flight test engineers. However, before such a system can be made a reality, critical components must be analyzed to define their limits as they currently exist and to uncover improvements that can be brought to bear. As such, this proposal addresses two key enablers for the development of flight test applications: 1. an analysis of the suitability of the sensing platform included with iPads, as well as, how modern algorithms can be used to augment their capability and what other technologies can be integrated in to improve functionality, and 2. the development of tablet applications to support test pilot operations in real-time in flight (TPilS) evaluated initially through a piloted simulation platform. Looking ahead to Phase II, the project will produce a prototype that can be developed alongside NASA test pilots and engineers to improve its usefulness in flight test. For Phase I, the goals are to to analyze and develop sensor models for electronic flight bags and develop and test applications on the EFB to support flight test execution for NASA and the flight test community at large.

Benefits: NASA's 2022 strategic plan outlines six major research areas that will "continue NASA's leadership in aviation innovation and enable a revolutionary transformation of the aviation system". Each of these research areas will benefit from safe and efficient flight test but especially challenging new technologies such as "Safe, quiet, and affordable vertical lift air vehicles" and "Assured autonomy for aviation transformation". Also the 2024 NASA SBIR solicitation seeks proposals for "developing test techniques that improve the control of in-flight test conditions, expand measurement and analysis methodologies, and improve test data acquisition and management with sensors and systems that have fast response, low volume, minimal intrusion, and high accuracy and reliability". For this reason, IO-Aero offers this Phase I proposal to further develop iPad/tablet-based flight test support applications to increase the efficiency and safety of flight testing.The ultimate output of the project will be directly relevant to flight testing organizations around the world. In the U.S., organizations other than NASA, such as the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Army could utilize the applications to assist flight test. In addition, many commercial companies such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Wisk, Sikorsky, and others could also utilize the technology to help with flight test. In order to serve the needs of such a diverse set of airframe manufacturers and testers, the key point will be the app platform. The platform itself will provide the ability to build applications unique to the particular customer's requirements, and so, an easy to use and stable API must be developed. If customers would like to build their own applications in-house, the API can then be licensed to those particular companies.