Description: There are established processes to conduct certification flight test of conventional Parts 23 and 25 fixed wing aircraft and Parts 27 and 29 rotorcraft for a certifying agency such as the FAA. Further, NASA and the DoD have well established processes to conduct developmental test and evaluation (DT&E) and operational test and evaluation (OT&E) of prototype and experimental aircraft. For the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) marketplace that features vehicle designs with increasing automation to full autonomous operations, new flight test technologies are required to execute flight test maneuvers safely and repeatedly when a human pilot is no longer in-the-loop. New test technologies can allow extracting data/information relevant in aircraft development from non-classical developmental type maneuvers. These technologies will include a combination of consolidated analysis and synthesis methods and the application of metrics dedicated to autonomous vehicles, to assess their capabilities in performing the required mission tasks in the absence of the onboard pilot’s evaluation. The expected high relevance of Mission Task Elements (MTEs) in the emerging AAM certification process requires the capability and offers the opportunity to merge DT&E and OT&E concepts and practices from first flight to certification. While autonomous drones have been operating for the military for some time, such technologies are required here as well if these vehicles are to transition from restricted air space and in theater operations to national air space operations. To satisfy the evolving test and evaluation analytical and procedural requirements described above, a team led by Systems Technology, Inc. (STI) proposes to create a complete prototype of the Aircraft Standardized Source for Integrated System Testing (ASSIST). ASSIST will support the flight test process from initial parameter and system identification to envelope expansion to mission capability and certification testing using MTEs.

Benefits: ASSIST applies to the ARMD FDC that “operates, sustains and enhances the specific flight research and test capabilities…needed to achieve technical goals in ARMD’s Strategic Plan, other NASA mission directorate activities and national strategic needs.” Further, it applies to the AAM National Campaign that “…bring together aircraft manufacturers and airspace service providers to identify maturity levels for vehicle performance, safety assurance, airspace interoperability, etc., and to develop and demonstrate integrated solutions for civil use.”

ASSIST provides a complete flight test suite of tools to the AAM market including passenger aircraft operated autonomously in what JP Morgan recently called the $1 trillion electric flying vehicle market. This flight test technology can also be introduced to military markets such as the AFWERX Agility Prime program that is seeking introduction of electric flight vehicles into the USAF.