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Comparative Optical Measurements of Airspeed and Aerosols on a DC-8 AircraftNASA Dryden supported a cooperative flight test program on the NASA DC-8 aircraft in November 1993. This program evaluated optical airspeed and aerosol measurement techniques. Three brassboard optical systems were tested. Two were laser Doppler systems designed to measure free-stream-referenced airspeed. The third system was designed to characterize the natural aerosol statistics and airspeed. These systems relied on optical backscatter from natural aerosols for operation. The DC-8 aircraft carried instrumentation that provided real-time flight situation information and reference data on the aerosol environment. This test is believed to be the first to include multiple optical airspeed systems on the same carrier aircraft, so performance could be directly compared. During 23 hr of flight, a broad range of atmospheric conditions was encountered, including aerosol-rich layers, visible clouds, and unusually clean (aerosol-poor) regions. Substantial amounts of data were obtained. Important insights regarding the use of laser-based systems of this type in an aircraft environment were gained. This paper describes the sensors used and flight operations conducted to support the experiments. The paper also briefly describes the general results of the experiments.
Document ID
19970025633
Acquisition Source
Armstrong Flight Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Bogue, Rodney (NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Edwards, CA United States)
McGann, Rick (Boeing Defense and Space Group Seattle, WA United States)
Wagener, Thomas (Honeywell Systems and Research Center Minneapolis, MN United States)
Abbiss, John (Singular Systems Irvine, CA United States)
Smart, Anthony (Titan Spectron Div. Costa Mesa, CA United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
July 1, 1997
Subject Category
Aircraft Instrumentation
Report/Patent Number
NASA-TM-113083
NAS 1.15:113083
H-2189
Meeting Information
Meeting: International Congress on Instrumentation in Aerospace Simulation Facilities
Location: Dayton, OH
Country: United States
Start Date: July 17, 1995
End Date: July 21, 1995
Accession Number
97N25129
Funding Number(s)
PROJECT: RTOP 529-50-24
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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