Flight Tests !

As part of my Msc, my schoolmates and I carried out some experiments in the JetStream 31 G-NFLA. For people who don't know much about this aircraft, it has a 19-seat cabin and can fly at 260 kts.


Our role was more or less the role of a flight test engineer. We were recording data inflight about :
• aerodynamics properties (lift, drag, stall)
• performance (cruise and climb)
• stability (static and dynamic)
• handling qualities (Dutch roll, phugoid..)

Here it is ! Let's get onboard and fly right now !



Nice aircraft, isn't it ?

Maybe a bit noisy inside. But it's only a commuter plane so you will not suffer it for hours, should you take it.


Look at the countryside... It's so beautiful here, in England !




Hum... We also need to work a bit because there is a report to write then : it is now finished. The teacher will have 130 pages or so to read :-)






This module was very enjoyable as you can easily guess. We were given an overview of the wide range of manoeuvres an aircraft can undertake. But it wasn't always easy : try to record data on a sheet under 2g's and just tell me then...

If you like strong feelings (correct me if my English is too bad), next time you go in an airplane, ask for a unstable phugoid. It's not unstable on every aircraft but when it is.... enjoy the parabolic flight !

But unfortunately, most of the time, it was very peaceful. Now it's finished.. back on the taxiway for a ground analysis of the data : the most tedious part, believe me !