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Flutter testing at Spanish Air Force

Sami Abou-Kebeh Llano, Senior Flight Test Engineer, CLAEX // Spanish A.F., Spain
Agustin Vaquero Gomez, Software Engineer, CLAEX // Airbus D&S, Spain

Abstract

Flutter tests are one of the most demanding, in terms of security and workload, disciplines in flight testing.

Considering MIL-STD-882 1 , in case of mishap with negative damping, and hence passing beyond the flutter boundary, the severity of the risk is catastrophic, and the probability level, in the most benign of the cases, could be occasional. Therefore, according to the same MIL- STD-882, table III includes flutter tests in the High risk area.

In the Spanish Air Force CLAEX (Logistic Center of armament and experimentation, , flutter tests are relatively common on F18, as every new OFP usually includes new stores which require a flutter test to validate the transport envelope.

In this paper, it will be described the process followed to perform a flutter test with emphasis on safety.

Date: 
Tue, 2016-05-10