Making flight tests more productive

Simulation, testing reduce the size and number of in-flight problems.

Flight tests remain an important aspect of aircraft development, but these real-life tests are changing as modeling, simulation, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing improve. These tests haven't yet been reduced to a way to confirm that simulations are correct, but improved pre-flight analysis has dramatically reduced the number and severity of problems that are discovered during open-air flights.

“Simulation has significantly reduced the burden on open-air flight tests and immensely increased the confidence that we're ready to fly,” said Doug Pearson, Vice President for F-35 Integrated Test Force at Lockheed Martin.