Flight test for aircraft certification is a fundamental method to ensure safe aircraft and air travel worldwide. Flight test data is collected through a limited number of discrete subspace points in the flight envelope to verify and validate preselected linear model coefficients chosen prior to the test program. The finalized model is presented as evidence that the platform meets the certification requirements throughout the expected flight envelope. It is also utilized to develop high-fidelity full-motion simulators, the primary training method for business aviation and airline industries. System identification utilizing local linear approximations is still the dominant flight test approach, exacerbating the development of a global model when trying to capture typical non-linear flight dynamics. This makes it appealing to leverage the robust and highly evolving machine learning techniques successfully used to find physical and physics-based insights. This article summarizes the historical developments of flight modeling and proposes coupling machine learning methodologies with airworthiness model validation to reduce the uncertainties of current approaches while providing dynamic and real-time model development with little programmatic overhead. Machine learning allows to actively capture flight dynamics independently of the historical preselected model validation and reduces risks to the flight test crew. The limited number of studies using machine learning for flight dynamics modeling are discussed, showing their strong potential and specific scope limitations. The constrained overlap of these two topics is also discussed with comments and discussion toward potential areas of exploration.


    Access

    Check access

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Machine Learning Opportunities in Flight Test: Preflight Checks


    Additional title:

    SN COMPUT. SCI.


    Contributors:

    Published in:

    Publication date :

    2024-05-22




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English