Instructor: Nesrin Sarigul-Klijn, Department of Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering, College of Engineering
Description: New flight vehicle designs are tested very carefully. This seminar will introduce students to general test flight procedures. Details of performance flight testing as well as stability-control and flutter flight testing methods will be covered. Each student will have an opportunity to fly a simulated test condition using fixed based simulators. During the quarter, students will observe a scaled flight test if weather permits. After completing this seminar the student should understand the concepts and principles of flight testing, safety procedures and methods of obtaining flight test data. No textbook is required however a good reference text is Introduction to Flight by Anderson, John Wiley. Handouts will be provided to enrolled students.
Format: The seminar will meet for two hours each week. The sessions will start with an informative presentation by the instructor, guest speaker or a video, followed by detailed informative explanation by the instructor. Site visits to Scaled Model Aerospace Research and Testing Laboratory (SMARTLAB) and Aerospace Design Lab (ADL) will introduce students to lightweight composite manufacturing techniques as well as scaled flight testing and simulation. Students will be allowed to use these laboratories to do their term long papers. During the last week of the seminar student groups will give demo or presentations of their term long study of a particular flight test subject. Grading: This 2-unit seminar grading is pass/no-pass (P/NP). Teams of 3 students each will work on a term paper involving one aspect of flight testing covered during the seminars. Each team will present their term paper to the class during the last week of the seminar. Grading will be based 50% on term paper report, 30% presentation and 20% midterm exam.
About the Instructor: Nesrin Sarigul-Klijn, Ph.D. is a Full Professor of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering Department and also is the Leader of Space Engineering Research and Graduate Program (SpaceED). She is an instrument rated commercial pilot and has piloted 27 different type aircraft. Her current research activities include air launching space vehicles, dynamic separation, acoustics and vibrations, aeroelasticity and scaled flight testing. http://mae.ucdavis.edu/faculty/sarigul/sarigul.html