Search

692M15-18-C-00010, Development of new air vehicles types (e.g., personal air vehicles, urban taxis, etc.) have led to a proliferation of Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) vehicle concepts including electric vehicles, many of which are well funded and are in various stages of prototype development and testing. These vehicles almost exclusively feature fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control systems with advanced flight control system response-types. The processes and requirements needed to certify these disparate vehicles for operation within the National Airspace System are still emerging. To aid in the requirements and certification process, a mission-oriented approach is being applied to define Mission Task Elements (MTEs), often referred to as Flight Test Maneuvers (FTMs), that will serve as a means of compliance with Part 21.17(b) of certification regulations. This report summarizes the Phase II effort of this program wherein an industry representative lift plus cruise electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) configuration was used to develop and exercise via analysis and fixed-base simulation candidate Handling Qualities Task Elements (HQTEs), a subset of MTEs/FTMs, that address control law transitions, envelope protections, and automation. MTEs/FTMs are repeatable tests based on the vehicle Concept of Operations (CONOPS) and tailored to evaluate aircraft characteristics that assure safe operations within the flight envelope and the ability to perform the intended mission(s) with acceptable pilot workload/compensation.

Aircraft manufacturers are currently advancing the implementation of Automatic Flight Control Systems (AFCS) in General Aviation (GA) aircraft, certifiable under 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 23 regulations. Additionally, several startup companies, often backed up by larger manufacturers, are developing an entirely new technology with the ultimate vision of deploying Urban Air Mobility (UAM) to a large scale; electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft will be certified under 14 CFR 21.17(b) as powered lift aircraft. Other companies are trying to efficiently fill the gap between short distance ground transportation and long-range air transportation, designing economically viable Regional Air Mobility (RAM) vehicles. Different manufacturers are following different approaches, ranging from retro-fitting existing conventional flight control designs with AFCSs to exploit the capabilities of Fly-By-Wire (FBW) systems and integrated avionics, to developing completely new configurations capable of quiet, emission-free, vertical and forward flight. Common traits of most of these projects are FBW technology and electric propulsion.