Dryden Flight Research CenterNASA(NASA).Its predecessor was 1946National Aviation Advisory Council(NACA, the predecessor of current NASA) The "Murock Flight Test Team" established at the then Murock Army Airport (the predecessor of today's Edwards Base of the US Air Force) was called the High Speed Flight Research Station in 1949 and the High Speed Flight Station in 1954.In 1976, it was renamed the Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) in memory of NASA Deputy Director Dryden.
DFRCedwards air force base It is a very strange place, which attracted many test planes to come here for test flight as early as before World War II.There is the largest dry lake bed in the world, and there are 345 days of good weather suitable for flight every year, making it the most ideal flight test site.The terrain here is diverse, with mountains and a water range (113 kilometers away from the Pacific Ocean). There is a low altitude supersonic corridor in the 52000 square kilometers of controlled airspace within the base, which is the only one in the United States that is allowed to operate at altitudes below 3050 metersSupersonic flightThe airspace of.
For more than 60 years, almost all manned and unmanned research and development aircraft in the United States have flown here.DFRC has completed nearly 60 major flight test subjects, including automatic anti-collision technology, AD-1 inclined wing aircraftActive aeroelastic wingF-8 digital fly by wire flight control, F-15 highly integrated engine digital control verification aircraft, F-16 supersonic laminar flow control verification aircraft, HL-10 lift body, SR-71 high-speed flight research, X-29 forward swept wing research aircraft, X-31 enhanced fighter mobility research aircraft, X-34 technology test flight platform, X-45 unmanned combat aircraftThe verification of the X-43A hypersonic research aircraft and the X-45 unmanned combat aircraft has made significant contributions to the development of aviation technology.
Schematic Diagram of Space Shuttle
DFRC's mission requires it to use a variety of aircraft suitable for different flight test plans, as well as mission support aircraft that are mainly used for pilots to maintain flying skills, safety companion flight and camera.In the early years, it was launched with B-29McDonnell Douglas D-558-II "sky rocket" has carried out a lot of tests, including aircraft stability in transonic region, optimal supersonic wing layout, rocket entrainment effect, high-speed flight dynamics, etc.
On November 20, 1953, the "sky rocket" speed reached M2.005, becoming the first aircraft to fly at twice the speed of sound.
DFRC also used the modified B-52B to launch many kinds of supersonic test machines, ranging from the X-15 to the latest research plan, the hypersonic X-43A powered by the "Pegasus" rocket, which was not retired until 2004, and was finally permanently placed at the north gate of Edwards Base to commend its contribution to aerospace andflight testOutstanding contributions made by development.
X-43A
For a period of time, they mainly used F-104 and T-38, and later switched to F-18 "Bumblebee". For example, the F-18 System Research Aircraft (SRA) usually has at least one plan in flight or in preparation at any time.The items that have been tested and flown include: electromechanical control surface, fly by wire flight control technology, data system sensors, etc.DFRC or fromBoeing 747The home of the modified "Space Shuttle Carrier" (SCA)edwards air force base After landing, it is carried back by carrierKennedy Space Center。
Expenditure reduction
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Compared with the 1960s, with the reduction of NASA's aviation research and development budget, DFRC has undertaken far fewer flight test projects today.Budget reduction and rising aviation research costs have become the main reasons for the development and change of Dryden's flight test business. An obvious trend is to use more and more unmanned model aircraft, because the huge progress in model production and simulation capabilities means that the amount of flight data required to verify or modify the pre design has been greatly reduced, and the flight time has been greatly shortened,People can use the most economical means to obtain the necessary data.
In order to deal with the financial tension, DFRC takes the following measures:
F-16
——Participate more in the research projects of the Ministry of Defense in order to obtain valuable funds, make up for the budget shortage of NASA, and make it possible for their researchers to maintain their level of experience.Due to the long-term cooperation between the two sides in the flight research program, the Air Force Test Flight Center has a group of engineers and managers working together in DFRC and NASA.The F-16 Advanced Fighter Technology Integrated Program (AFTI), which has lasted for 15 years, is a typical example.
——The use of a small proportion of remote control aircraft can greatly save manufacturing and flight test costs. DFRC has developed equipment and flight test methods that do not require pilots for the needs of some projects (especially projects that are short, long or dangerous).These plans make DFRC the most experienced organization in the world to use UAVs.
X-36
The X-36 is a typical example.In 1997, 28% scaled UAV was used to study the agility of tailless delta wing design. It only flew 31 times, and 25 weeks ended.In December 1998, an X-36 was also used for flight test for a shorter time to study the capability of the flight control system in case of airframe damage and hardware failure.In contrast, it takes several years for some people to research machines, such as the X-29 and X-31.
Joint research
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In the 21st century, Dryden Center and Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and other companies jointly launchedWing body fusion(BWB) program, develop new technologies in aircraft avionics, propulsion system and airframe, to improve aircraft fuel efficiency, reduce aircraft noise and emissions, and enable future transport aircraft to meet NASA's advanced integrated aircraft and component technology concept in terms of noise, emissions and fuel consumption reduction for subsonic transport system after 2025,The scale model of unmanned driving is also adopted.
DC-8
——Some test facilities were contracted out, such as NASA's DC-8 flight laboratory, which was transferred to North Dakota University for operation and maintenance, and became the core of the National Suborbital Education and Research Center of the university. It not only expanded the scientific research ability of DC-8, but also provided more practical education opportunities for students.[1]
