Flight Test Maneuvers for Efficient Aerodynamic Modeling

Flight testing is expensive. It is therefore important that necessary flight data be collected in the most efficient manner possible. Inputs traditionally used for flight test maneuvers to collect aircraft stability and control data include doublets, impulses (stick raps), multisteps, and frequency sweeps. All of these input types are designed for single-axis response, although often the inputs are applied sequentially to different controls to collect multi-axis data.