In flight validation of adaptive flight control methods

This paper presents the preliminary work done of a flight validation process for several existing and under-development metrics-driven adaptive flight control methods. This is key element in the larger NASA Intelligent Resilient Aircraft (IRAC) program, which seeks to increase overall aircraft safety through dramatic improvements in stability, maneuverability, and probability of safe landing under adverse conditions - including aircraft damage. This project enables innovations in adaptive control approaches to be validated in flight tests that include simulated and actual damage as part of the fundamental research elements of the IRAC program. This paper briefly describes the available equipment which is a key element in the project. Furthermore, a model structure is proposed in order to capture qualitatively the impact of damage on the dynamics.