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Small-scale aircraft provide a powerful tool for investigating the flying qualities of novel aircraft configurations. Testing procedures have been developed and applied to two small-scale research vehicles, the Blended Wing Body Flight Control Testbed (BWB) and the Oblique All Wing Unstable Demonstrator (OAW). These aircraft carry digital data acquisition and stability augmentation computers that support graphical analysis of flight data, enabling inthe-field evaluation and modification of control laws. The ability to evaluate dynamic behavior in the testing environment supports a creative, hands-on, iterative approach to aerodynamic experimentation and control law design. Methods developed for this research include several bench-top and static tests, an error analysis for measurement of the mass moments of inertia, and characterization of static engine performance. Dynamic car-top testing is used to simulate the dynamics and aerodynamics of flight, early flight-test rehearsals. Data collected in car testing and free flight is used to identify aerodynamic and dynamic characteristics of the configuration for use in future full-scale design and control law development.

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