Development of a flight test maneuver autopilot for a highly maneuverable aircraft

This paper details the development of a flight test maneuver autopilot for a highly maneuverable aircraft. This newly developed flight test technique is being applied at the Dryden Flight Research Facility of the NASA Ames Research Center. The flight test maneuver autopilot (FTMAP) is designed to increase the quantity and quality of the data obtained in flight test. The vehicle with which it is being used is the highly maneuverable aircraft technology (HiMAT) vehicle. This paper describes the HiMAT vehicle systems, maneuver requirements, FTMAP development process, and flight results.