Comparison Study and Sensitivity Analysis of Flight Test Techniques for Air Data Position Error Correction in Small Aircraft

The flight test is important in the development and certification phases of an aircraft. It is composed of various tests, but the position error correction test should be performed first to determine error of the pitot-static measurement system that is the basis for evaluating flight characteristics. This paper investigates and compares recent test methods using real flight test results. The ground course and arbitrary heading method are both considered using GPS and DGPS to measure ground speed. The arbitrary heading method was most efficient and precise. In addition, new method is proposed and successfully used to determine accurate position error by comparison with DGPS results. Finally, sensitivity analysis was performed to analyze the effect of error sources. It shows that the most important error is the measured indicated airspeed following by measured true airspeed, outside air temperature, and pressure altitude.