Flight test engineers are turning to the motorsport

Citation

(2006), "Flight test engineers are turning to the motorsport", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 78 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2006.12778caf.010

Flight test engineers are turning to the motorsport

Flight test engineers are turning to the motorsport

Keywords: Vehicle components

Pi Research, a leading supplier to all levels of professional and semi- professional motorsport, is finding its systems are meeting the needs of engineers in R&D, production verification and training.

Motorsport at professional and semi- professional levels is dependant on rapid analysis of data to find or verify performance, is increasingly cost- and weight-critical and demands reliability to ensure completion of the event.

The Pi Sigma MCU, similar to that used in F1 and Champ Cars, can run from 40-1024 channels of synchronous data sampled at up to 1 kHz in a box of 150 × 140 × 40 mm and weighs less than 900 grams. The associated software and telemetry systems can allow real-time or near real-time analysis and comparison of live and historic data, enabling rapid progress through test programmes. Such a system is highly configurable both in hardware and software, with the MCU and other core hardware items being effectively COTS. Pi Sigma offers onboard data reduction, video overlay, real-time telemetry and control. The control element can put elements of a flight test regime, such as drogue deployment, under software control for ultra-rapid and complex test programme completion. The company can also offer technology such as differential GPS, wireless sensors and ARINC interfaces.

Pi Research is already working with a number of organisations in aerospace, particularly developers of VLJ's and business jets. Pi Research has also built up a strong relationship with the National Test Pilot's School in Mojave, which has in turn established a relationship with Flight Safety International's Systems Simulation Division to gather data for model generation. A recent contract led to installation and first flight of a complex system of configured hardware and software in less than seven weeks from initial contact.

Glenn Waters, Pi Research's Aerospace Program Manager, says: “Motorsport is a very demanding environment that is constantly pursuing and finding higher performance solutions in very short timescales. There are many similarities with the aerospace industry, itself seeking to drive down programme timescales and costs. Data acquisition is one of a number of technologies that is ripe for exchange between motorsport and aerospace”.