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Meeting	ACGS Committee Meeting 121 - Tucson, AZ - April 2018
Agenda Location	7 SUBCOMMITTEE E – Flight, Propulsion, and Autonomous Vehicle Control Systems 7.2 Piloted Flight Test Evaluation of Robust Upset–Recovery Guidance
Title	Piloted Flight Test Evaluation of Robust Upset–Recovery Guidance
Presenter	Nathan Richards
Affiliation	Barron Associates
Available Downloads*	presentation
	Downloads are available to members who are logged in and either Active* or attended this meeting.
Abstract	Aircraft Loss-Of-Control (LOC) has been a longstanding contributor to fatal aviation accidents. The research presented herein is structured to directly address several known contributing and causal factors associated with vehicle upset and LOC. This presentation discusses the formal flight test evaluation (Learjet 25B – N102VS) of an approach to improve flight safety by visually providing closed-loop guidance for upset recovery that is robust to pilot behavior variation and is able to accommodate vehicle failures and impairment. The Damage Adaptive Guidance for piloted Upset Recovery (DAGUR) system provides continuous closed-loop recovery guidance via visual cues to reduce instances of inappropriate pilot reaction and pilot inaction. Adaptation enables the recovery module to provide appropriate guidance even in cases of vehicle damage or impairment. The recovery guidance system is also specifically designed to be robust to variations in pilot dynamic behavior (including behavior associated with high-stress situations). The adaptive recovery guidance is implemented “upstream” of the pilot and provided via visual cues; therefore it does not require modifications to existing flight control software (for fly-by-wire aircraft) and is equally applicable to non-fly-by-wire aircraft. During February and March of 2017, the team conducted one checkout flight and five evaluation flights out of Niagara Falls, NY. The team sought evaluation pilot feedback and analyzed Learjet-collected data to assess pilot opinion/acceptance and to assess the quantitative impact of the provided recovery guidance. Analysis of the collected data shows that the provided guidance augments the upset recovery proficiency of a given pilot by providing timely and measured inputs to affect a safe recovery. In cases for which a pilot would otherwise select an incorrect input, the guidance provides a correct input thereby directly converting an otherwise unsuccessful recovery into a safe recovery. In cases for which a pilot attempts the correct sequence but employs an inappropriate input magnitude or duration, the guidance provides the appropriate input sizes and durations. In this situation, the guidance reduces “overcontrolling” during recovery thereby reducing oscillations. In some cases, this reduction in oscillation results in faster recoveries and, in others, transforms a growing (unstable) oscillation into a decaying (stable) oscillation. Additionally, pilots who evaluated the system indicated that they found the guidance to be useful and intuitive, and that it provided timely and measured recovery guidance.