AN INTEGRATED SOLUTION FOR FLIGHT TEST DATA HANDLING

Abstract

An integrated airborne/ground data acquisition and processing system is being implemented for McClellan AFB. This Flight Data Acquisition and Processing System is capable of gathering large amounts of varied types of instrumentation data during F-111 test flights and providing general purpose computer processing of the test data results. A programmable PCM data acquisition system was developed along with companion acquisition systems for monitoring the F-111 SRAM, MARK II, PAVETACK, ad MIL-STD-1553 on board computer busses. The information is stored on an IRIG instrumentation recorder for subsequent processing and display by a DEC VAX 11/780 computer in the ground station. The VAX in the ground station is supported by multiple programmable preprocessors for data compression/engineering unit conversion and a specially developed software system provides a unique integration of the airborne/ground system capabilities via a parameter data base. A special capability of the system is the ability to process a typical flight tape utilizing a single playback of the instrumentation tape at the recorded speed.