Professional Pilot, October 2016

Test and Evaluation Operations Maintaining the Cheyenne in the Normal Category permitted its use as a training platform at FTCE to demonstrate advanced avionics systems during inflight evaluations and to offer hands on experience to students Demand drives growth In late 2003 the company acquired a Piaggio P 180 Avanti C GJMM 2001 for systems UAV and research flight testing The cabin provides seating for 2 flight test station personnel behind the cockpit and club seating for 4 additional test crew in the aft cabin The cabin workstation drives the synthetic display forward of the copilot seat This Flying Avionics Testbed FATB is supported by a dedicated research simulator both having been instrumental in development and certification of navigation and safety systems for aircraft ranging from the Airbus EC145 to the Boeing 747 Classic The FATB is also configurable as an optionally piloted vehicle OPV flyable from an aft cabin control station using off the shelf UAV control software Research simulator The Marinvent Research Simulator MRS is used to test flight hardware and software in a laboratory setting Fitted with traditional yoke sidestick or even collective controls the device can emulate any manned or unmanned aircraft heavy or light fixed wing rotary wing glider jet turboprop piston etc including the Space Shuttle 118 PROFESSIONAL PILOT October 2016 TASAR features a cockpit automation system Traffic Aware Planner TAP that monitors for potential flight trajectory improvements and displays them to the pilot These wind optimized flight trajectory changes are precleared traffic weather hazards and airspace restrictions Marinvents MRS can create store and replay scenarios allowing for streamlined reproducible and reliable avionics evaluations conducted in a safe low cost manner that translates seamlessly to the FATB OPV when ready MRS is mounted on wheels and fully transportable to demonstrate new customer concepts as well as to serve as an effective teaching aid The simulator was recently involved with certification of a new flight management system FMS developed by CMC Electronics and with SVS testing for NASA It is also useful in accident reconstruction and data analysis using specialized techniques to recreate the accident aircraft flightpath and dynamics including simulation of topography weather and flight conditions related to the accident This permits regeneration of a realistic flightpath from non contiguous radar data particularly valuable for accidents where flight data recorder FDR output is unavailable Over 50 STC and TSO certification programs have been completed using the FATB OPV and MRS manned by experienced multidisciplinary personnel NASA TASAR TAP In 2009 Marinvent formed Advanced Aerospace Solutions as a joint venture in Raleigh NC to conduct federal government programs in the US specializing in flight test certification services systems engineering human computer interface design and software development on NASA projects of potential conflicts with other known airplane In todays airspace pilots request trajectory lateral and or vertical flightpath changes from ATC with limited awareness of related considerations Consequently some requests are denied causing higher workloads and no improvement in flight circumstances The NASA Traffic Aware Strategic Aircrew Requests TASAR concept expects to improve ATC approval rates by preclearing most unknowns in the request process The TASAR Traffic Aware Planner TAP is a flightdeck EFB application which monitors the aircraft trajectory recommends optimized improvements deconflicted from known traffic weather hazards and airspace restrictions and displays these for consideration by the flightcrew Pilot requests based on these recommendations are more likely to be approved by ATC improving flight efficiency flightplan compliance passenger comfort and pilot controller workload This will also promote longer term operational autonomy in the FAA Next Generation NextGen Air Transportation System Performance Based Navigation PBN is the foundation of the modernization program European SESAR programs and other future air traffic management ATM concepts The success of these systems depends on avionics and technologies delivering reliable accurate communications navigation and surveillance CNS capabilities ADS B is a key component of Next Gen which will help to ensure future airspace safety and efficiency in an economical manner Deriving its infor