Aerion, the company exploring design and production of a supersonic business jet, announced at the NBAA convention that a series of flight tests in collaboration with NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center have marked the latest milestone in the company’s preliminary engineering activities for its first supersonic business jet.
A total of five data test flights were conducted aboard a NASA F-15B in July and August 2010. The data collected during the flights, which achieved top speeds of Mark 2.0, is being analyzed by comparing the static pressures recorded at 60 points on the flat plate at varying speeds and altitudes with those predicted by aircraft computer models, including the test pylon and flat plate test article. Engine inlet parameters in the model are adjustable to take into account the measured pressures during the F-15B tests.
