SPECIAL TEST EQUIPMENT

Every test program is unique and often requires custom designed special equipment. Whether you need a small instrument or a larger piece of testing equipment, we can rapidly design and manufacture a variety of equipment in-house. From advanced wind tunnel models and artificial ice shapes to trailing cone systems and electrical load banks, AeroTEC’s rapid in-house design and manufacturing capabilities allow us to avoid delays and additional outsourcing costs.

All of our products can be designed to meet the specific needs of your aircraft and test campaign. Interested in a product you don’t see below? Contact us – chances are we can design and build one for you.

SPECIAL TEST EQUIPMENT

Every test program is unique and often requires custom designed special equipment. Whether you need a small instrument or a larger piece of testing equipment, we can rapidly design and manufacture a variety of equipment in-house. From advanced wind tunnel models and artificial ice shapes to trailing cone systems and electrical load banks, AeroTEC’s rapid in-house design and manufacturing capabilities allow us to avoid delays and additional outsourcing costs.

All of our products can be designed to meet the specific needs of your aircraft and test campaign. Interested in a product you don’t see below? Contact us – chances are we can design and build one for you.

WIND TUNNEL MODELS

ELECTRICAL LOAD BANK

WATER BALLAST CONTROL SYSTEM (WTCS)

FLUTTER EXCITATION VANE (FEV) SYSTEM

TRAILING CONES & REELING MACHINE

CUSTOM SENSOR & MOUNTING BETA VANE

APU TEST RIG

ARTIFICIAL ICE SHAPES

HOT FUEL TEST RIG

TAILSKID

FLIGHT TEST DATA SYSTEM RACK & WORKSTATION

FLIGHT TEST VIDEO SYSTEM

LANDING GEAR TEST RIGS

TOWBAR ADAPTER

CONTROL SURFACE DEFLECTION GAUGE

BOEING 737-700/800/900 SPLIT SCIMITAR WINGLET LIGHTING TEST BOX

SOLUTIONS MADE FOR YOUR PROGRAM

Contact us to learn how to jump start your product development with AeroTEC.

WIND TUNNEL MODELS

Custom Wind Tunnel Models for design & development of clean-sheet aircraft or modifications.

WIND TUNNEL MODEL DESIGN & BUILD

  • Low speed, Transonic and Supersonic Models
  • Full Stress Analysis (As Needed)
  • Powered Models (Controls or Thrust)
  • Instrumentation (Pressure taps, Accelerometers, Strain, Lift, Drag, Forces for lifting surfaces)
  • Designed for high test efficiency

WIND TUNNEL TEST SUPPORT

  • Wind Tunnel Facility Coordination
  • Test Plans
  • Test Conduct
  • Data Analysis

WIND TUNNEL MODEL FABRICATION

  • Models designed in-house for rapid response
  • Typical model production times are 2-3 months
  • Optional Powered control surfaces

WIND TUNNEL MODEL INSTRUMENTATION

  • Installation & measurements
  • Power system installation
  • Data analysis

LEARN MORE

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ELECTRICAL LOAD BANK

Electrical Load Bank (ELB) system allows for validation of the aircraft power generation equipment by providing an electrical sink for excess power.

  • 400L tanks capable to be filled with ice-water mix
  • Customizable for different airplane applications
  • Digital Control and indication can be implemented per special request

PARAMETER | VALUE
Total Load Capacity | 48 kVA (Scalable)
Each Tank Max. Capacity | 400L
Max Endurance Time | 5h
Load Resolution | 1KVA
Load Type | Passive Resistance
Data Interface | RS-485
Level Sensor Type | Digital, Capacitance Based
Level Sensor Primary Output | 0-10 VDC Signal (Programmable)
Water Temp. Limits | 60°C (Nominal), 70°C (Max.)
Tank Length | 1,272 mm
Tank Diameter | 660 mm
Tank Assembly Height | 841 mm
Weight | ≈ 1,013lb

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WATER BALLAST CONTROL SYSTEM (WTCS)

Water Ballast Transfer System for in-flight changes of center of gravity.

  • Allows transfer of CG during flight from control system
  • Independent tank pairs retain water
  • Scalable system for different size aircraft
  • Control and indication can be implemented into existing test software
  • Tanks are mounted on seat tracks in custom cradles; does not require airframe
    modification
  • System can utilize 3Ph 115VAC or 28VDC power
  • Integrated backup battery capable to transfer full
    volume at least two times
  • Protection for zero or negative g maneuvers to mitigate spills
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FLUTTER EXCITATION VANE (FEV) SYSTEM

Rotary Vane Flutter Excitation System (FES) designed to provide controllable force inputs for flutter excitation up to 70Hz across a wide speed range.

  • 0 to 70 Hz force frequency output
  • ±59 lb at 350 KEAS, medium sized vane
  • Operates on 28V DC Power, 30A peak current
  • High and Low force selection
  • 1-5 vane system can be run simultaneously
  • Scalable system for larger or smaller force outputs depending on size of aircraft
  • Flutter exciter system for subsonic or supersonic airplane application
  • Digital control system with built in test profiles or custom discrete frequency test points
  • Touch Screen
  • System can be shutdown manually by pilot or via software control
  • ARINC Interface
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TRAILING CONES & REELING MACHINE

Trailing cone and reeling system designed for flight test applications for accurate measurement of static pressure.

HOSE

  • Hose length: 50-150m
  • High Speed and low speed trailing cone assemblies developed for low or high-speed testing

REELING MACHINE

  • Scalable system for any size aircraft from FAA Part 23 to Part 25 (Bizjet to B747)
  • Manual retraction capability
  • Direct data output for pressure and hose length to DAS
  • Remote control
  • Configurable hose length
  • Power Requirements: 3PH/115VAC/400Hz or 28VDC, 500 Watt
  • Typical Weight (737 class system): ~400 lb
  • Data Output Format: RS-485 or analog
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CUSTOM SENSOR AND MOUNTING BETA VANE

Alpha & Beta Vanes evaluate the angle of attack (AOA). This can indicate a critical flight phase that may result in a stall or spin.

  • Customizable stainless steel and aluminum construction
  • Precision analog position sensor with raw output
    • 5kΩ resistance
    • 340° active electrical angle
    • 7Ω per degree resolution
    • 0.1% output smoothness
  • Mountable in either beta or alpha configurations
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APU TEST RIG

An Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) Test Rig evaluates the performance of a design’s fuel, power, performance and additional operating factors to confirm the compliance according to regulations.

  • APU Fire Detection and Suppression System Testing
  • Flow Measurement Validation Test Setup
  • Cooling Air Flow Supply Validation
  • Test Planning, Setup and Execution
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ARTIFICIAL ICE SHAPES

Our team can design and build artificial ice shapes for ice accretion flight testing using NASA’s LEWICE Ice accretion software, Star-CCM+ and in-house manufacturing capabilities.

TOOL DEVELOPMENT

  • Ice shape tooling as needed – Leading edges and nose shapes
  • Tooling or parts can be built off existing parts or 3D models

SHAPES

  • Fully built shapes for all phases of icing certification
  • Fully removable and reusable
  • FAA or EASA approval of end-to-end process
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HOT FUEL TEST RIG

Key Features

Hot Fuel Test Rig for certification testing of hot fuel effects on aircraft and systems. System is intrinsically safe with no fuel touching heating system.

  • Nominally designed to heat 6,500 lb of fuel from 70˚ F to 150˚ F in less than 4 hours with a 200,000 BTU per hour water heater set at 180˚ F
  • Installs in fuel truck tank, no permanent fuel truck modifications required
  • Heating system can be gas or electric, no direct contact with fuel
  • In tank thermocouples provide direct measurement of fuel temperature
  • 2kW 220VAC 1PH for pump and water heater control electronics
  • Intrinsically safe design
  • Flow rate up to 1kg/s
  • ΔT up to 22ºC
  • Max fuel temperature 65ºC ± 5ºC
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TAILSKID

Custom designed tailskids for re-usable flight test applications.

  • Custom designed tail skid hardware for takeoff and landing testing
  • Crushable cylinder used for energy absorption, can be replaced each test in 30 minutes or less
  • Cylinder designed to prevent damage to fuselage
  • Replaceable wear pads designed for significant runway contact during over rotation event

Can we designed for variable energy absorption characteristics.

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FLIGHT TEST DATA SYSTEM RACK & WORKSTATION

The Data System Rack & Workstation houses the monitoring system during Flight Test. The rack houses the instrumentation and data acquisition system which records data for subsequent analysis.

DATA SYSTEM RACK

  • Standard 19” racks with single and dual configuration
  • Customizable height and length, per customer specs
  • Light-weight aluminum structure
  • Up to 500lb equipment load per rack

WORKSTATION

  • Single, dual, or triple seat workstation
  • Customizable monitor arrangement
  • Customizable central console with DZUS interface
  • Workstation installation is customizable for individual application
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FLIGHT TEST VIDEO SYSTEM

Heated flight test video system for all subsonic and transonic flight regimes including natural icing.

  • Internally heated with external hoods for ice/fog free visibility
  • SDI output and interchangeable lenses
  • Adjustable mount for changeable field of view
  • Fixed base camera mounts available
  • Rated for transonic flight
  • Power Requirements:
    • 300W (DC/AC) per camera maximum power draw
    • Controller 115VAC @ 5 amps
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LANDING GEAR TEST RIGS

Landing gear testing and test rig development for main and nose landing gears on FAA part 23 or part 25 aircraft.

  • Aircraft Gross Weights of 1,000 lbs – 40,000 lbs or above as needed
  • Data Acquisition Support (Accelerometers, Load Measurement, Strain Gauges, Thermography, High Speed Cameras (240FPS), Deflections, Strut and Tire Pressures – Typical Measurements)
  • Static Ground Loads Testing
  • Dynamic Landing Loads Testing
  • Company POC Testing
  • Certification Testing
  • STC Support for Increased Gross Weights
  • In-house design and manufacturing of all mounting hardware
  • Wheel spin-up loads as needed

Design and development of landing gear test rigs for part 23 and 25 aircraft.

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TOWBAR ADAPTER

Custom towbar adapters manufactured for specific special mission aircraft.

  • Custom towbar adapter
  • Fused pins for tension/compression and torsion
  • Customizable to specific airplane requirements
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CONTROL SURFACE DEFLECTION GAUGE

  • ATEC-15017-1
  • Key Features
    • Easy and non-destructive mounting to non-planer surfaces
    • Mounting provided by vacuum operated rubber suction cups
    • 17 bit absolute optical encoder
    • ±.03 degree angular accuracy
    • Includes both digital readout and supports real time RS-232 and RS-485 serial output
    • High precision machined aluminum construction
    • Can be used for an absolute or relative angular measurement
    • Up to ±90° measurement range (dependent on attachment)
  • Encoder Specifications
    • Dynapar Series AI25 SSI
    • Resolution: 17 Bit
    • Linearity: ± ½ LSB
    • Absolute Accuracy: ± 0.01° mechanical
    • Repeatability: ± 0.002° mechanical
    • Code Format: Grey
  • Readout and Serial Interface
    • Motrona IX 348
    • Display: 6 Decade LED
    • Output: Configurable to RS-232 or RS-485
  • External Requirements
    • Power: 115VAC or 230VAC
    • Compressed Air: 4.8 CFM at 80 PSI
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BOEING 737-700/800/900 SPLIT SCIMITAR WINGLET LIGHTING TEST BOX

  • ATEC-13088
  • Key Features
    • Works on 90 – 264 VAC, 47 – 63 Hz
    • Provides necessary output voltages for Position Lights and Anti-Collision Lights
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