Problem solving: A day in the life of Global Hawk test team

Posted on: Dec. 29th, 2005 || Source: blackanthem.com | E-mail Article | Print Article

Problem solving: A day in the life of Global Hawk test team

When thinking about the Global Hawk and other unmanned aerial vehicles, one could easily place them in a category with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and other holiday figures whose value was not easily seen at first glance.

But like the "misfit toys" of Christmas, the Global hawk has a unique and vital contribution in its world.

It takes extra precautions and preparations to ensure everything works smoothly. The Global Hawk test team is accustomed to this process. Two recent examples of the day-to-day events for the test team involve a mysterious nose wheel oscillation and a sensor mission.

Recently, after a 20-hour mission, the Global Hawk landed with an unusually low fuel state, less than 2,000 pounds of fuel remaining. The aircraft had only landed this light a few times. As a result, everyone was surprised when, taxiing back at 6 knots, the nose gear began a slow oscillation, completing a cycle in about 1.5 seconds. The aircraft still traveled in the right direction, but hunted back and forth a few feet - like a shopping cart wheel in slow motion.

The test conductor and engineers, watching from a telemetry link in San Diego and Hawkeye, a pilot in a vehicle that serves as the pilot's eyes and ears during ground movements, called for a "Stop Taxi" command nearly simultaneously. The pilot decided to halt this autonomous jig, stopping the Global Hawk where it was and calling the maintenance troops to tow the aircraft to the hangar.

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