13 Oct 03

13 October 2003 Status at The Aquatic Hillcrest

Headline: Flight Tests complete

Present today are Ludvin Haan (GAF flight director), Milan Weyer (BWB test director), Norbert Demel (GAF), Wolfgang Seier (GAF) Steffen Pohl (GAF), Olaf Bohla (Serco), Brad Shannon, Bill Ratcliffe, Ron Turiello and Greg Farnham.

High altitude flight test began at 0745 and is now complete. Data is being copied and then analyzed.

Norbert called UPS for us and was able to reach them. They will deliver parcel number 1ZX 359X26642326937 tomorrow, and I will pay €153.66 COD to receive it. This is the 125 amp circuit breaker ordered Friday.

Between flight tests we had a signing party, and Test Director Weyer signed off all the tests completed over the weekend that were witnessed by Olaf Bohla. Only Sunstrobe of test 4A and the 10A and 10B flight tests remain. Captain Haan says we will proceed with the 10A and 10B tests as soon as this afternoon's flight test is completed. That flight begins at 1245 local time.

Between legs, when the target aircraft returned over the radome to turn around, it was being pursued by two F-16s. This was very interesting for a little while as Captain Haan made calls to get the other aircraft out of the flight test pattern.

1430 - all flight tests are now complete. At 1500 we begin 10A and 10B with targets of opportunity.

At 1630 we extracted some bolts from the radar to go procure replacements for the missing ones. Then we started the Sunstrobe collection again. We will return at 2130 to perform clutter tests.

We performed false alarm test steps for test 10A and 10B until midnight. Noise in the environment caused a great deal more clutter and false alarms than when the tests were performed in 1997. In 1997 the tests passed. Tonight the data is about 25% over the specification. We agreed to take data overnight and determine if there is a more clutter free period later in the evening during which the test may pass.

Link to Record Run Status Link to Discrepancy Status

Photos from today:

Morning flight target aircraft at 41000 feet, courtesy Olaf Bohla.

Test Director Weyer calls out flight test data points to Bill during the flight test. Courtesy Steffen Pohl.

The target aircraft flies over the radome at ~8K feet between inbound and outbound legs. Courtesy Steffen Pohl.

Shannon, Seier, Haan, Turiello, Demel and Farnham out for a visual on the target. Courtesy Steffen Pohl.