Performance, Stability, and Control
Calspan is World-Renowned for Efficient Aerodynamic Database Builds
Calspan’s Performance, Stability, and Control (PS&C) testing provides high-fidelity aerodynamic data to support aircraft, weapons, and space vehicle development. Conducted in our 8’ × 8’ transonic wind tunnel, these tests characterize aerodynamic efficiency, control surface effectiveness, and stability across broad flight envelopes. Our closed-circuit tunnel, high-capacity vacuum pumps and compressors, and ability to isolate the test section enable rapid sweeps through angle-of-attack and sideslip ranges—allowing hundreds of configurations to be tested in a single entry. This infrastructure, combined with sweep, paused, and hybrid data collection techniques, allows Calspan to efficiently build comprehensive aerodynamic databases for Guidance, Navigation, and Control models.
Rapid Aero Model Database Builds
Calspan’s proven methodology enables faster generation of aerodynamic databases supporting flight control system design, simulation, and performance prediction.
8’ Square Test Section
Our 8’ × 8’ test section accommodates large subscale models and improves test efficiency by enabling faster model changes by keeping the model at working height—unlike smaller test sections that are difficult to access and larger ones that require a ladder.
Broad Application Across Domains
PS&C testing supports military aircraft, commercial airframes, and space access vehicles—helping customers validate aerodynamic performance under real-world conditions.
Comprehensive Aerodynamic Testing Capabilities
Calspan’s Performance, Stability, and Control (PS&C) testing services support a wide range of aerospace programs—from advanced military aircraft to commercial transports and space access vehicles. By tailoring each test to specific program objectives, Calspan helps customers evaluate aerodynamic performance, control effectiveness, and overall vehicle stability across all phases of flight. Our team applies proven test methods and modern data acquisition systems to deliver accurate, repeatable results that guide design decisions and reduce development risk.
Force & Moment Testing
Across all vehicle classes, Calspan’s PS&C testing measures aerodynamic forces and moments using precision strain-gauge balances and advanced data correction techniques. These measurements yield accurate aerodynamic coefficients—lift, drag, and pitching moment—representative of full-scale flight. Calspan’s decades of experience and proprietary test methods ensure reliable, repeatable data, enabling customers to model, predict, and optimize aerodynamic performance with confidence.
Military Aircraft Performance, Stability & Control
Calspan’s PS&C testing helps defense programs fully understand the aerodynamic efficiency of aircraft and weapons systems, as well as interactions between key components. Tests may evaluate the effect of engine-inlet/wing interactions, control surface authority, and mission-specific configurations such as weapons loadouts or reconfigurable geometries. In weapons testing, Calspan assesses stability and control from jettison through maneuvering flight. Using precision internal strain-gauge balances, we measure lift, drag, and moment coefficients across a range of Mach numbers and angles of attack—delivering validated data for improved control laws, handling, and mission performance.
Space Access Vehicle Aerodynamics
For re-entry capsules and lifting-body vehicles, Calspan’s PS&C testing quantifies aerodynamic forces and control effectiveness during high-angle-of-attack flight and abort scenarios. Test objectives typically include validation of re-entry and abort performance, component contribution studies (nozzles, fairings, blended wing-bodies), and sizing of aerodynamic control surfaces. Pressure distribution data supports loads analysis and CFD validation, while measured forces provide insight into vehicle stability across the full re-entry regime.
Passenger & Commercial Aircraft Evaluation
Calspan applies the same high-precision PS&C methods to commercial and civil aircraft programs, evaluating aerodynamic efficiency, control effectiveness, and component interactions such as nacelle-wing coupling. Test objectives may include drag polar validation, control surface sizing, buffet onset prediction, and Reynolds number effect analysis. By tailoring each test to program goals, Calspan provides data critical to improving flight performance, stability, and fuel efficiency. Our wind tunnel’s high accuracy and wide test envelope enable confidence in results across subsonic to transonic regimes.
Looking For More Information?
Apply to receive Calspan’s comprehensive documentation package, providing detailed specifications and insight into our wind tunnel systems and operations. The guide covers tunnel design and maintenance, model sizes, instrumentation, test hardware, data acquisition and reduction processes, transmittal protocols, security practices, and photographic capabilities—plus additional technical information supporting advanced aerodynamic testing programs.
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