Session Category: AIAA AVIATION Forum 2023

Forum 360: Flight Testing in the Age of Electric Propulsion: Lessons from the Flight Test Pioneers

A panel of pioneering professional flight test pilots and flight test engineers shares their lessons learned from testing novel and innovative electrically-propelled aircraft. As professional flight testers, they bring their flight test experiences from conventionally-powered aircraft to the new world of electric aviation and share their hard-learned lessons with the community. Understanding how to plan for electric energy storage systems compared with fuel systems, electric powerplants compared to reciprocating or turbine engines, and displaying and interpreting the state of the electric powerplant compared to traditional ones are but a few of the topics that the panel may discuss. A question-and-answer session will allow the community to learn from these flight test pioneers.

FlightLab: Aerial Suppression Of Wildfires: Present and Future Technologies and Their Implications for The Climate Crisis

Presenters will discuss all aspects of aerial suppression of wildfires, including old and new aircraft types, optimized designs, effectiveness, challenges, concepts of operation, coordinated air traffic command and control, use of drones and electrically-powered aircraft, costs, benefits, detection systems, integration with existing systems, fuel concerns, environmental impacts, maintenance, piloting, robotic vehicles and needs of air attack bases.