Aircraft characterization in icing using flight-test data

A flight-test program was conducted with the support of the NASA Glenn Research Center to aid in the development of the Smart Icing System. The program identified the parameters that indicated the onset of icing and effects of icing on the performance and control of the aircraft. Stability and control derivatives were extracted from the flight data using System Identification Programs for Aircraft (SIDPAC) in addition to trim and atmospheric data. Combining both stability and control derivative estimates with trim state estimates resulted in a robust method for identifying the effects of icing on airplane performance and control.