NewFlAir, Next Generation Fly-by-Wire for Regional Aircraft
NewFlAir
D328 cockpit simulator
The D328 cockpit simulator expands the AVES (Air Vehicle Simulator) centre at DLR's Braunschweig site. Pilots can use it to carry out comprehensive ground-based tests of aircraft interfaces to prepare effectively for flight tests with the Dornier 328.
The Dornier 328-100 UpLift (D-CUPL) research aircraft serves as a flying test-bed for testing climate-friendly aviation technologies under real conditions in order to accelerate their maturity. For this purpose, the DLR was commissioned by the BMWE to modify and operate this aircraft. To fulfil this mandate, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) is also providing DLR with the necessary funds so that the CUPL can be used by the German aviation industry as a testbed for climate-neutral systems and components as part of LuFo-VII.
The joint research project NewFlAir is developing an innovative, efficient, cost-optimised and modular Fly-by-Wire (FbW) flight control system with new architectures and components for use in future regional aircraft. The required technologies are being developed in collaboration with Deutsche Aircraft (DAG), Liebherr (LLI), German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and TU Berlin (TUB).
The overall development is planned across the three LuFoVII calls, with final testing and validation of the developed technologies to take place on DLR's UpLift D328 flight test vehicle (D-CUPL).
In the first call (LuFo VII‑1), FbW concept trades will be carried out, overall system simulations created for validation, and hardware‑in‑the‑loop (HiL) validations performed for individual components. In the second call, selected parts of the overall system will be implemented in hardware and put into operation in ground tests, enabling integration into the D‑CUPL flight test aircraft in the third phase.
In collaboration with DAG, DLR and LLI, the requirements for the FbW system will be derived from the aircraft‑level specifications. Based on these requirements, high‑level architecture and technology trades, studies on the Flight Control Laws (FCL) philosophy, and concepts for the control units will be developed.
Other key considerations for the FbW system include computer architecture, power supply concepts, actuator integration and space allocation. Further important aspects are system cost, reliability, robustness, weight and upgrade capability. LLI will subsequently detail the selected FBW architecture and derive the component‑level requirements. DAG and DLR will, in parallel, define the FCL requirements and implement them in an initial FCL design. Additionally, DLR and TUB will develop and validate innovative FCL approaches—such as acceleration‑based or hinge‑moment‑based trajectory control.
Overall, the first phase delivers a comprehensive evaluation of different FbW architectures for regional aircraft in terms of feasibility, development effort and cost.
The DLR plays a decisive role in this project. In a collaborative effort, the Fly-by-Wire flight control system for the D328eco aircraft model from our project partner, Deutsche Aircraft GmbH, is being developed. We contribute significantly by developing innovative flight control laws and corresponding protection functions, as well as researching a moment-based flight control. Testing and validation of the Fly-by-Wire flight control system are being conducted at DLR’s state-of-the-art facilities. To achieve this, we examine and optimize promising system architectures early in the development process through virtual Model-in-the-Loop system tests on our advanced real-time simulation platform. Additionally, we assess the flight characteristics of the flight control laws in pilot studies using our D328eco cockpit simulator and evaluate the moment control on a specially developed actuator test rig. Furthermore, DLR is preparing for future development steps, which include ground and flight tests. This involves the preparation and commissioning of a modular Iron Bird test facility, as well as the development of an integration, operation, and safety concept for the installation of the experimental flight control system in our research aircraft Dornier 328-100 UpLift.
