Study on buffet flight test of aircraft with T-tail

This paper introduces the aircraft buffet mechanism, the research developments of buffet flight tests of the domestic and overseas, the buffet flight test methods, and the advantages and disadvantages of the methods. Then theoretical analysis was performed on the wind-up turn method. The methods, such as the velocity reduction method and the wind-up turn method, were used in the flight test. Acceleration transducers were put on the horizontal tail and the floor under the pilot's chair, in order to obtain the buffet response under different flight conditions. The buffet response at different locations was obtained by analyzing the root mean square(RMS) and frequency spectrum of the buffet response data. The buffet response of the trailing edge of the tip of the horizontal tail is the most violent. The buffet response increases with the increase of both the angle of attack and Mach number. The horizontal tail's buffet response mainly centralizes on the 1^st-order symmetric bending, the 2^nd-order anti-symmetric bending model frequencies of the horizontal tail and the 1^st-order symmetric bending model frequency of the wing. The buffet response at the pilot's seat location centralizes on the 1^st-order symmetric bending model frequency of the horizontal tail. The aircraft buffet response can influence the comfort of the pilot. Both vibration responses at the pilot's seat location and the wing surface structures should be considered to establish the buffet boundary.