An update on the ATTILA project as four weeks ago we published about the successful completion of dynamic characterization tests of the wind tunnel model.

It’s been a long road with many trials and a few errors, but in August the test team was finally able to see its aeroelastic tiltrotor testbed in action at the DNW – German-Dutch Wind Tunnels Large Lowspeed Facility (LLF)!

The week-long shakedown test focused on identifying the capabilities and limitations of the systems, exercising the test procedures and optimizing the algorithms for online flutter mode characterization. By the end of the week, the testbed cycled continuously through the envelope expansion test matrix, demonstrating an efficient and flexible flutter excitation strategy to excite the system’s dynamic response and estimate damping online. In the coming months, the systems will be further matured in the run-up to the high-speed data gathering test scheduled for November this year.

Thanks to the testing team for their hard work to reach this crucial milestone!