Air Data Systems

We tested different DIY designs for Air Data Systems components. It’s a work in progress, with differents levels of completion (Send feedback here). Developed units can be considered to be general purpose, often they can operate with standard third party components. We created dedicated native digital project files that are available to the user that is willing to customize his units.

Applications of Air Data Systems

Most common application is related to flight, for example, radio controlled airplane models. A typical aircraft ADS provides critical flight information as airspeed, altitude, outside air temperature, the angle of attack and angle of sideslip. Other common uses comprehend bicycles performance metering, weather stations, flow metering, and HVAC related tasks. You find here a no exhaustive list of applications.

Components of Air Data Systems

The composition of an air data system varies with the required data or application. You find here below a summary table with few applications. We divide the ADS into three different subsystems, probe, pneumatics, and air data computer. The probe is the mechanical device that enters into contact with the air. Probe aerodynamics and thermal transfer characteristics should be carefully studied to attain the desired behavior. With pneumatic subsystem, we indicate all the piping necessary to route air from pressure ports to sensors; such connections affect the dynamic performances of the ADS. The air data computer carry out data reduction. We implemented the ADC algorithms on a full user programmable micro controller. When different sensors are combined on the same probe we can also refer the probe as an air data boom.

 

Airspeed Measurement

Air Data System

Weather Station 

Flow Metering 

HVAC Airspeed 

Probe

 

 

 

 

 

Pitot-Static

Present

Present

Not Present

Not Present

Present

Angle of attack vane

Not Present

Present

Not Present

Not Present

Not Present

Angle of sideslip vane

Not Present

Present

Present

Not Present

Not Present

Outside air temperature

Present

Present

Not Present

Not Present

Present

Ambient probe

Not Present

Not Present

Present

Not Present

Not Present

Inline differential pressure ports

Not Present

Not Present

Not Present

Present

Not Present

Static pressure port

Present

Present

Present

Not Present

Present

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pneumatics

 

 

 

 

 

Primary static line

Present

Present

Not Present

Not Present

Present

Primary total pressure line

Present

Present

Not Present

Not Present

Present

Upstream/Downstream lines

Not Present

Not Present

Not Present

Present

Not Present

 

 

 

 

 

 

Air Data Computer Output

 

 

 

 

 

Outside Air Temperature

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

True air speed

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Angle of attack

No

Yes

No

No

No

Ange of sideslip

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

Barometric altitude

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Wind direction

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

Flow rate

No

No

No

Yes

Yes

Airspeed at test point

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes