Application of System Identification to Aircraft at NASA Langley Research Center

The past, present, and future of system identification applied to aircraft at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) in Hampton, Virginia, are discussed. Significant research advances generated at NASA LaRC in the past are summarized, including some perspective on the role these developments played in the practice of system identification applied to aircraft. Selected recent research efforts are described, to give an idea of the type of activities currently being pursued at NASA LaRC. These efforts include real-time parameter estimation, identifying flying qualities models, advanced experiment design and modeling techniques for static wind-tunnel database development, and indicial function identification for unsteady aerodynamic modeling. Projected future developments in the area are outlined