Title: NAVAIR F/A-18E Undergoes Loads Testing at NASA Armstrong

Assembled test structures called whiffle trees, which are needed to distribute prescribed hydraulic actuator loads, are attached to load pads to test the F/A-18E from the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) in Patuxent River, Maryland. The aircraft is in NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Flight Loads Laboratory in Edwards, California, for the center’s biggest load calibrations tests. This testing is needed before the aircraft can serve as a test vehicle for determining if it can safely manage maneuvers and proposed upgrades.

Assembled test structures called whiffle trees, which are needed to distribute prescribed hydraulic actuator loads, are attached to load pads to test the F/A-18E from the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) in Patuxent River, Maryland. The aircraft is in NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Flight Loads Laboratory in Edwards, California, for the center’s biggest load calibrations tests. This testing is needed before the aircraft can serve as a test vehicle for determining if it can safely manage maneuvers and proposed upgrades.

Photographer NASA/Ken Ulbrich
Location AFRC
NASA Armstrong Flight Research CenterNASA Armstrong Flight Loads Laboratoryloads testingF A-18ESuper HornetEdwards Air Force BaseCaliforniaNaval Air Systems CommandNAVAIR