NASA Test Pilot Prepares for Rehearsal Flight

NASA test pilot Nils Larson walks around an F-15B research aircraft for a rehearsal flight supporting the agency’s Quesst mission at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The flight was part of a full-scale dress rehearsal for Phase 2 of the mission, which will eventually measure quiet sonic thumps generated by the X-59. The flight series helped NASA teams refine procedures and practice data collection ahead of future X-59 flights.

NASA test pilot Nils Larson walks around an F-15B research aircraft for a rehearsal flight supporting the agency’s Quesst mission at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The flight was part of a full-scale dress rehearsal for Phase 2 of the mission, which will eventually measure quiet sonic thumps generated by the X-59. The flight series helped NASA teams refine procedures and practice data collection ahead of future X-59 flights.

Location AFRC
NASAF-15BSSPShock-Sensing ProbeALIGNSAirborne Location Integrating Geospatial Navigation SystemASPSAirborne Schlieren Photography SystemX-59QuesstCommercial Supersonic TechnologySupersonicMachSonic BoomQuiet Supersonic TechnologyX-planesFlightAeronauticsAerialTest PilotQuesst MissionAFRCArmstrong Flight Research CenterLangley Research CenterAmes Research CenterGlenn Research CenterSonic ThumpAirplanesEdwards Air Force BaseAeronautics Research Test BedTG-14F-15QuestAcousticsGround recording System