NASA SBIR SUCCESS STORY Glenn Research Center 
1994 Phase II

Single  Lever Power Control for General Aviation and Unmanned Aircraft 

Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation

Manassas, VA 
 

INNOVATION
    Pilot or Autopilot controls General Aviation or Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) propulsion system via a Single Lever or a Single Power Command using a FADEC (Full-Authority Digital Engine Control) with optimal propeller/engine control
Aurora's Chiron aircraft with full-digital Single Lever Power Control
Aurora's Chiron aircraft with full-digital 
Single Lever Power Control
Optional Powerpoint file
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
    • Developed first FADEC with full-digital Single Lever Power  Control (SLPC) for General Aviation (GA) aircraft with  optimal propeller/engine control
    • Developed and flight-tested the SLPC-FADEC system in  GA aircraft - showed over 20% fuel consumption   improvement
    • Tested FADEC system with UAV engine in test cell to  68,000 ft altitude
    • FADEC-controlled engine propels the Perseus B high- altitude UAV to 60,000 ft altitude
COMMERCIALIZATION
    • Joint ventures with Athena Technologies combines SLPC  with advanced flight controls and FTC (Fault-tolerant  Control) algorithms
    • FADEC-controlled engines operated in excess of 500  hours in test cells and in flight
    • Ideal propulsion control unit for General Aviation naturally  aspirated and turbocharged singles, twins, turboprops and  other transportation propulsion systems
GOVERNMENT/SCIENCE APPLICATIONS
    • Currently being used in NASA’s AGATE (Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiment) for integrated flight tests with all-digital cockpit technology components
    • Potentially used in NASA’s ERAST (Environmental Research and Atmospheric Science Technology) UAV program
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