Last month, Aero-News reported on a series of minor improvements Aviation Technology Group made to its Javelin two-place jet... and on Wednesday, the company told ANN the changes appear to be yielding real benefits, as the Javelin prototype successfully completed two more flight tests in July, expanding its flight test envelope to higher speeds and altitudes.

ATG reports that during the most recent flights, the Javelin's new Fowler-type flaps were extended and retracted between full-up and 20 degrees. Test pilot Kirk Kalstad retracted the landing gear immediately after takeoff and pushed the Javelin to 335 knots true airspeed (385 mph) at 15,000 feet. Later, he climbed to 20,000 feet and accelerated to 0.5 Mach. Bank angles were tested up to 45 degrees.

Testing included an assessment of the handling qualities of the aircraft, which involved longitudinal, lateral and directional stability, as well as trim effectiveness. Tests also evaluated engine characteristics and performance, and verified airspeed and altitude indicators.

"Kirk reported that the aircraft handled well throughout all test points," said Rob Fuschino, VP of Operations and chase plane pilot. "An initial data review shows no anomalies from predicted results."

Prior to the most recent test flights, the Javelin prototype underwent a series of modifications to increase wing span by 1.85 feet, as well as improve the secondary flight control systems with the addition of the Fowler flaps. Updates were also made to the canopy of the sleek jet.

ATG also updated the test aircraft's airborne instrumentation data acquisition system (DAS), along with associated transducers.

Revisions made to the DAS included improvements to the cockpit audio and video capture, as well as the addition of extra-force measurements to flight control systems. Also, several high-sensitivity transducers were added to the Pitot-static system, which improves data for aerodynamicists.  

FMI: www.avtechgroup.com