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The beginning of Q1 2025 saw Aerolane's technology team complete a series of tests focused on flight efficiency and dynamics when flying in towed configuration at higher weight capacities.
At our test base near Ocala Florida, Aerolane's flight testing and safety team prepared a series of operations at higher payloads to evaluate flight dynamics including:
- Aerodynamic stability at varying speeds
- Control surface effectiveness under load
- Towed configuration aerodynamic interactions such as perceived drag, fuel burn characteristics, and wake behavior
Aerolane's Chief Pilot Shawn Sweeney added:
What you see in the models is one thing, but it's incredibly important to establish ground truth of what really happens when these things are in the air.
These tests are part of Aerolane's full range of research and development flights held under our experimental license. In short order, the learnings from these tests will contribute to Aerolane's upcoming STC process.
For a behind-the-scenes peek at what happens in our flight tests, check out our end-of-year recap from 2022 documenting some of the earlier tests performed across a series of smaller prototype gliders:
