Dwayne Brown

Headquarters, Washington, DC November 20, 1997

(Phone: 202/358-1726)

Kirsten Williams
Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA
(Phone: 805/258-3449)

RELEASE: 97-274

MILESTONE ACHIEVED FOR ALL-ELECTRIC AIRPLANE TECHNOLOGY

Engineers at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards,

CA, have completed tests on a device that paves the way for
developing future all-electric airplanes which could be safer and
more fuel efficient than today's aircraft.

Called the Electro-Hydrostatic Actuator, the device

eliminates or minimizes airborne dependence on pneumatic,
hydraulic and mechanical systems. It and related electrical
systems also could lead to a five- to nine-percent fuel savings on
an all-electric passenger plane, a 30- to 50-percent reduction in
ground equipment, and a reduction in the vulnerability of military
aircraft in combat situations.

The device, designed as part of a joint Air Force-Navy-NASA

effort, was tested on the left aileron of NASA's F/A-18 Systems
Research Aircraft without using the aircraft's central hydraulics.

"Throughout the flights the Electro-Hydrostatic Actuator

performed as well as the standard actuator," said Robert Navarro,
Dryden's principal investigator. "We completed the required 25
hours of flight time and the device continues to perform
flawlessly."

Taking its signals from the aircraft's flight-control

computers, the device uses its electronics to "fool" aircraft
computers into thinking a standard actuator is on board. The
device contains a small amount of hydraulic fluid, and it uses an
electric motor to drive its pump, creating a force that moves the
aileron.

For many years, NASA, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy
have sought to eliminate sophisticated but heavy hydraulic systems
in aircraft in favor of electrical "power-by-wire" systems for operating
flight controls. Besides savings in costs and support, electrical systems
promise diminished vulnerability in combat by eliminating hydraulic lines
in the fuselage and wing box. The power-by-wire arrangement also
will reduce complexity and improve reliability.

The device is part of the Electrically Powered Actuation

Design program. The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-
Patterson Air Force Base, OH, manages the overall program.
Dryden provided ground testing for the actuator; installed and
integrated it in the F/A-18; provided the necessary data
acquisition systems and is responsible for flight safety.

The device is the second of three actuators being tested. It

will continue to fly aboard the F/A-18 until early next year or
until it is replaced by the Electro-Mechanical Actuator. The Air
Force is sponsoring this mechanical actuator, which is powered by
electronics.

-end-