FlightHorizonX Provides Airspace Monitoring, Data Logging for NASA Supersonic Flights Near Galveston

Vigilant Aerospace’s FlightHorizonX product was successfully used by NASA to complete its Quiet Supersonic Flight campaign (QSF18) near Galveston, Texas this week. The flights are a part of NASA’s Commercial Supersonic Technology program. FlightHorizonX was used to monitor supersonic flights taking place offshore by a NASA F-18 aircraft. The QSF18 flights were conducted to test new supersonic boom mitigation techniques to help re-introduce supersonic transportation aircraft into the US national airspace and secondarily to test a new supersonic aircraft transponder. The NASA QSF18 flights included up to eight flights per day with the flight operations occurring over a two week period which began November 5 and concluded last week. More info about the QSF18 program. The Vigilant Aerospace FlightHorizonX software provided the NASA flight team and researchers with real-time situational awareness of their aircraft and other aircraft in the region, display of the geofenced flight area, warnings about other aircraft entering the flight area and airspace logging for later analysis. FlightHorizonX is a special, supersonic version of FlightHorizon which has been modified to receive and display data from a new supersonic transponder prototype being tested on both supersonic aircraft and spacecraft in the US. The software was active on a small computer connected to a large display for monitoring by the flight team in a hanger building at Ellington Field. The software was also installed and running on a tablet computer on a knee-board attached to the pilot of the aircraft. The NASA Commercial Supersonic Technology program is the premier supersonic research program in the US. Vigilant Aerospace was selected to provide FlightHorizon GCS to the program for 2018-2019 test flights. Read more here.  

Media Coverage:

• “NASA Uses FlightHorizonX to Complete Its QSF18 for NASA Supersonic Flights Near Gavleston.” UAV Expert News; 04 January 2018.

Related Vigilant Aerospace Posts:

• “NASA Uses FlightHorizonX to Track Experimental Transponder for Supersonic Flights, New FAA Standards”
• “Vigilant Aerospace Developing FlightHorizonX for Tracking and Safety of Supersonic Aircraft and Spacecraft”
• “FlightHorizon Selected by NASA Commercial Supersonic Technology Program 2018-2019 for Airspace Situational Awareness, Flight Logging”

Related Articles from NASA:

• “NASA Goes Quiet Over Galveston for Flight Series.” NASA.gov; 30  October 2018.
• “What’s QSF18 All About?” NASA.gov; 2 November 2018.
• “What Did You Hear? Be a QSF18 Citizen Scientist.” NASA.gov;  2 November 2018.
• “NASA Invites Media to Observe Quiet Supersonic Flight Series Operations.” NASA.gov; 2 November 2018.
• “Quiet Supersonic Flights 2018.” NASA.gov [PDF]

QSF18 in the News:

• “Quiet Sonic Boom? Why NASA Turned To Galveston For Its Supersonic Plane Project.” Houston Public Media; 19 November 2018.
• “Quiet supersonic test flights in Galveston dress rehearsal for real tests in five years.” Houston Chronicle; 13 November 2018.
• “NASA’s sonic boom tests in Texas could change air travel forever.” New York Post; 6 November 2018.

Videos:

NASA Prepares for Future of Supersonic Experimental Flight

NASA’s QSF18 on Social Media!

You can also visit us at @SpaceCenterHou for an in-depth look at our Low-boom Flight Demonstration mission in which we’re working with @LockheedMartin to design, build and test a supersonic aircraft that reduces a sonic boom to a gentle thump. pic.twitter.com/9MIVyriFM1

— NASA Aeronautics (@NASAaero) November 4, 2018

I’m really excited about quiet supersonic technology and its ability to be transformative for flight and our economy.

Do you have questions about our quiet supersonic research flights? Reply with your Qs here and our @NASA experts will answer them later this week. https://t.co/c4DxMnqB3z — Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) November 6, 2018

Galveston, Hitchcock, Texas City, Goat Island: What did you hear?👂🏻Starting today, we are flying an F/A-18 at supersonic speed over the Galveston, TX area for our Quiet Supersonic Flights 2018 campaign, and we’re inviting you to record your responses→https://t.co/q6nR58FMKq pic.twitter.com/GusXQpcynQ

— NASA Aeronautics (@NASAaero) November 6, 2018

Attention Galveston: Be a citizen scientist and tell us what you hear during our quiet supersonic flights this month! Through November 14 we’re flying a research aircraft at supersonic speed over the area, and you can record your responses here→https://t.co/Gzx0tIcZc5 pic.twitter.com/FBkOuUNLQ9

— NASA Aeronautics (@NASAaero) November 10, 2018

Galveston, oh, Galveston! Our quiet supersonic research flights are coming to an end. Take a look back at our time in the island city measuring community response to this unique acoustic experience→ https://t.co/PU22QPqAkv pic.twitter.com/vyawRjtqe2

— NASA Aeronautics (@NASAaero) November 15, 2018