Measurement and analysis of certain flight parameters based on MEMS sensors

Gyroscopes established one of the fundamental references for attitude and heading in aerospace applications. The information about angular velocities gives input not only for autopilot, but also damping devices, such as yaw or pitch dampers for example. The MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical system) gyroscopes are much less reliable than their laser or fibre-optic cousins. Nevertheless, the availability and low price of MEMS components make this a growing area of application in avionics for general aviation aeroplanes. This paper presents certain results of flight data analysis registered during the flight testing campaign of the new experimental low-power single-engine turbo-propeller utility aeroplane I-31T. The research was focused on identification of oscillation modes, distinctive for the new aeroplane, such as engine precession or shimmy. The data came from a three-axis MEMS gyroscope and accelerometer recorder, placed near to the centre of gravity. Wavelet transform, which was used for analysis, gave better precision in time domain than Fourier transform, especially for signals of low frequency.