Rotorcraft Flight Controls and Handling Qualities Engineer (Early to Mid-Career)
About The Position
The Rotorcraft Flight Controls and Handling Qualities Engineer will support Army rotorcraft engineering efforts through the development, improvement, and application of flight control systems for both legacy fleet and future vertical lift, including control laws needed for piloted simulations. Additionally, the position will support the development of flight controls for simulation and flight test of advanced and novel vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft configurations, both manned and unmanned. Advanced flight control design tools, such as MATLAB/Simulink with CONDUIT, are used to prototype and optimize flight controls and autonomy algorithms for Army aviation science and technology projects. These tools are also used to independently evaluate new vehicles, and upgrades to legacy vehicles, being developed under contract.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering (or a related field) from an accredited college or university
- Experience: Bachelor + 2 years, Master + 0 years, Ph.D. + 0 years
- 2 years or more experience in flight control design
- Education or experience in the following areas: classical (frequency domain) and state-space system dynamics and control theory
- Skilled in MATLAB and Simulink
- Strong analytical skills
- Must be able to travel up to 10% of the time
- U.S. Citizen
- Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret security clearance
Nice To Haves
- Masters or higher degree, specializing in flight control, especially as applied to rotorcraft
- Education and/or experience in rotorcraft flight dynamics, control, and simulation
- Strong technical writing skills
Responsibilities
- Develop effective working relationships and collaborate with Army engineers and managers
- Perform flight control design and analysis for modern vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft configurations, both manned and unmanned.
- Provide flight controls and handling qualities expertise to the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program office. Participate in FLRAA design reviews and keep abreast of flight control issues for the FLRAA aircraft.
- Develop proficiency with the Control Designers Unified Interface (CONDUIT®) flight controls analysis and optimization tool.
- Develop proficiency with the Comprehensive Identification from Frequency Responses (CIFER®) linear system identification tool.
- Develop quasi-linear full envelope flight models by stitching linear models valid at specified points within the envelope.
- Conduct handling qualities evaluations of Mission Task Elements in piloted flight tests (simulated or real), using the Cooper-Harper Scale.
- Investigate the correlation between quantitative measures of flight control performance and achieved handling qualities, for better prediction of handling qualities
- Investigate the design of Mission Task Elements that reveal the suitability of the vehicle response to the intended mission.
- Attend technical group meetings, branch meetings, design reviews, etc. and report project updates and activities.
- Communicate research results through technical presentations and written reports.
Benefits
- Employer matching 401(k)
- Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
- Medical insurance
- Vision insurance
- Dental insurance
- Company paid leave
- Compensation time
- Parental leave
- Long-term disability
- Short-term disability
- Accidental death and dismemberment
- Life insurance
- Group and individual bonuses
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
