We tested different DIY designs for Air Data Systems components. It’s a work in progress, with differents levels of completion (Send feedback here). Developed units can be considered to be general purpose, often they can operate with standard third party components. We created dedicated native digital project files that are available to the user that is willing to customize his units.
Applications of Air Data Systems
Most common application is related to flight, for example, radio controlled airplane models. A typical aircraft ADS provides critical flight information as airspeed, altitude, outside air temperature, the angle of attack and angle of sideslip. Other common uses comprehend bicycles performance metering, weather stations, flow metering, and HVAC related tasks. You find here a no exhaustive list of applications.
Components of Air Data Systems
The composition of an air data system varies with the required data or application. You find here below a summary table with few applications. We divide the ADS into three different subsystems, probe, pneumatics, and air data computer. The probe is the mechanical device that enters into contact with the air. Probe aerodynamics and thermal transfer characteristics should be carefully studied to attain the desired behavior. With pneumatic subsystem, we indicate all the piping necessary to route air from pressure ports to sensors; such connections affect the dynamic performances of the ADS. The air data computer carry out data reduction. We implemented the ADC algorithms on a full user programmable micro controller. When different sensors are combined on the same probe we can also refer the probe as an air data boom.
| Airspeed Measurement | Air Data System | Weather Station | Flow Metering | HVAC Airspeed | |
| Probe | |||||
| Pitot-Static | Present | Present | Not Present | Not Present | Present |
| Angle of attack vane | Not Present | Present | Not Present | Not Present | Not Present |
| Angle of sideslip vane | Not Present | Present | Present | Not Present | Not Present |
| Outside air temperature | Present | Present | Not Present | Not Present | Present |
| Ambient probe | Not Present | Not Present | Present | Not Present | Not Present |
| Inline differential pressure ports | Not Present | Not Present | Not Present | Present | Not Present |
| Static pressure port | Present | Present | Present | Not Present | Present |
| Pneumatics | |||||
| Primary static line | Present | Present | Not Present | Not Present | Present |
| Primary total pressure line | Present | Present | Not Present | Not Present | Present |
| Upstream/Downstream lines | Not Present | Not Present | Not Present | Present | Not Present |
| Air Data Computer Output | |||||
| Outside Air Temperature | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| True air speed | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Angle of attack | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Ange of sideslip | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Barometric altitude | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Wind direction | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Flow rate | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Airspeed at test point | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |