Project Taper: 1965

During that same month, the findings were released of what the FAAs offi­cial historical record details as its first joint research project with NASA.[188]

A year earlier, during May and June 1964, two series of flight tests were conducted using FAA aircraft with NASA pilots to study the haz­ards of light to moderate air turbulence to jet aircraft from several per­spectives. The effort was called Project Taper, short for Turbulent Air Pilot Environment Research.[189] In conjunction with ground-based wind tunnel runs and early use of simulator programs, FAA Convair 880 and

Boeing 720 airliners were flown to define the handling qualities of air­craft as they encountered turbulence and determine the best methods for the pilot to recover from the upset. Another part of the study was to determine how turbulence upset the pilots themselves and if any changes to cockpit displays or controls would be helpful. Results of the project presented at a 1965 NASA Conference on Aircraft Operating Problems indicated that in terms of aircraft control, retrimming the stabilizer and deploying the spoilers were "valuable tools,” but if those devices were to be safely used, an accurate g-meter should be added to the cockpit to assist the pilot in applying the correct amount of control force. The pilots also observed that initially encountering turbulence often cre­ated such a jolt that it disrupted their ability to scan the instrument dials (which remained reliable despite the added vibrations) and rec­ommended improvements in their seat cushions and restraint system.[190]

But the true value of Project Taper to making safer skyways may have been the realization that although aircraft and pilots under con­trolled conditions and specialized training could safely penetrate areas of turbulence—even if severe—the better course of action was to find ways to avoid the threat altogether. This required further research and improvements in turbulence detection and forecasting, along with the ability to integrate that data in a timely manner to the ATC system and cockpit instrumentation.[191]