Smart Fixed Wing Aircraft (SFWA) aims to develop and test passive and active flow control technologies to improve the high lift performance of a wing.

The purpose of this research was to develop and demonstrate a closed loop flow control to minimise the separation on a trailing-edge flap. The active flow control improved the aerodynamic performance by delaying the trailing-edge separation on a single element trailing-edge flap. The flow control was pulsed blowing applied near the leading-edge region of the flap. The pulsed blowing was through spanwise segmented slots. A closed loop flow control system was designed to demonstrate flow control on a mid-scale wind tunnel model.

The Topic Description called for two directions of closed loop flow control methods. The first was a pre-modelled approach which would allow the calibrating of the algorithm. This algorithm development was devoted for future use in flight test activities. The second method was an adaptive algorithm, which was adjusted by a “learning-by-doing” system. This approach was demonstrated in mid-scale wind tunnel tests.