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> Instead of flying the aircraft over test antennae, the airframes (usually minus their tails) are suspended upside-down, under or near the instrumentation. Wh
by dmurray 2y ago
> Instead of flying the aircraft over test antennae, the airframes (usually minus their tails) are suspended upside-down, under or near the instrumentation.
Why not make a hole in the ground and put the antennae under the airplane that way?
- KineticLensman 2y agoBecause then the interesting electronic emissions would be radiating into the ground, not to nearby test equipment.
- dmurray 2y agoI was intending to put the test equipment in the hole. Since "flying over test antennae" was an option, it shouldn't be a problem that there's solid ground (the bottom of the hole) underneath the test equipment. I think the real answer is that they need more angles than keeping the aircraft flat and level and putting the antennae below it would provide. The aircraft have to be suspended anyway, so they can be rotated and have different profiles measured.
- ano-ther 2y agoThe ground lining the hole would also reflect or absorb electromagnetic waves differently than air.
- ambicapter 2y agoI think the intention is to radiate into the ground, not into the sky, where spy satellites can possibly sense the stray emissions.