This under-the-nose view of a modified F-18 Systems Research Aircraft at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, shows three critical components of the aircraft's air data systems which are mounted on both sides of the forward fuselage. Furthest forward are two L-probes that were the focus of the recent Advanced L-probe Air Data Integration (ALADIN) experiment. Behind the L-probes are angle-of-attack vanes, while below them are the aircraft's standard pitot-static air data probes. The ALADIN experiment focused on providing pilots with angle-of-attack and angle-of-sideslip air data as well as traditional airspeed and altitude information, all from a single system. Once fully developed, the new L-probes have the potential to give pilots more accurate air data information with less hardware.
