Flight test equipment installation system and method

An aircraft, comprising:

• a cargo compartment floor having one or more pallet locks;
• a plurality of pallet assemblies secured to the cargo compartment floor, each pallet assembly including:
• a standardized cargo pallet having a flat, orthogonal shape;
• a pallet adapter sized and shaped complementary to the cargo pallet and mechanically fastened to an upper side of the cargo pallet, the pallet adapter including:
• a panel assembly formed of frame members covered by one top and bottom skin panels and having a hollow interior;
• and
• one or more flight test equipment units mounted to the panel assembly.

A method of installing flight test equipment in a vehicle, comprising:

• mounting one or more flight test equipment units on a plurality of pallet assemblies, each pallet assembly including a standardized cargo pallet and a pallet adapter sized complementary to the cargo pallet and attached to an upper side thereof, the pallet adapter including a panel assembly supporting the one or more flight test equipment units;
• interconnecting the flight test equipment of the pallet assemblies to form a flight test equipment setup;
• testing the flight test equipment setup in an off-vehicle location;
• and
• installing the pallet assemblies on a cargo compartment floor of a vehicle.