Systems and methods for determining atmospheric conditions during a flight test

A test flight method, comprising:

• operating a test aircraft during a test flight;
• deploying an atmospheric conditions-detecting vehicle that is separate and distinct from the test aircraft during the test flight;
• and
• detecting atmospheric conditions of an environment in which the test aircraft operates during the test flight with the atmospheric conditions-detecting vehicle.

A test flight system, comprising:

• a test aircraft;
• and
• an unmanned aerial atmospheric conditions-detecting vehicle that is separate and distinct from the test aircraft, wherein the atmospheric conditions-detecting vehicle is configured to be deployed from the test aircraft during a test flight of the test aircraft to detect atmospheric conditions of an environment in which the test aircraft operates, wherein the atmospheric conditions-detecting vehicle comprises:
• a plurality of parameter sensors that are configured to detect a plurality of atmospheric parameters indicative of at least one of the atmospheric conditions, wherein the plurality of parameters sensors comprises (a) a pressure sensor configured to detect static air pressure as a first atmospheric parameter, (b) a temperature sensor configured to detect air temperature as a second atmospheric parameter, and (c) a humidity sensor configured to detect air humidity as a third atmospheric parameter, wherein the atmospheric conditions-detecting vehicle is configured to transmit atmospheric data signals regarding the plurality of atmospheric conditions to the test aircraft;
• at least one coupling device that connects the plurality of parameter sensors to a main body of the atmospheric conditions-detecting vehicle;
• a control unit that is configured to maintain a predetermined separation range between the test aircraft and the atmospheric conditions-testing vehicle, wherein the predetermined separation range is one or more distances at which the test aircraft and the atmospheric conditions-detecting vehicle are subjected to approximately the same atmospheric conditions, and at which the test aircraft does not affect atmospheric conditions detected by atmospheric conditions-detecting vehicle;
• and
• a position sensor that is configured to detect a current position of the atmospheric conditions-detecting vehicle, wherein the atmospheric conditions-detecting vehicle transmits positional data related to the current position of the atmospheric conditions-detecting vehicle to the test aircraft during the test flight.