ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Tethered flight test

A tethered flight test is when a giant balloon or aircraft is tied to the ground with a really long rope or cable. This helps the aircraft stay in one place while it is being tested or practiced with. The cable is attached to the aircraft on one end and to a weight or an anchor on the other end.

So, let's say you have a really cool toy helicopter that can fly high in the sky. Before you can really fly it around freely, you may want to do a tethered flight test. This means you tie a string to the bottom of the helicopter and then the other end of the string to another object, like a table or chair. This way, your helicopter can fly up, down, and around, but it won't fly away or get lost.

Similarly, when scientists or engineers want to test drones or airplanes before they are ready to fly freely, they do tethered flight tests. These tests help to make sure that the aircraft moves and flies properly, and doesn't tip over, spin out of control, or crash.

So, a tethered flight test is when aircraft is tied to the ground so it doesn't fly away, and scientists or engineers can test it and make sure it can fly properly before it's allowed to move freely.