A small-scale, instrumented research aircraft was flown to investigate the flight characteristics of inflatable wings. Ground tests measured the static structural characteristics of the wing at different inflation pressures, and these results compared favorably with analytical predictions. A research-quality instrumentation system was assembled, largely from commercial off-the-shelf components, and installed in the aircraft. Initial flight operations were conducted with a conventional rigid wing having the same dimensions as the inflatable wing. Subsequent flights were conducted with the inflatable wing. Research maneuvers were executed to identify the trim, aerodynamic performance, and longitudinal stability and control characteristics of the vehicle in its different wing configurations. For the angle-of-attack range spanned in this flight program.
Based on a 15-year successful approach to teaching aircraft flight mechanics at the US Air Force Academy, this text explains the concepts and derivations of equations for aircraft flight mechanics. It covers aircraft performance, static stability, aircraft dynamics stability and feedback control.
Topics for the 1997 conference on modelling and simulation technologies included: motion systems; rotor-craft and air cushion vehicle dynamics and modelling; pilot training and low-cost simulation; weapons and engagement modelling and simulation; simulator network and information technologies; visual, radarf and environmental modelling and simulation; test and evaluation; space systems; simulator fidelity; aircraft dynamics, modelling and performance; simulator development and software re-use; human factors; and research and test facilities.
Aerodynamic design of aircraft presented with realistic applications, using CFD software. Tutorials, exercises, and mini-projects provided involve design of real aircraft. Using online resources and supplements, this text prepares last-year undergraduates and first-year graduate students for industrial aerospace design and analysis tasks.
This edition of this this flight stability and controls guide features an unintimidating math level, full coverage of terminology, and expanded discussions of classical to modern control theory and autopilot designs. Extensive examples, problems, and historical notes, make this concise book a vital addition to the engineer's library.
This book covers state-of-the-art optimization methods and their applications in wide range especially for researchers and practitioners who wish to improve their knowledge in this field. It consists of 13 chapters divided into two parts: (I) Engineering applications, which presents some new applications of different methods, and (II) Applications in various areas, where recent contributions of state-of-the-art optimization methods to diverse fields are presented.
This book contains the original peer-reviewed research papers presented at the 6th China Aeronautical Science and Technology Conference held in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province, China, in September 2023. Topics covered include but are not limited to Navigation/Guidance and Control Technology, Aircraft Design and Overall Optimisation of Key Technologies, Aviation Testing Technology, Airborne Systems/Electromechanical Technology, Structural Design, Aerodynamics and Flight Mechanics, Advanced Aviation Materials and Manufacturing Technology, Advanced Aviation Propulsion Technology, and Civil Aviation Transportation. The papers presented here share the latest findings in aviation science and technology, making the book a valuable resource for researchers, engineers and students in related fields.
Downscaled physical models, also referred to as subscale models, have played an essential role in the investigation of the complex physics of flight until the recent disruption of numerical simulation. Despite the fact that improvements in computational methods are slowly pushing experimental techniques towards a secondary role as verification or calibration tools, real-world testing of physical prototypes still provides an unmatched confidence. Physical models are very effective at revealing issues that are sometimes not correctly identified in the virtual domain, and hence can be a valuable complement to other design tools. But traditional wind-tunnel testing cannot always meet all of the requirements of modern aeronautical research and development. It is nowadays too expensive to use these scarce facilities to explore different design iterations during the initial stages of aircraft development, or to experiment with new and immature technologies. Testing of free-flight subscale models, referred to as Subscale Flight Testing (SFT), could offer an affordable and low-risk alternative for complementing conventional techniques with both qualitative and quantitative information. The miniaturisation of mechatronic systems, the advances in rapid-prototyping techniques and power storage, as well as new manufacturing methods, currently enable the development of sophisticated test objects at scales that were impractical some decades ago. Moreover, the recent boom in the commercial drone industry has driven a quick development of specialised electronics and sensors, which offer nowadays surprising capabilities at competitive prices. These recent technological disruptions have significantly altered the cost-benefit function of SFT and it is necessary to re-evaluate its potential in the contemporary aircraft development context. This thesis aims to increase the comprehension and knowledge of the SFT method in order to define a practical framework for its use in aircraft design; focusing on low-cost, short-time solutions that don’t require more than a small organization and few resources. This objective is approached from a theoretical point of view by means of an analysis of the physical and practical limitations of the scaling laws; and from an empirical point of view by means of field experiments aimed at identifying practical needs for equipment, methods, and tools. A low-cost data acquisition system is developed and tested; a novel method for semi-automated flight testing in small airspaces is proposed; a set of tools for analysis and visualisation of flight data is presented; and it is also demonstrated that it is possible to explore and demonstrate new technology using SFT with a very limited amount of economic and human resources. All these, together with a theoretical review and contextualisation, contribute to increasing the comprehension and knowledge of the SFT method in general, and its potential applications in aircraft conceptual design in particular.
