Adverse aircraft-pilot coupling (APC) events include a broad set of undesirable and sometimes hazardous phenomena that originate in anomalous interactions between pilots and aircraft. As civil and military aircraft technologies advance, interactions between pilots and aircraft are becoming more complex. Recent accidents and other incidents have been attributed to adverse APC in military aircraft. In addition, APC has been implicated in some civilian incidents. This book evaluates the current state of knowledge about adverse APC and processes that may be used to eliminate it from military and commercial aircraft. It was written for technical, government, and administrative decisionmakers and their technical and administrative support staffs; key technical managers in the aircraft manufacturing and operational industries; stability and control engineers; aircraft flight control system designers; research specialists in flight control, flying qualities, human factors; and technically knowledgeable lay readers.
As spinning is still involved in around 60% of all aircraft accidents (BFU, 1985 and Belcastro, 2009), this aerodynamic phenomenon is still not fully understood. As U.S. and European Certification Specifications do not require recoveries from fully developed spins of Normal Category aeroplanes, certification test flights will not discover aeroplane mass and centre of gravity combinations which may result in unrecoverable spins. This book aims to contribute to a better understanding of the spin phenomenon through investigating the spin regime for normal, utility and aerobatic aircraft, and to explain what happens to the aircraft in terms of the aerodynamics, flight mechanics and the aircraft stability. The approach used is to vary the main geometric parameters such as the centre of gravity position and the aeroplane’s mass across the flight envelope, and to investigate the subsequent effect on the main spin characteristic parameters such as the angle of attack, pitch angle, sideslip angle, rotational rates, and recovery time. First of all, a literature review sums up the range of technical aspects that affect the problem of spinning. It reviews the experimental measurement techniques used, theoretical methods developed and flight test results obtained by previous researchers. The published results have been studied to extract the effect on spinning of aircraft geometry, control surface effectiveness, flight operational parameters and atmospheric effects. Consideration is also made of the influence on human performance of spinning, the current spin regulations and the available training material for pilots. A conventional-geometry, single-engine low-wing aeroplane, the basic trainer Fuji FA-200-160, has been instrumented with a proven digital flight measurement system and 27 spins have been systematically conducted inside and outside the certified flight envelope. The accuracy of the flight measurements is ensured through effective calibration, and the choice of sensors has varied through the study, with earlier sensors suffering from more drift than the current sensors (Belcastro, 2009 and Schrader, 2013). In-flight parameter data collected includes left and right wing α and β-angles, roll-pitch-yaw angles and corresponding rates, all control surface deflections, vertical speeds, altitude losses and the aeroplane’s accelerations in all three directions. Such data have been statistically analysed. The pitch behaviour has been mathematically modelled on the basis of the gathered flight test data. Nine observations have been proposed. These mainly cover the effects of centre of gravity and aircraft mass variations on spin characteristic behaviour. They have all been proven as true through the results of this thesis. The final observation concerns the generalisation of the Fuji results, to the spin behaviour of other aircraft in the same category. These observations can be used to improve flight test programmes, aircraft design processes, flight training materials and hence contribute strongly to better flight safety.
Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators is the traditional text for Navy pilots. Also used by the U.S. Air Force, it remains the definitive work on applied aerodynamics for pilots. It effectively communicates the intricacies of aerodynamics in an accessible manner, and includes charts, illustrations, and diagrams to aid in understanding. This text is reader-friendly and great for any serious beginner as well as any experienced pilot, and is the definitive source on aerodynamic and engineering theory as they apply to flight operations.
Bud Anderson is a flyers flyer. The Californians enduring love of flying began in the 1920s with the planes that flew over his fathers farm. In January 1942, he entered the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program. Later after he received his wings and flew P-39s, he was chosen as one of the original flight leaders of the new 357th Fighter Group. Equipped with the new and deadly P-51 Mustang, the group shot down five enemy aircraft for each one it lost while escorting bombers to targets deep inside Germany. But the price was high. Half of its pilots were killed or imprisoned, including some of Buds closest friends. In February 1944, Bud Anderson, entered the uncertain, exhilarating, and deadly world of aerial combat. He flew two tours of combat against the Luftwaffe in less than a year. In battles sometimes involving hundreds of airplanes, he ranked among the groups leading aces with 16 aerial victories. He flew 116 missions in his old crow without ever being hit by enemy aircraft or turning back for any reason, despite one life or death confrontation after another. His friend Chuck Yeager, who flew with Anderson in the 357th, says, In an airplane, the guy was a mongoosethe best fighter pilot I ever saw. Buds years as a test pilot were at least as risky. In one bizarre experiment, he repeatedly linked up in midair with a B-29 bomber, wingtip to wingtip. In other tests, he flew a jet fighter that was launched and retrieved from a giant B-36 bomber. As in combat, he lost many friends flying tests such as these. Bud commanded a squadron of F-86 jet fighters in postwar Korea, and a wing of F-105s on Okinawa during the mid-1960s. In 1970 at age 48, he flew combat strikes as a wing commander against communist supply lines. To Fly and Fight is about flying, plain and simple: the joys and dangers and the very special skills it demands. Touching, thoughtful, and dead honest, it is the story of a boy who grew up living his dream.
Annotation The measurement of performance during an airplane's flight, testing is one of the more important tasks to be accomplished during its development as it impacts on both the airplane's safety and its marketability. This book discusses performance for both propeller-driven and jet aircraft.
The #1 guide to understanding the "why and how" of fly-by-wire flight control systems. This book is an approachable and easily understandable must-read for aviation professionals! Why don't new aircraft designs allow the pilots a mechanical control connection? This book explains how fly-by-wire fixes the top 5 problems with mechanical controls for high performance aircraft. Rather than describe a particular aircraft’s design with confusing acronyms, readers will get a "behind the scenes" understanding for the critical concepts that apply to any modern aircraft. Because these design principles are easily described and understood, readers of this book will be armed with knowledge as they approach their flight manual procedures. Including: - Problems with mechanical flight controls - Advantages of fly-by-wire - How and why can fly-by-wire control systems fail? - Why are four computers better than one or two? - Explanations of the control laws used by business jets, fighters, and airliners - What sensors are needed, and how the system maintains control when sensors are lost - Design considerations for risk mitigation in case of component failures Buy this book to read on your next layover!
This book puts the reader in the pilot's seat for a "day at the office" unlike any other. The Smell of Kerosene tells the dramatic story of a NASA research pilot who logged over 11,000 flight hours in more than 125 types of aircraft. Donald Mallick gives the reader fascinating first-hand description of his early naval flight training, carrier operations, and his research flying career with NASA. After transferring to the NASA Flight Research Center, Mallick became involved with projects that further pushed the boundaries of aerospace technology. These included the giant delta-winged XB-70 supersonic airplane, the wingless M2-F1 lifting body vehicle, and triple-sonic YF-12 Blackbird. Mallick also test flew the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle and helped develop techniques used in training astronauts to land on the Moon.
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.
