The Definition Understanding And Design Of Aircraft Handling Qualities

This book provides a readable introduction to handling qualities, the combination of pilot acceptability and piloted performance with stability and control. It adopts the analytical and qualitative standpoints needed for handling qualities analysis and design of fixed-wing aircraft. Although there are several texts on stability and control, until now none has provided insight into the piloting concerns that have affected the success of recent fly-by-wire aircraft developments.

This report is a codification in two parts of conventional aircraft handling qualities criteria. The results of this effort are to serve as an intermediate design guide in the areas of lateral-directional oscillatory and roll control. The roll handling qualities portion of this report uses as a point of departure the concept that control of bank angle is the primary piloting task in maintaining or changing heading. In the lateral oscillatory portion of this effort, in defining requirements for satisfactory Dutch roll characteristics, a fundamental consideration is the fact that the motions characterizing this mode are ordinarily not the pilot's chief objective. That is, he is not deliberately inducing Dutch roll motions in the sense that he induces rolling and longitudinal short-period motions. A worthwhile approach to establishment of Dutch roll damping requirements is to first establish the basic level, and then to study the varied influences of the disturbance parameters. This approach provides the basis for the material contained in this report.

The study of flight dynamics requires a thorough understanding of the theory of the stability and control of aircraft, an appreciation of flight control systems and a comprehensive grounding in the theory of automatic control. Flight Dynamics Principles provides all three in an accessible and student focussed text. Written for those coming to the subject for the first time the book is suitable as a complete first course text. It provides a secure foundation from which to move on to more advanced topics such a non-linear flight dynamics, simulation and advanced flight control, and is ideal for those on course including flight mechanics, aircraft handling qualities, aircraft stability and control. Enhances by detailed worked examples, case studies and aircraft operating condition software, this complete course text, by a renowned flight dynamicist, is widely used on aircraft engineering courses Suitable as a complete first course text, it provides a secure foundation from which to move on to more advanced topics such a non-linear flight dynamics, simulation and advanced flight control End of chapter exercises, detailed worked examples, and case studies aid understanding and relate concepts to real world applications Covers key contemporary topics including all aspects of optimization, emissions, regulation and automatic flight control and UAVs Accompanying MathCAD software source code for performance model generation and optimization