Aircraft Flight Dynamics

Robert Stengel, Princeton University, 2012

Copyright 2012 by Robert Stengel. All rights reserved. For educational use only.
http://www.princeton.edu/~stengel/MAE331.html
! Dynamics & Control of Atmospheric Flight
! Conguration Aerodynamics
! Aircraft Performance
! Flight Testing and Flying Qualities
! Aviation History
Details
Lecture: 3-4:20, D-221, Tue & Thu, E-Quad
Precept (as announced): 7-8:20, D-221, Mon
Engineering, science, & math
Case studies, historical context
~6 homework assignments
Ofce hours: 1:30-2:30, MW, D-202, or any
time the door is open
Assistants in Instruction: Carla Bahri, Paola
Libraro: Ofce hours: TBD
GRADING
Assignments: 30%
First-Half Exam: 15%
Second-Half Exam: 15%
Term Paper: 30%
Class participation: 10%
Quick Quiz (5 min): ?%
Lecture slides
pdfs from all 2010 lectures are available now at
http://www.princeton.edu/~stengel/MAE331.html
pdf for current (2012) lecture will be available on
Blackboard after the class
Syllabus, First Half
! Introduction, Math Preliminaries
! Point Mass Dynamics
! Aviation History
! Aerodynamics of Airplane Congurations
! Cruising Flight Performance
! Gliding, Climbing, and Turning Performance
! Nonlinear, 6-DOF Equations of Motion
! Linearized Equations of Motion
! Longitudinal Dynamics
! Lateral-Directional Dynamics
Details, reading, homework assignments, and references at
http://blackboard.princeton.edu/
Syllabus, Second Half
! Analysis of Linear Systems
! Time Response
! Root Locus Analysis of Parameter Variations
! Transfer Functions and Frequency Response
! Aircraft Control and Systems
! Flight Testing
! Advanced Problems in Longitudinal Dynamics
! Advanced Problems in Lateral-Directional Dynamics
! Flying Qualities Criteria
! Maneuvering and Aeroelasticity
! Problems of High Speed and Altitude
! Atmospheric Hazards to Flight
Text and References
Principal textbook:
Flight Dynamics, RFS, Princeton
University Press, 2004
Used throughout

Supplemental references
Airplane Stability and Control,
Abzug and Larrabee, Cambridge
University Press, 2002
Virtual textbook, 2012
Stability and Control Case Studies
Ercoupe
Electra
F-100
Flight Tests Using Balsa Glider and
Cockpit Flight Simulator
Flight envelope of full-scale
aircraft simulation
Maximum speed, altitude ceiling, stall
speed,
Performance
Time to climb, minimum sink rate,
Turning Characteristics
Maximum turn rate,
Compare actual ight of the glider
with trajectory simulation
Assignment #1
due: Friday, September 21
Document the physical characteristics and
ight behavior of a balsa glider.
Everything that you know about the physical
characteristics of the glider.
Everything that you know about the ight
characteristics of the glider.
Luke Nashs Biplane Glider
Flight #1 (MAE 331, 2008)
Can determine height, range, velocity,
ight path angle, and pitch angle from
sequence of digital photos (QuickTime)
Luke Nashs Biplane Glider
Flight #1 (MAE 331, 2008)
Electronic Devices in Class
Silence all cellphones and computer alarms
If you must make a call or send a message,
you may leave the room to do so
No checking or sending text, tweets, etc.
No social networking
No surng
Pencil and paper for note-taking
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
largest aerospace technical society
35,000 members
https://www.aiaa.org
Benets of student membership ($20/yr)
Aerospace America magazine
Daily Launch newsletter
Monthly Members Newsletter, Quarterly Student Newsletter
Aerospace Career Handbook
Scholarships, design competitions, student conferences
MAE department will reimburse dues when you join
i.e., its free!
Goals for Design
Shape of the airplane
determined by its purpose
Handling, performance,
functioning, and comfort
Agility vs. sedateness
Control surfaces adequate to
produce needed moments
Center of mass location
too far forward increases
unpowered control-stick forces
too far aft degrades static
stability
Conguration Driven By The
Mission and Flight Envelope
Inhabited Air Vehicles
Uninhabited Air Vehicles (UAV)
Quick Quiz #1
First 5 Minutes of Next Class
! Briey describe the differences between one of the
following groups of airplanes:
A. Boeing B-17 vs. Northrop YB-49 vs. North American B-1
B. Piper Cub vs. Beechcraft Bonanza vs. Cirrus SR20
C. Douglas DC-3 vs. Boeing 707 vs. Airbus A320
D. Lockheed P-38 vs. North American F-86 vs. Lockheed F-35
! Use Wikipedia to learn about all of these planes
! Group (A or B or C or D) will be chosen by coin ip
in next class
! Be sure to bring a pencil and paper to class
Introduction to
Flight Dynamics
Airplane Components
Airplane Rotational
Degrees of Freedom
Airplane Translational
Degrees of Freedom
Axial Velocity
Side Velocity
Normal
Velocity
Phases of Flight
Flight of a
Paper Airplane
Flight of a Paper Airplane
Example 1.3-1, Flight Dynamics
Red: Equilibrium
ight path
Black: Initial ight
path angle = 0
Blue: plus
increased initial
airspeed
Green: loop
Equations of
motion integrated
numerically to
estimate the ight
path
Flight of a Paper Airplane
Example 1.3-1, Flight Dynamics
Red: Equilibrium
ight path
Black: Initial ight
path angle = 0
Blue: plus
increased initial
airspeed
Green: loop
Assignment #2
Compute the trajectory of a balsa glider
Gliding Flight
Conguration Aerodynamics
Math Preliminaries
Notation for Scalars and Vectors
Scalar: usually lower case: a, b, c, , x, y, z
a =
2
!7
16
"
#
$
$
$
%
&
'
'
'
; x =
x
1
x
2
x
3
"
#
$
$
$
%
&
'
'
'
; y =
a
b
c
d
"
#
$
$
$
$
%
&
'
'
'
'
Vector: usually bold or with underbar: x or x
Ordered set
Column of scalars
Dimension = n x 1
a = 12; b = 7; c = a + b = 19; x = a + b
2
= 12 + 49 = 61
Matrices and Transpose
x =
p
q
r
!
"
#
#
#
$
%
&
&
&
; A =
a b c
d e f
g h k
l m n
!
"
#
#
#
#
#
$
%
&
&
&
&
&
A
T
=
a d g l
b e h m
c f k n
!
"
#
#
#
$
%
&
&
&
x
T
= x
1
x
2
x
3
!
"
#
$
Matrix: usually bold capital or capital: F or F
Dimension = (m x n)
Transpose: interchange rows and columns
3!1 ( ) 4 ! 3 ( )
Multiplication
ax
T
= ax
1
ax
2
ax
3
!
"
#
$
ax = xa =
ax
1
ax
2
ax
3
!
"
#
#
#
$
%
&
&
&
Operands must be conformable
Multiplication of vector by scalar is associative, commutative, and
distributive
Could we add ? x + a ( ) Only if
dim x ( ) = 1!1 ( )
a x + y ( ) = x + y ( )a = ax + ay ( )
dim x ( ) = dim y ( )
Addition
x =
a
b
!
"
#
$
%
&
; z =
c
d
!
"
#
$
%
&
Conformable vectors and matrices are added term by
term
x + z =
a + c
b + d
!
"
#
$
%
&
Inner Product
x
T
x = x x = x
1
x
2
x
3
!
"
#
$
x
1
x
2
x
3
!
"
%
%
%
#
$
&
&
&
Inner (dot) product of vectors produces a scalar result
(1! m)(m!1) = (1!1)
= (x
1
2
+ x
2
2
+ x
3
2
)
Length (or magnitude) of
vector is square root of
dot product
= (x
1
2
+ x
2
2
+ x
3
2
)
1/2
Vector Transformation
y = Ax =
2 4 6
3 !5 7
4 1 8
!9 !6 !3
"
#
$
$
$
$
%
&
'
'
'
'
x
1
x
2
x
3
"
#
$
$
$
%
&
'
'
'
(n !1) = (n ! m)(m!1)
Matrix-vector product transforms one vector into another
Matrix-matrix product produces a new matrix
=
2x
1
+ 4x
2
+ 6x
3
( )
3x
1
! 5x
2
+ 7x
3
( )
4x
1
+ x
2
+ 8x
3
( )
!9x
1
! 6x
2
! 3x
3
( )
"
#
$
$
$
$
$
$
%
&
'
'
'
'
'
'
=
y
1
y
2
y
3
y
4
"
#
$
$
$
$
$
%
&
'
'
'
'
'
Derivatives and Integrals
of Vectors
Derivatives and integrals of vectors are vectors of
derivatives and integrals
dx
dt
=
dx
1
dt
dx
2
dt
dx
3
dt
!
"
#
#
#
#
#
#
$
%
&
&
&
&
&
&
x
!
dt =
x
1 !
dt
x
2 !
dt
x
3 !
dt
"
#
$
$
$
$
$
%
&
'
'
'
'
'
Matrix Inverse
x
y
z
!
"
#
#
#
$
%
&
&
&
2
=
cos' 0 (sin'
0 1 0
sin' 0 cos'
!
"
#
#
#
$
%
&
&
&
x
y
z
!
"
#
#
#
$
%
&
&
&
1
Transformation
Inverse Transformation
x
y
z
!
"
#
#
#
$
%
&
&
&
1
=
cos' 0 sin'
0 1 0
(sin' 0 cos'
!
"
#
#
#
$
%
&
&
&
x
y
z
!
"
#
#
#
$
%
&
&
&
2
x
2
= Ax
1
x
1
= A
!1
x
2
Matrix Identity and Inverse
I
3
=
1 0 0
0 1 0
0 0 1
!
"
#
#
#
$
%
&
&
&
AA
!1
= A
!1
A = I
y = Iy
Identity matrix: no change
when it multiplies a
conformable vector or matrix
A non-singular square matrix
multiplied by its inverse forms
an identity matrix
AA
!1
=
cos" 0 !sin"
0 1 0
sin" 0 cos"
#
$
%
%
%
&
'
(
(
(
cos" 0 !sin"
0 1 0
sin" 0 cos"
#
$
%
%
%
&
'
(
(
(
!1
=
cos" 0 !sin"
0 1 0
sin" 0 cos"
#
$
%
%
%
&
'
(
(
(
cos" 0 sin"
0 1 0
!sin" 0 cos"
#
$
%
%
%
&
'
(
(
(
=
1 0 0
0 1 0
0 0 1
#
$
%
%
%
&
'
(
(
(
Dynamic Systems
Dynamic Process: Current state depends on
prior state
x = dynamic state
u = input
w = exogenous disturbance
p = parameter
t or k = time or event index
Observation Process: Measurement may
contain error or be incomplete
y = output (error-free)
z = measurement
n = measurement error
All of these quantities are vectors
Sensors
Actuators
Mathematical Models of Dynamic
Systems are Differential Equations

! x(t ) "
dx(t )
dt
= f[x(t ), u(t ), w(t ), p(t ), t ]

y(t) = h[x(t),u(t)]
z(t ) = y(t ) + n(t )
Continuous-time dynamic process:
Vector Ordinary Differential Equation
Output Transformation
Measurement with Error
dim x ( ) = n !1 ( )
dim f ( ) = n !1 ( )
dim u ( ) = m!1 ( )
dim w ( ) = s !1 ( )
dim p ( ) = l !1 ( )
dim y ( ) = r !1 ( )
dim h ( ) = r !1 ( )
dim z ( ) = r !1 ( )
dim n ( ) = r !1 ( )
Next Time:
Point-Mass Dynamics and
Aerodynamic/Thrust Forces

Reading:
Flight Dynamics
for Lecture 1: 1-27
for Lecture 2: 29-34, 38-53, 59-65, 103-107
Virtual Textbook, Parts 1 and 2
Supplemental
Material
Ordinary Differential Equations
dx(t )
dt
= f x(t ), u(t ), w(t ) [ ]
dx(t )
dt
= f x(t ), u(t ), w(t ), p(t ), t [ ]
dx(t )
dt
= F(t )x(t ) + G(t )u(t ) + L(t )w(t )
dx(t )
dt
= Fx(t ) + Gu(t ) + Lw(t )
Examples of Airplane Dynamic
System Models
Nonlinear, Time-Varying
Large amplitude motions
Signicant change in mass
Nonlinear, Time-Invariant
Large amplitude motions
Negligible change in mass
Linear, Time-Varying
Small amplitude motions
Perturbations from a dynamic
ight path
Linear, Time-Invariant
Small amplitude motions
Perturbations from an
equilibrium ight path
Simplied Longitudinal Modes of Motion
Phugoid (Long-Period) Mode
Airspeed Flight Path Angle
Pitch Rate Angle of Attack
Short-Period Mode
Airspeed Flight Path Angle
Pitch Rate Angle of Attack
Note change in
time scale
Simplied Longitudinal Modes of Motion
Simplied Lateral Modes of Motion
Dutch-Roll Mode
Yaw Rate
Sideslip Angle
Roll and Spiral Modes
Roll Rate Roll Angle
Simplied Lateral Modes of Motion
Flight Dynamics Book and
Computer Code
All programs are accessible from the Flight Dynamics web
page
http://www.princeton.edu/~stengel/FlightDynamics.html
... or directly
Errata for the book are listed there
6-degree-of-freedom nonlinear simulation of a business jet
aircraft (MATLAB)
http://www.princeton.edu/~stengel/FDcodeB.html
Linear system analysis (MATLAB)
http://www.princeton.edu/~stengel/FDcodeC.html
Paper airplane simulation (MATLAB)
http://www.princeton.edu/~stengel/PaperPlane.html
Performance analysis of a business jet aircraft (Excel)
http://www.princeton.edu/~stengel/Example261.xls
Helpful Resources
Web pages
http://blackboard.princeton.edu/
http://www.princeton.edu/~stengel/MAE331.html
http://www.princeton.edu/~stengel/FlightDynamics.html
Princeton University Engineering Library (paper and on-
line)
http://lib-terminal.princeton.edu/ejournals/by_title_zd.asp
NACA/NASA and AIAA pubs
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp
Primary Learning Objectives
! Introduction to the performance, stability, and control of
xed-wing aircraft ranging from micro-uninhabited air
vehicles through general aviation, jet transport, and ghter
aircraft to re-entry vehicles.
! Understanding of aircraft equations of motion,
conguration aerodynamics, and methods for analysis of
linear and nonlinear systems.
! Appreciation of the historical context within which past
aircraft have been designed and operated, providing a sound
footing for the development of future aircraft.
More Learning Objectives
! Detailed evaluation of the linear and nonlinear ight characteristics of a
specic aircraft type.
! Improved skills for presenting ideas, orally and on paper.
! Improved ability to analyze complex, integrated problems.
! Demonstrated computing skills, through thorough knowledge and
application of MATLAB.
! Facility in evaluating aircraft kinematics and dynamics, ight envelopes, trim
conditions, maximum range, climbing/diving/turning ight, inertial properties,
stability-and-control derivatives, longitudinal and lateral-directional transients,
transfer functions, state-space models, and frequency response.