Simulation of a digital aircraft flight control system

Abstract

ROBERT STIRLING served an engineering apprenticeship with A.V. Roe and Company (now B.Ae. Manchester), graduating from Salford University with a degree in aeronautical engineering After several years in stability and control at De Havilland (Canada) and Boeing he returned to Britain, completing a PhD at Bristol University. This was followed by several years in structural dynamics and control at B.Ae Bristol and Warton, with involvement in various aspects of active control system design. Currently a research fellow in the Aeronautical Engineering Department of Bristol University, Dr. Stirling is working with industry on actuation system modelling and active control system design and analysis ABSTRACT New digital flight control systems require the analyst to simulate digital processes in system performance studies. One way to do this is by processing the digital elements only at their update times. They interact with the continuous elements via sampling and output operations. The analyst can then model digital control within a familiar simulation framework. A control system for a fighter aircraft serves as an illustrative example.