Simulation Study of a Commercial Transport Airplane During Stall and Post-Stall Flight

Cunningham, Kevin; Shah, Gautam H.; Stewart, Edward; Rivers, Robert A.; Wilborn, James E.; Gato, William

doi:10.4271/2004-01-3100

Cited by 22 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…13, studied the effects of aerodynamic model enhancements on stall behavior with the flaps retracted. Key results indicated that the improvements in modeling pitching moment, static lateral-directional stability, and damping effects provided significant improvements in predicting full scale flight behavior.…”

Section: Stall/departure Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics Modeling and Simulation of Large Transport Airplanes in Upset Conditions

Foster

Cunningham

Fremaux

et al. 2005

AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference and Exhibit

Self Cite

117

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As part of NASA's Aviation Safety and Security Program, research has been in progress to develop aerodynamic modeling methods for simulations that accurately predict the flight dynamics characteristics of large transport airplanes in upset conditions. The motivation for this research stems from the recognition that simulation is a vital tool for addressing loss-of-control accidents, including applications to pilot training, accident reconstruction, and advanced control system analysis. The ultimate goal of this effort is to contribute to the reduction of the fatal accident rate due to loss-of-control. Research activities have involved accident analyses, wind tunnel testing, and piloted simulation. Results have shown that significant improvements in simulation fidelity for upset conditions, compared to current training simulations, can be achieved using state-of-the-art wind tunnel testing and aerodynamic modeling methods. This paper provides a summary of research completed to date and includes discussion on key technical results, lessons learned, and future research needs.

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Section: Stall/departure Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics Modeling and Simulation of Large Transport Airplanes in Upset Conditions

Foster

Cunningham

Fremaux

et al. 2005

AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference and Exhibit

Self Cite

117

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“…For the CBT, comments ranged from "most needed" to "CBT and classroom meshed nicely". Both flight training devices were scored at least "Very Good" (4). In comparing the hexapod simulator to the IFS aircraft, pilots commented -"aircraft was the best training I've ever had on this subject" and "scored the ground sim "very good" only because the aircraft was a better tool".…”

Section: A Pilot Commentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The original crew training flight dynamics model was enhanced based on wind tunnel measurements to accurately represent the flight dynamic characteristic of a transport airplane at stall and post-stall flight conditions. This simulation model is described in detail in references [2][3][4][5].…”

Section: Nasa Ground Based Simulatormentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Upset Simulation and Training Initiatives for U.S. Navy Commercial Derived Aircraft

Donaldson

Priest²,

Cunningham

2012

AIAA Modeling and Simulation Technologies Conference

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Militarized versions of commercial platforms are growing in popularity due to many logistical benefits in the form of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) parts, established production methods, and commonality for different certifications. Commercial data and best practices are often leveraged to reduce procurement and engineering development costs. While the developmental and cost reduction benefits are clear, these militarized aircraft are routinely operated in flight at significantly different conditions and in significantly different manners than for routine commercial flight. Therefore they are at a higher risk of flight envelope exceedance. This risk may lead to departure from controlled flight and/or aircraft loss 1 . Historically, the risk of departure from controlled flight for military aircraft has been mitigated by piloted simulation training and engineering analysis of typical aircraft response. High-agility military aircraft simulation databases are typically developed to include high angles of attack (AoA) and sideslip due to the dynamic nature of their missions and have been developed for many tactical configurations over the previous decades. These aircraft simulations allow for a more thorough understanding of the vehicle flight dynamics characteristics at high AoA and sideslip. In recent years, government sponsored research on transport airplane aerodynamic characteristics at high angles of attack has produced a growing understanding of stall/post-stall behavior. This research along with recent commercial airline training initiatives has resulted in improved understanding of simulatorbased training requirements and simulator model fidelity.2-5 In addition, inflight training research over the past decade has produced a database of pilot performance and recurrency metrics 6 . Innovative solutions to aerodynamically model large commercial aircraft for upset conditions such as high AoA, high sideslip, and ballistic damage, as well as capability to accurately account for scaling factors, is necessary to develop realistic engineering and training simulations. Such simulations should significantly reduce the risk of departure from controlled flight, loss of aircraft, and ease the airworthiness certification process. The characteristics of commercial derivative aircraft are exemplified by the P-8A Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) aircraft, and the largest benefits of initial investigation are likely to be yielded from this platform. The database produced would also be utilized by flight dynamics engineers as a means to further develop and investigate vehicle flight characteristics as mission tactics evolve through the years ahead. This paper will describe ongoing efforts by the U.S. Navy to develop a methodology for simulation and training for large commercial-derived transport aircraft at unusual attitudes, typically experienced during an aircraft upset. This methodology will be applied to a representative Navy aircraft (P-8A) and utilized to develop a robust simulation that should accurately represen...

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“…The Dynamics Modeling Experiment (DMEx) is the first flight test program planned for the vehicle and this experiment is intended to validate and update aerodynamic models developed from wind tunnel testing conducted under the NASA AvSP 7,[11][12][13][14] . Because the flight vehicle is the identical scale as the wind tunnel model, this experiment will focus on the mathematical representation of aerodynamic characteristics in upset conditions without the need to consider scale effects.…”

Section: B Initial Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

AirSTAR: A UAV Platform for Flight Dynamics and Control System Testing

Jordan

Foster

Bailey

et al. 2006

25th AIAA Aerodynamic Measurement Technology and Ground Testing Conference

124

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As part of the NASA Aviation Safety Program at Langley Research Center, a dynamically scaled unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and associated ground based control system are being developed to investigate dynamics modeling and control of large transport vehicles in upset conditions. The UAV is a 5.5% (seven foot wingspan), twin turbine, generic transport aircraft with a sophisticated instrumentation and telemetry package. A ground based, real-time control system is located inside an operations vehicle for the research pilot and associated support personnel. The telemetry system supports over 70 channels of data plus video for the downlink and 30 channels for the control uplink. Data rates are in excess of 200 Hz. Dynamic scaling of the UAV, which includes dimensional, weight, inertial, actuation, and control system scaling, is required so that the sub-scale vehicle will realistically simulate the flight characteristics of the full-scale aircraft. This testbed will be utilized to validate modeling methods, flight dynamics characteristics, and control system designs for large transport aircraft, with the end goal being the development of technologies to reduce the fatal accident rate due to loss-of-control.

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Simulation Study of a Commercial Transport Airplane During Stall and Post-Stall Flight

Cited by 22 publications

References 6 publications

Dynamics Modeling and Simulation of Large Transport Airplanes in Upset Conditions

Dynamics Modeling and Simulation of Large Transport Airplanes in Upset Conditions

Upset Simulation and Training Initiatives for U.S. Navy Commercial Derived Aircraft

AirSTAR: A UAV Platform for Flight Dynamics and Control System Testing

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