Vertical thrust-based effective flat-spin recovery of aircraft restricting altitude loss

Abstract

Among the various modes of aircraft spin, flat-spin being the most ruthless form, the severity and the flight parameters govern the recovery success rate. This paper presents a novel approach for utilizing vertical thrust to reduce the fatality of the flat-spin in terms of excessive altitude loss regulating the survivability post aircraft recovery. F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle is considered for the present study to demonstrate effectiveness of the proposed method. The dynamics of vertical thrust add-on is conceptualized and incorporated to the standard aircraft. Subsequently, to validate the effectiveness of this mode of recovery as compared to the conventional primary control based method, standard sliding-mode control technique is adopted. Closed-loop simulation shows that vertical thrust restricts altitude loss and minimizes spin recovery time compared to the conventional mode of recovery from flat-spin. The outcome of the present study ensures the use of vertical thrust as a potential solution for minimizing aircraft flat-spin-related fatal accidents.