Aircraft Flight Dynamics!

Robert Stengel !
MAE 331, Princeton University, 2016

Course Overview!
Introduction to Flight Dynamics!
Math Preliminaries!

Copyright 2016 by Robert Stengel. All rights reserved. For educational use only.
http://www.princeton.edu/~stengel/MAE331.html
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At the End of the Course,

you should be able to:!
•! Understand aircraft configuration aerodynamics,
performance, stability, and control!
•! Estimate an aircraft’s aerodynamic
characteristics from geometric and inertial
properties!
•! Analyze linear and nonlinear dynamic systems!
•! Recognize airplane modes of motion and their
significance!
•! Compute aircraft motions!
•! Appreciate historical development of aviation!
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 Syllabus, First Half!
!! Introduction, Math Preliminaries!
!! Point Mass Dynamics!
!! Aerodynamics of Airplane Configurations!
!! Cruising Flight Performance!
!! Gliding, Climbing, and Turning Performance!
!! Nonlinear, 6-DOF Equations of Motion!
!! Aircraft Control Devices and Systems!
!! Linearized Equations of Motion!
!! Longitudinal Dynamics!
!! Lateral-Directional Dynamics!

Details, reading, homework assignments, and references at

http://blackboard.princeton.edu/!
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Syllabus, Second Half!

!! Analysis of Linear Systems!
!! Time Response!
!! Transfer Functions and Frequency Response!
!! Root Locus Analysis!
!! Advanced Problems in Longitudinal Dynamics!
!! Advanced Problems in Lateral-Directional Dynamics!
!! Flying Qualities Criteria!
!! Maneuvering at High Angles and Rates!
!! Aeroelasticity and Fuel Slosh!
!! Problems of High Speed and Altitude!

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 You’re interested in MAE 331
because …?!

Details!
•! Lecture: 3-4:20, J-201, Tue & Thu, E-Quad!
–! 5-min break at mid-point!
•! Precept: 7-8:20, D-221, Mon!
•! Engineering, science, & math!
•! Case studies, historical context!
•! 8 homework assignments!
•! Office hours: 1:30-2:30, MW, D-202, or any time
my door is open. e-mail ahead, if possible!
•! Assistant in Instruction: Pierre-Yves Taunay,
Office hours: TBD!

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 Details!
•!Lecture slides!
–!pdfs from all 2014 lectures are available now at
http://www.princeton.edu/~stengel/MAE331.html!
–!pdf for current (2016) lecture on Blackboard
morning of class or day before!

•! GRADING!
–! Assignments: 50%!
–! Term Paper: 30%!
–! Class participation: 10%!
–! Quick Quiz (10, 5 min): 10%!

Text and References!

•! Science, Engineering, and Math:!
–! Flight Dynamics, RFS, Princeton
University Press, 2004!
•! Case Studies, Historical Context!
–! Airplane Stability and Control, Abzug
and Larrabee, Cambridge University
Press, 2002!
•! Supplemental references!
–! References at end of FD chapters &
Appendix!
–! On-line:Virtual reference book!

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 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

Quick Quizzes"
First 5 Minutes of 10 Classes!
!! One question about the lectures and reading
assignments from the previous week!
!! Largely qualitative but may require simple
calculations !
!! Be sure to bring a pencil, paper, and
calculator to class!

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 Homework Assignments!
!! Groups of 2 or 3 students for all assignments!
!! Team members for each assignment will be!
!! different!
!! chosen using a spreadsheet and random number
generator (TBD)!
!! Each member of each team will receive the
same grade as the others!
!! Identify who did what on each assignment!
!! Submit via http://blackboard.princeton.edu/!

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Flight Tests Using Balsa Glider and

Cockpit Flight Simulator!

•! In your Cessna 172:!

•! Compare actual flight of •! Takeoff from Princeton
the glider with Airport!
trajectory simulation! •! Fly over Carnegie Lake!
•! Land at Princeton Airport!

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 Assignment #1"
due: September 23, 2016!

•! Document the physical characteristics

and flight behavior of a balsa glider !
–! Everything that you know about the physical
characteristics of the glider !
–! Everything that you know about the flight
characteristics of the glider
•! 2-person team, joint write-up!
•! Team assignments on
http://blackboard.princeton.edu/! 13

Luke Nash

s Biplane Glider

Flight #1 (MAE 331, 2008)

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Frame Grab Sequence of
Luke Nash

s Flight
•! Can determine height, range, velocity,
flight path angle, and pitch angle from
sequence of digital photos (QuickTime)

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Trajectory Estimation from

Photo Sequence

Smaller, fixed-interval time steps

Interpolation and differencing
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Stability and Control Case Studies
F-100

Ercoupe Electra

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Reading Assignments!
•! Do Flight Dynamics reading before class!
•! Case Studies/Historical Context:
Airplane Stability and Control!
•! 10-minute synopses by groups of 3 students!
•! Principal subject/scope of chapter!
•! Technical ideas needed to understand chapter!
•! When did the events occur?!
•! 3 main "takeaway points” or conclusions!
•! 3 most surprising or remarkable facts!
•! 1st synopsis: Sept 29th, team members TBD!

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 Goals for Airplane Design
•! Shape of airplane determined
by purpose
•! Safety, handling, performance,
functioning, and comfort
•! Agility vs. sedateness
•! Control surfaces adequate to
produce needed moments (i.e.,
torques)
•! Tradeoffs, e.g., center of mass
location
–! too far forward increases
unpowered control-stick forces
–! too far aft degrades static
stability

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Configuration Driven By The

Mission and Flight Envelope

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 Inhabited Air Vehicles

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Uninhabited Air Vehicles (UAV)

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 Introduction to
Flight Dynamics!

23

Airplane Components

24
 Airplane Rotational
Degrees of Freedom

25

Airplane Translational
Degrees of Freedom

Side Velocity

Normal
Velocity
Axial Velocity
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 Phases of Flight

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Flight of a Paper
Airplane!

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 Flight of a Paper Airplane!
Example 1.3-1, Flight Dynamics
•! Equations of
motion integrated
numerically to
estimate the flight
path
•! Red: Equilibrium
flight path
•! Black: Initial flight
path angle = 0
•! Blue: plus
increased initial
airspeed
•! Green: loop

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Flight of a Paper Airplane!

Example 1.3-1, Flight Dynamics

•! Red: Equilibrium
flight path
•! Black: Initial flight
path angle = 0
•! Blue: plus
increased initial
airspeed
•! Green: loop

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 Assignment #2!

•! Compute the trajectory of a balsa glider!

•! Simulate using equations of motion!
•! Compare to the actual flight of the glider
(HW #1)!
•! Similar to the flight of a paper airplane!
•! 2-person team assignment !
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Gliding Flight

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Configuration Aerodynamics

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Math Preliminaries!

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 Dynamic Systems
Actuators

Sensors

Dynamic Process: Current state depends on Observation Process: Measurement may

prior state contain error or be incomplete
x = dynamic state y = output (error-free)
u = input z = measurement
w = exogenous disturbance n = measurement error
p = parameter
t or k = time or event index

All of these quantities are multidimensional

They can be expressed as vectors
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Notation for Scalars and Vectors

•! Scalar: usually lower case: a, b, c, …, x, y, z
a = 12; b = 7; c = a + b = 19; x = a + b 2 = 12 + 49 = 61

•! Vector: usually bold or with underbar: x or x

•! Ordered set
•! Column of scalars
•! Dimension = n x 1

" 2 % " x1 % " a %

$ ' $ '
$ ' b
a = !7 ; x = $ x2 ' ; y = $ '
$ ' $ c '
$# 16 '& $ x '
# 3
& $ d '
# &
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 Matrices and Transpose
•! Matrix: usually bold capital or capital: F or F
•! Dimension = (m x n)

! p $
! a b c $
# &
# & d e f &
x = # q &; A = #
# r &
# g h k &
" % # &
#" l m n &%
( 3 ! 1) ( 4 ! 3)

•! Transpose: interchange rows and columns

! a d g l $
# &
xT = ! x1 x2 x3 # AT = # b e h m &
" $
# c f k n &
" %
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Multiplication
•! Operands must be conformable
•! Multiplication of vector by scalar is associative,
commutative, and distributive

! ax1 $
# &
ax = xa = # ax2 & a ( x + y ) = ( x + y ) a = ( ax + ay )
# ax & dim ( x ) = dim ( y )
3
" %

axT = ! ax1 ax2 ax3 #

" $

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 Addition
•! Conformable vectors and matrices are
added term by term

! a $ ! c $
x=# & ; z=# &
" b % " d %

! a+c $
x+z= # &
" b + d %
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Inner Product
•! Inner (dot) product of vectors produces scalar result

! x1 #
% &
xT x = x • x = ! x1 x2 x 3 % x2 &
#
" $
% x &
(1 ! m)(m ! 1) = (1 ! 1) " 3 $
= (x12 + x22 + x32 )
•! Length (or magnitude) of vector is
square root of dot product

= (x12 + x22 + x32 )1/2

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 Vector Transformation
•! Matrix-vector product transforms one vector into another
•! Matrix-matrix product produces a new matrix

" 2 4 6 %" x %
$ ' 1
3 !5 7 ' $ '
y = Ax = $ $ x2 '
$ 4 1 8 '$
$ x '
# !9 !6 !3 '& # 3 &

" ( 2x + 4x + 6x ) % "
$ 1 2 3
' $ y1 %
(n ! 1) = (n ! m)(m ! 1) $ ( 3x1 ! 5x2 + 7x3 ) ' $
'
y2 '
=$ '=$
$ ( 4x1 + x2 + 8x3 ) ' $ y3 '
'
$ ' $ y4 '
$# ( !9x1 ! 6x2 ! 3x3 ) '& # &
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Derivatives and Integrals

of Vectors
Derivatives and integrals of vectors are
vectors of derivatives and integrals

! dx1 $ " %
# dt & $ ! x 1 dt '
dx # dx2 & $ '
=# dt
& ! x dt = $ x
! 2 ' dt
dt # &
# dx3 & $ '
#" dt &% $
# ! x3 dt '&
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 Matrix Inverse
Particle

Transformation x 2 = Ax1
! x $ ! cos' 0 ( sin ' $ ! x $
# & # &# &
# y & =# 0 1 0 &# y &
#" z &% #" sin ' 0 cos' &% # z &
" %1
2

Inverse Transformation x1 = A !1x 2

! x $ ! cos' 0 sin ' $! x $
# & # &# y &
# y & =# 0 1 0 &# &
#" z &% #" ( sin ' 0 cos' &% " z &%
#
1 2

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Matrix Identity and Inverse

•! Identity matrix: no change ! 1 0 0 $
when it multiplies a # & y = Iy
conformable vector or matrix I3 = # 0 1 0 &
#" 0 0 1 &%

•! A non-singular square matrix

multiplied by its inverse forms
an identity matrix AA !1 = A !1A = I
!1
# cos" 0 ! sin " & # cos" 0 ! sin " &
AA = % 0 1 0
(% (
(% 0 1 0
!1
% (
%$ sin " 0 cos" (' %$ sin " 0 cos" ('
# cos" 0 ! sin " & # cos" 0 sin " &
=% 0 1 0
(%
0 1 0
(
% (% (
%$ sin " 0 cos" (' %$ ! sin " 0 cos" ('
# 1 0 0 &
=% 0 1 0 (
% (
%$ 0 0 1 '( 44
Mathematical Models of Dynamic
Systems are Differential Equations
Continuous-time dynamic process:
Vector Ordinary Differential Equation dim ( x ) = ( n ! 1)

dx(t) dim ( f ) = ( n ! 1)
x! (t) " = f[x(t), u(t), w(t), p(t),t] dim ( u ) = ( m ! 1)
dt dim ( w ) = ( s ! 1)
dim ( p ) = ( l ! 1)
Output Transformation

y(t) = h[x(t),u(t)] dim ( y ) = ( r ! 1)

dim ( h ) = ( r ! 1)
Measurement with Error
dim ( z ) = ( r ! 1)
z(t) = y(t) + n(t) dim ( n ) = ( r ! 1)
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Next Time:!
!
Learning Objectives
Point-Mass Dynamics!
Aerodynamic/Thrust Forces!

Reading:!
Flight Dynamics !
Introduction, 1-27!
The Earth’s Atmosphere, 29-34!
Kinematic Equations, 38-53!
Forces and Moments, 59-65!
Introduction to Thrust, 103-107!
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 Supplemental!
Material!

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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
–!http://sfx.princeton.edu:9003/sfx_pul/az
•! NACA/NASA pubs
–!http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp

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 Course Learning Objectives!
(Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology)

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