Flight Control Design - Best Practices
Abstract
Accidents due to adverse aircraft-pilot coupling phenomena in the latest technology aircraft occurred both in the US and in Europe, while other programs had less-well-publicized flight control development problems. These events showed that a robust and affordable solution to the development process of digital flight control systems was not universally available. This Technical Report begins with a review of some examples of flight control problems. They span the history of flight from the time when the practice of flying was preceding theoretical developments up to the recent events. There is a chapter detailing lessons learned from various programs with positive results. The review of problems and lessons learned leads into a chapter detailing a series of recommended design best practices. The best practices are laid out as a logical process with recommendations for avoiding the pitfalls that have led to problems in the past. The second part of the report continues with some theoretical aspects, such as flying qualities criteria and carefree handling, the latest results from analytical and research activities into PIOs, and modelling and system identification to support the design process. The report concludes with suggestions for required future research.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA387777
Entities
Organizations
- NATO Science and Technology Organization