Steady Aircraft Flight and Performance

About the Book

This undergraduate textbook offers a unique introduction to steady flight and performance for fixed-wing aircraft from a twenty-first-century flight systems perspective. Emphasizing the interplay between mathematics and engineering, it fully explains the fundamentals of aircraft flight and develops the basic algebraic equations needed to obtain the conditions for gliding flight, level flight, climbing and descending flight, and turning flight. It covers every aspect of flight performance, including maximum and minimum air speed, maximum climb rate, minimum turn radius, flight ceiling, maximum range, and maximum endurance. Steady Aircraft Flight and Performance features in-depth case studies of an executive jet and a general aviation propeller-driven aircraft, and uses MATLAB to compute and illustrate numerous flight performance measures and flight envelopes for each. Requiring only sophomore-level calculus and physics, it also includes a section on translational flight dynamics that makes a clear connection between steady flight and flight dynamics, thereby providing a bridge to further study.* Offers the best introduction to steady aircraft flight and performance * Provides a comprehensive treatment of the full range of steady flight conditions * Covers steady flight performance and flight envelopes, including maximum and minimum air speed, maximum climb rate, minimum turn radius, and flight ceiling * Uses mathematics and engineering to explain aircraft flight * Features case studies of actual aircraft, illustrated using MATLAB * Seamlessly bridges steady flight and translational flight dynamics

Table of Contents:
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xi LIST OF MATLAB M-FILES xv PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xix Chapter 1: Aircraft Components and Subsystems 1 1.1 Aircraft Subsystems for Conventional Fixed-Wing Aircraft 1 1.2 Aerodynamic Control Surfaces 2 1.3 Aircraft Propulsion Systems 3 1.4 Aircraft Structural Systems 4 1.5 Air Data and Flight Instrumentation 5 1.6 Guidance, Navigation, and Control 5 1.7 Flight Control Computers 6 1.8 Communication Systems 6 1.9 Aircraft Pilots 6 1.10 Autonomous Aircraft 7 1.11 Interconnection and Integration of Flight Systems 7 Chapter 2: Fluid Mechanics and Aerodynamics 9 2.1 Fundamental Properties of Air 9 2.2 Standard Atmosphere Model 10 2.3 Aerodynamics Fundamentals 15 2.4 Aerodynamics of Flow over a Wing 18 2.5 Wing Geometry 19 2.6 Problems 21 Chapter 3: Aircraft Translational Kinematics, Attitude, Aerodynamic Forces and Moments 24 3.1 Cartesian Frames 25 3.2 Aircraft Translational Kinematics 26 3.3 Aircraft Attitude and the Translational Kinematics 29 3.4 Translational Kinematics for Flight in a Fixed Vertical Plane 30 3.5 Translational Kinematics for Flight in a Fixed Horizontal Plane 32 3.6 Small Angle Approximations 34 3.7 Coordinated Flight 34 3.8 Clarification of Bank Angles 35 3.9 Aerodynamic Forces 35 3.10 Aerodynamic Moments 39 3.11 Problems 41 Chapter 4: Propulsion Systems 47 4.1 Steady Thrust and Power Relations 47 4.2 Jet Engines 47 4.3 Propeller Driven by Internal Combustion Engine 50 4.4 Turboprop Engines 53 4.5 Throttle as a Pilot Input 53 4.6 Problems 53 Chapter 5: Prelude to Steady Flight Analysis 56 5.1 Aircraft Forces and Moments 57 5.2 Steady Flight Equations 58 5.3 Steady Longitudinal Flight 60 5.4 Steady Level Turning Flight 60 5.5 Flight Constraints 60 5.6 Aircraft Case Studies 61 5.7 Characteristics of an Executive Jet Aircraft 62 5.8 Characteristics of a Single Engine Propeller-Driven General Aviation Aircraft 63 5.9 Characteristics of an Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) 64 5.10 Problems 66 Chapter 6: Aircraft Steady Gliding Longitudinal Flight 69 6.1 Steady Gliding Longitudinal Flight 69 6.2 Steady Gliding Longitudinal Flight Analysis 71 6.3 Minimum Glide Angle 74 6.4 Minimum Descent Rate 74 6.5 Maximum Glide Angle 75 6.6 Maximum Descent Rate 75 6.7 Steady Gliding Longitudinal Flight Envelopes 76 6.8 Steady Gliding Longitudinal Flight: Executive Jet Aircraft 76 6.9 Steady Gliding Longitudinal Flight: General Aviation Aircraft 81 6.10 Conclusions 85 6.11 Problems 86 Chapter 7: Aircraft Cruise in Steady Level Longitudinal Flight 90 7.1 Steady Level Longitudinal Flight 90 7.2 Steady Level Longitudinal Flight Analysis 94 7.3 Jet Aircraft Steady Level Longitudinal Flight Performance 99 7.4 General Aviation Aircraft Steady Level Longitudinal Flight Performance 100 7.5 Steady Level Longitudinal Flight: Executive Jet Aircraft 102 7.6 Steady Level Longitudinal Flight Envelopes: Executive Jet Aircraft 106 7.7 Steady Level Longitudinal Flight: General Aviation Aircraft 109 7.8 Steady Level Longitudinal Flight Envelopes: General Aviation Aircraft 113 7.9 Conclusions 116 7.10 Problems 116 Chapter 8: Aircraft Steady Longitudinal Flight 121 8.1 Steady Longitudinal Flight 121 8.2 Steady Longitudinal Flight Analysis 125 8.3 Jet Aircraft Steady Longitudinal Flight Performance 130 8.4 General Aviation Aircraft Steady Longitudinal Flight Performance 133 8.5 Steady Climbing Longitudinal Flight: Executive Jet Aircraft 136 8.6 Steady Descending Longitudinal Flight: Executive Jet Aircraft 143 8.7 Steady Longitudinal Flight Envelopes: Executive Jet Aircraft 149 8.8 Steady Climbing Longitudinal Flight: General Aviation Aircraft 150 8.9 Steady Descending Longitudinal Flight: General Aviation Aircraft 157 8.10 Steady longitudinal Flight Envelopes: General Aviation Aircraft 162 8.11 Conclusions 164 8.12 Problems 165 Chapter 9: Aircraft Steady Level Turning Flight 171 9.1 Turns by Side-Slipping 171 9.2 Steady Level Banked Turning Flight 171 9.3 Steady Level Banked Turning Flight Analysis 175 9.4 Jet Aircraft Steady Level Turning Flight Performance 180 9.5 General Aviation Aircraft Steady Level Turning Flight Performance 183 9.6 Steady Level Turning Flight: Executive Jet Aircraft 186 9.7 Steady Level Turning Flight Envelopes: Executive Jet Aircraft 195 9.8 Steady Level Turning Flight: General Aviation Aircraft 196 9.9 Steady Level Turning Flight Envelopes: General Aviation Aircraft 207 9.10 Conclusions 209 9.11 Problems 209 Chapter 10: Aircraft Steady Turning Flight 214 10.1 Steady Banked Turns 214 10.2 Steady Banked Turning Flight Analysis 218 10.3 Jet Aircraft Steady Turning Flight Performance 225 10.4 General Aviation Aircraft Steady Turning Flight Performance 229 10.5 Steady Climbing and Turning Flight: Executive Jet Aircraft 233 10.6 Steady Descending and Turning Flight: Executive Jet Aircraft 244 10.7 Steady Turning Flight Envelopes: Executive Jet Aircraft 253 10.8 Steady Climbing and Turning Flight: General Aviation Aircraft 255 10.9 Steady Descending and Turning Flight: General Aviation Aircraft 266 10.10 Steady Turning Flight Envelopes: General Aviation Aircraft 276 10.11 Conclusions 278 10.12 Problems 279 Chapter 11: Aircraft Range and Endurance in Steady Flight 285 11.1 Fuel Consumption 285 11.2 Steady Flight Background 286 11.3 Range and Endurance of a Jet Aircraft in Steady Level Longitudinal Flight 286 11.4 Range and Endurance of a General Aviation Aircraft in Steady Level Longitudinal Flight 291 11.5 Range and Endurance of a Jet Aircraft in a Steady Level Turn 297 11.6 Range and Endurance of a General Aviation Aircraft in a Steady Level Turn 298 11.7 Range and Endurance of a Jet Aircraft in a Steady Turn 299 11.8 Range and Endurance of a General Aviation Aircraft in a Steady Turn 300 11.9 Maximum Range and Maximum Endurance: Executive Jet Aircraft 301 11.10 Maximum Range and Maximum Endurance: General Aviation Aircraft 307 11.11 Conclusions 313 11.12 Problems 313 Chapter 12: Aircraft Maneuvers and Flight Planning 319 12.1 Static Flight Stability 319 12.2 Flight Maneuvers 321 12.3 Pilot Inputs That Achieve a Desired Flight Condition 324 12.4 Flight Plans Defined by a Sequence of Waypoints 325 12.5 A Flight Planning Problem: Executive Jet Aircraft 327 12.6 A Flight Planning Problem: General Aviation Aircraft 331 12.7 Conclusions 336 12.8 Problems 336 Chapter 13: From Steady Flight to Flight Dynamics 344 13.1 Flight Dynamics Assumptions 345 13.2 Differential Equations for the Translational Flight Dynamics 346 13.3 Including Engine Characteristics and Fuel Consumption 349 13.4 Differential Equations for Longitudinal Translational Flight Dynamics 351 13.5 Differential Equations for Takeoff and Landing 353 13.6 Steady Flight and the Translational Flight Dynamics 355 13.7 Dynamic Flight Stability 356 13.8 Computing Dynamic Flight Performance Measures and Flight Envelopes 357 13.9 Flight Simulations: Executive Jet Aircraft 359 13.10 Flight Simulations: General Aviation Aircraft 365 13.11 Conclusions 372 13.12 Problems 372 Appendix A The Standard Atmosphere Model 379 Appendix B End-of-Chapter Problems 382 B.1 Executive Jet Aircraft 382 B.2 Single Engine Propeller-Driven General Aviation Aircraft 383 B.3 Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) 383 REFERENCES 385 INDEX 387

About the Author :

N. Harris McClamroch is professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan. He has been an educator and researcher in flight dynamics and control for more than forty years.

Review :
"Steady Aircraft Flight and Performance is very well written, and it contains many useful figures and illustrations. The level of presentation is readily accessible to its intended audience—undergraduate students in aerospace engineering—and the numerous examples and problems help solidify the concepts presented in the book. MATLAB code is included for many problems, facilitating the transition from concepts to computation."—Robert F. Stengel, Princeton University "This book is right on the mark. McClamroch's theoretical developments are, as usual, very rigorous and detailed."—Eric Feron, Georgia Institute of Technology