Academic literature on the topic 'Flight recovery'

Safety in air transport has always been of paramount importance. The very nature of aircraft navigating through the atmosphere brings with it associated risks and dangers. Some of these dangers are manifested in the form of adverse atmospheric disturbances. Two common examples of these atmospheric disturbances are the microburst and the wake vortex. This thesis explores the response and recovery performance of a General Aviation-based Model Reference Adaptive Control (MRAC) control system when subjected to these atmospheric disturbances. For the microburst condition, an existing 3DOF MRAC controller developed through prior research is integrated with nonlinear aerodynamics and an envelope protection scheme that augments the flight envelope of a Beechcraft Bonanza/CJ-144 as it encounters conditions pursuant to a microburst condition. Through simulation, the envelope protection scheme is shown to improve the chances of safe recovery in the event of a microburst encounter, by limiting the amount of total kinetic energy loss as the aircraft enters the microburst. For the wake vortex condition, an existing 6DOF MRAC controller is used as a baseline, to which a custom-developed 3D wake vortex model is added. Nonlinear components are incorporated into the existing linear aerodynamics, along with an envelope protection scheme. Pilot-in-the-loop simulated flight testing is conducted to evaluate recovery performance under three control modes: controller only, controller with pilot, and pilot only without controller. The control modes with the controller active are shown to yield much better recovery performance in the event of a wake vortex encounter. Additional efforts include the complete development of a MATLAB/Simulink-based 6DOF Aircraft Motion Visualizer and an X-Plane-based external simulation interface, both used as tools to aid in analysis of results and simulated flight testing.<br>Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Aerospace Engineering

Le travail effectué au cours de cette thèse tente d’apporter des solutions algorithmiques à la problématique de reprise au décrochage d’un aéronef. A travers de nombreux exemples d’application sur des modèles aérodynamiques, le lecteur pourra appréhender les concepts abstraits présentés dans cette thèse. Alors que la capacité pour un aéronef à revenir à une situation nominale après une sortie du domaine de vol est un élément clé pour les systèmes de transport aérien du futur, les recherches menées dans ce cadre sont encore peu nombreuses. Pourtant,un tel dépassement conduit généralement à une perte de contrôle (dénommée LOC-I), que l’Association du Transport Aérien International (IATA) a classé dans la catégorie des « risques les plus élevés pour l’aviation ». Dans un premier temps, nous avons montré que les modèles polynomiaux habituellement utilisés en théorie des systèmes ne représentent pas fidèlement l’aérodynamique d’un modèle d’avion sur l’ensemble de son enveloppe de vol. Nous avons donc tout d’abord montré qu’un modèle polynomial par morceaux représente avec exactitude les coefficients aérodynamiques pour les angles d’attaque faibles et élevés. Nous avons alors pu étendre à cette classe de systèmes, récentes d’étude de bifurcation et d’analyse de stabilité qui utilisent des techniques de programmation semi-définie basées sur la positivité de polynômes (SOS); nous avons notamment appliqué ces résultats au modèle d’avion de transport générique dénommé GTM. Dans le même esprit, nous avons développé un modèle pour un petit aéronef à voilure fixe basé sur des simulations numériques en mécanique des fluides (CFD). Les coefficients dynamiques n’étant pas déterminés en CFD, nous avons identifié le coefficient d’amortissement du tangage en comparant l’analyse de bifurcation et les données de vol, ce qui nous a permis d’étudier à la fois la dynamique et la stabilité du vol en cas de fort décrochage.Des résultats antérieurs ont montré que les techniques SOS étaient prometteuses pour la certification des lois de commande pour des systèmes non-linéaires, cependant sans avoir été appliqués à l’ingénierie aéronautique. En adaptant ces techniques aux modèles polynomiaux par morceaux,nous avons montré qu’il est désormais possible de les utiliser d’une manière précise mais réalisable sur le plan calculatoire. Ensuite, nous avons synthétisé des lois de commandes linéaires et polynomiales pour la récupération d’un fort décrochage. En outre, nous sommes désormais en mesure d’estimer des régions d’attraction pour des modèles polynomiaux par morceaux; pour cela, nous avons proposé un algorithme amélioré pour l’analyse de stabilité locale des systèmes à commutation, tels que ceux qui sont définis par des splines, rendant ainsi notre travail disponible pour l’analyse et la certification futures de modèles d’avion très fidèles.La commande prédictive basée modèle (MPC) s’est avérée être une approche très efficace lorsque la dynamique du système est fortement non linéaire et soumise à des contraintes d’état qui rendent difficile la récupération après le décrochage. Cependant, pour des systèmes réalistes,il est nécessaire de prendre des précautions afin de prouver rigoureusement la stabilité en boucle fermée. En utilisant la technique SOS, nous avons ainsi montré la stabilité d’une stratégie de récupération d’un fort décrochage visant à minimiser la perte d’altitude. Nous avons aussi montré qu’une telle stratégie de commande permet la récupération d’une spirale infernale en utilisant le simulateur GTM.Les résultats de cette thèse sont donc prometteurs et fournissent de nouvelles approches théoriques pour la modélisation, l’analyse de stabilité et le contrôle de la dynamique des futurs aéronefs ainsi que pour le développement et la certification de systèmes de commande de vol visant a prévenir les accidents dus à la perte de contrôle<br>Upset flight dynamics are characterised by unstable, highly nonlinear behaviourof the aircraft aerodynamic system. As upsets often lead to in-flight loss-of-control (LOC-I) accidents,it still poses a severe threat to today’s commercial aviation. Contributing to almost everysecond fatality in civil aviation while representing merely 10% of the total accidents (both fataland nonfatal), the International Air Transport Association has classified LOC-I as the “highestrisk to aviation safety”. Considerable effort has been undertaken in response by academics,manufacturers, commercial airlines, and authorities to predict and prevent LOC-I events as wellas recover from upset conditions into the nominal flight envelope. As result, researchers fromboth aeronautical engineering and system theory have made significant contributions towardsaviation safety; however, approaches from engineering and theory are rather disparate. This thesistherefore focuses on the application and transfer of system theoretical results to engineeringapplications.In particular, we have found simple polynomial models for aircraft dynamics, despite commonin the system theoretical literature, failing to represent full-envelope aerodynamics accurately.Advanced fitting methods such as multi-variate splines, on the other hand, are unsuitable forsome of the proposed functional analysis methods. Instead, a simple piecewise defined polynomialmodel proves to be accurate in fitting the aerodynamic coefficients for low and high angles ofattack. State-of-the-art bifurcation analysis and analysis based on sum-of-squares programmingtechniques are extended for this class of models and applied to a piecewise equations of motionof the Generic Transport Model (GTM). In the same spirit, we develop a model for a small,fixed-wing aircraft based on static continuous fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. In the lackof dynamic coefficients from CFD, we identify a pitch-damping model comparing bifurcationanalysis and flight data that predicts well dynamics and stability of deep-stall flight.Previous developments in sum-of-squares programming have been promising for the certificationof nonlinear dynamics and flight control laws, yet their application in aeronauticalengineering halted. In combination with piecewise polynomial modeling, we are able to re-applythis technique for analysis in an accurate but computationally feasible manner to verify stablerecovery. Subsequently, we synthesise inherently stable linear and polynomial feedback laws fordeep-stall recovery. We further extend the estimation of regions of attraction for the piecewisepolynomial model towards an improved algorithm for local stability analysis of arbitrary switchingsystems, such as splines, thus making our work available for future analysis and certificationof highly accurate algebraic models.With highly nonlinear dynamics and critical state and input constraints challenging upsetrecovery, model-predictive control (MPC) with receding horizon is a powerful approach. MPCfurther provides a mature stability theory contributing towards the needs for flight control certification.Yet, for realistic control systems careful algebraic or semi-algebraic considerationsare necessary in order to rigorously prove closed-loop stability. Employing sum-of-squares programming,we provide a stability proof for a deep-stall recovery strategy minimising the loss ofaltitude during recovery. We further demonstrate MPC schemes for recovery from spiral andoscillatory spin upsets in an uncertain environment making use of the well-known and freelyavailable high-fidelity GTM desktop simulation.The results of this thesis are thus promising for future system theoretic approaches in modeling,analysis, and control of aircraft upset dynamics for the development and certification offlight control systems in order to prevent in-flight loss-of-control accidents

The aurora phenomena is a remarkable sight, commonlyrefereed to as polar or northern lights. A previous spaceexperiment SPIDER was dedicated to measure electric fieldsand characterize plasma properties in the aurora, using tenFree Falling Units (FFU) ejected from a sounding rocket. Theexperiment was successful but some problems arose. A newexperiment WOLF is committed to solve those problems andre-doing the experiment.This paper describes the process of developing a new recoveryand flight data recording system for the WOLF experiment, usingheritage from the previous SPIDER experiment. The developedsystem will be used on the upcoming WOLF experiment rocketlaunch in February 2018.The thesis analyzed hardware problems in previous design toimprove robustness and reliability, identified obsolete componentsfor replacement and added functionality for the new system. Anew hardware system was developed with schematics and PCBlayout ready for manufacturing. Also, plans for the firmware wasestablished. In the paper it is discussed about topics that shouldbe considered in the future work in developing the system andhow the system can be re-purposed for similar experiment in thefuture.

In recent years European airspace has become increasingly congested and airlines can now observe that en-route capacity constraints are the fastest growing source of flight delays. In 2010 this source of delay accounted for 19% of all flight delays in Europe and has been increasing with an average yearly rate of 17% from 2005 to 2010. This paper suggests and evaluates an approach to how disruption management can be combined with flight planning in order to create more proactive handling of the kind of disruptions, which are caused by congested airspace. The approach is evaluated using data from a medium size European carrier and estimates a lower bound saving of several million USD.

Abstract In this thesis, a new type of laser diode transmitter using enhanced gain-switching suitable for use with a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) detector was developed and tested in the pulsed time-of-flight laser range finding (lidar) application. Several laser diode versions were tested and the driving electronics were developed. The driving electronics improvements enabled a pulsing frequency of up to 1 MHz, while the maximum laser output power was about 5–40 W depending on the laser diode dimensions. The large output power is advantageous especially in conditions of strong photon noise emerging from ambient light outdoors. The length of the laser pulse matches the jitter of a typical SPAD detector providing several advantages. The new laser pulser structure enables a compact rangefinder for 50 m distance measurement outdoors in sunny conditions with sub-centimeter precision (σ-value) at a valid distance measurement rate of more than 10 kHz, for example. Single photon range finding techniques were also shown to enable a char bed level measurement of a recovery boiler containing highly attenuating and dispersing flue gas. In addition, gated single photon detector techniques were shown to provide a rejection of fluorescent photons in a Raman spectroscope leading to a greatly improved signal-to-noise ratio. Photonic effects were also studied in the case of a pulsed time-of-flight laser rangefinder utilizing a linear photodetector. It was shown that signal photon noise has an effect on the optimum detector configuration, and that pulse detection jitter can be minimized with an appropriate timing discriminator<br>Tiivistelmä Tässä työssä kehitettiin uudentyyppinen, tehostettua "gain-switchingiä" hyödyntävä laserdiodilähetin käytettäväksi yksittäisten fotonien avalanche-ilmaisimien (SPAD) kanssa, ja sitä testattiin pulssin lentoaikaan perustuvassa laseretäisyysmittaussovelluksessa. Useita laserdiodiversioita testattiin ja ohjauselektroniikkaa kehitettiin. Ohjauselektroniikan parannukset mahdollistivat jopa 1 MHz pulssitustaajuuden, kun taas laserin maksimiteho oli noin 5–40 W riippuen laserdiodin dimensioista. Suuri lähtöteho on edullinen varsinkin vahvoissa taustafotoniolosuhteissa ulkona. Laserpulssin pituus vastaa tyypillisen SPAD-ilmaisimen jitteriä tarjoten useita etuja. Uusi laserpulssitinrakenne mahdollistaa esimerkiksi kompaktin etäisyysmittarin 50 m mittausetäisyydelle ulkona aurinkoisessa olosuhteessa mm–cm -mittaustarkkuudella (σ-arvo) yli 10 kHz mittaustahdilla. Yksittäisten fotonien lentoaikamittaustekniikan osoitettiin myös mahdollistavan soodakattilan keon korkeuden mittauksen, jossa on voimakkaasti vaimentavaa ja dispersoivaa savukaasua. Lisäksi portitetun yksittäisten fotonien ilmaisutekniikan osoitettiin hylkäävän fluoresenssin synnyttämiä fotoneita Raman-spektroskoopissa, joka johtaa selvästi parempaan signaali-kohinasuhteeseen. Fotoni-ilmiöitä tutkittiin myös lineaarista valoilmaisinta hyödyntävän pulssin kulkuaikamittaukseen perustuvan lasertutkan tapauksessa. Osoitettiin, että signaalin fotonikohina vaikuttaa optimaaliseen ilmaisinkonfiguraatioon, ja että pulssin ilmaisujitteri voidaan minimoida sopivalla ajoitusdiskriminaattorilla