F/a-18 Performance Benefits Measured During the Autonomous Formation Flight Project

F/a-18 Performance Benefits Measured During the Autonomous Formation Flight Project PDF

Author: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2018-05-31

Total Pages: 36

ISBN-13: 9781720521105

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The Autonomous Formation Flight (AFF) project at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (Edwards, California) investigated performance benefits resulting from formation flight, such as reduced aerodynamic drag and fuel consumption. To obtain data on performance benefits, a trailing F/A-18 airplane flew within the wing tip-shed vortex of a leading F/A-18 airplane. The pilot of the trail airplane used advanced station-keeping technology to aid in positioning the trail airplane at precise locations behind the lead airplane. The specially instrumented trail airplane was able to obtain accurate fuel flow measurements and to calculate engine thrust and vehicle drag. A maneuver technique developed for this test provided a direct comparison of performance values while flying in and out of the vortex. Based on performance within the vortex as a function of changes in vertical, lateral, and longitudinal positioning, these tests explored design-drivers for autonomous stationkeeping control systems. Observations showed significant performance improvements over a large range of trail positions tested. Calculations revealed maximum drag reductions of over 20 percent, and demonstrated maximum reductions in fuel flow of just over 18 percent.Vachon, M. Jake and Ray, Ronald J. and Walsh, Kevin R. and Ennix, KimberlyArmstrong Flight Research CenterAUTONOMY; FORMATION FLYING; FLIGHT TESTS; F-18 AIRCRAFT; AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; AERODYNAMIC DRAG; FUEL CONSUMPTION; DRAG REDUCTION; FUEL FLOW; THRUST; FLIGHT CONDITIONS; AIRCRAFT MANEUVERS; VORTICES

An Overview of Flight Test Results for a Formation Flight Autopilot

An Overview of Flight Test Results for a Formation Flight Autopilot PDF

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 22

ISBN-13:

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The first flight test phase of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Autonomous Formation Flight project has successfully demonstrated precision autonomous station-keeping of an F/A-18 research airplane with a second F/A-18 airplane. Blended inertial navigation system (INS) and global positioning system (GPS) measurements have been communicated across an air-to-air telemetry link and used to compute relative-position estimates. A precision research formation autopilot onboard the trailing airplane controls lateral and vertical spacing while the leading airplane operates under production autopilot control. Four research autopilot gain sets have been designed and flight-tested, and each exceeds the project design requirement of steady-state tracking accuracy within 1 standard deviation of 10 ft.

Formation Control of Multiple Autonomous Vehicle Systems

Formation Control of Multiple Autonomous Vehicle Systems PDF

Author: Hugh H. T. Liu

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2018-07-04

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 1119263050

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This text explores formation control of vehicle systems and introduces three representative systems: space systems, aerial systems and robotic systems Formation Control of Multiple Autonomous Vehicle Systems offers a review of the core concepts of dynamics and control and examines the dynamics and control aspects of formation control in order to study a wide spectrum of dynamic vehicle systems such as spacecraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and robots. The text puts the focus on formation control that enables and stabilizes formation configuration, as well as formation reconfiguration of these vehicle systems. The authors develop a uniform paradigm of describing vehicle systems’ dynamic behaviour that addresses both individual vehicle’s motion and overall group’s movement, as well as interactions between vehicles. The authors explain how the design of proper control techniques regulate the formation motion of these vehicles and the development of a system level decision-making strategy that increases the level of autonomy for the entire group of vehicles to carry out their missions. The text is filled with illustrative case studies in the domains of space, aerial and robotics. • Contains uniform coverage of "formation" dynamic systems development • Presents representative case studies in selected applications in the space, aerial and robotic systems domains • Introduces an experimental platform of using laboratory three-degree-of-freedom helicopters with step-by-step instructions as an example • Provides open source example models and simulation codes • Includes notes and further readings that offer details on relevant research topics, recent progress and further developments in the field Written for researchers and academics in robotics and unmanned systems looking at motion synchronization and formation problems, Formation Control of Multiple Autonomous Vehicle Systems is a vital resource that explores the motion synchronization and formation control of vehicle systems as represented by three representative systems: space systems, aerial systems and robotic systems.

Aerodynamics for Engineering Students

Aerodynamics for Engineering Students PDF

Author: Steven H. Collicott

Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann

Published: 2016-08-12

Total Pages: 688

ISBN-13: 0081002327

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Aerodynamics for Engineering Students, Seventh Edition, is one of the world’s leading course texts on aerodynamics. It provides concise explanations of basic concepts, combined with an excellent introduction to aerodynamic theory. This updated edition has been revised with improved pedagogy and reorganized content to facilitate student learning, and includes new or expanded coverage in several important areas, such as hypersonic flow, UAV’s, and computational fluid dynamics. Provides contemporary applications and examples that help students see the link between everyday physical examples of aerodynamics and the application of aerodynamic principles to aerodynamic design Contains MATLAB-based computational exercises throughout, giving students practice in using industry-standard computational tools Includes examples in SI and Imperial units, reflecting the fact that the aerospace industry uses both systems of units Improved pedagogy, including more examples and end-of-chapter problems, and additional and updated MATLAB codes

Aerodynamics for Engineering Students

Aerodynamics for Engineering Students PDF

Author: E. L. Houghton

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2012-03-12

Total Pages: 741

ISBN-13: 0080966322

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Firmly established as the leading complete course text on aerodynamics, this book has been revised to include the latest developments in flow control and boundary layers and their influence on modern wing design.