Algorithms improving flying qualities of general aviation aircraft

Abstract

The dynamic growth of general aviation as a mean of transport over medium distances means that people having no extraordinary qualifications or extraordinary physical or mental abilities more often pilot such types of airplanes. This phenomenon creates the necessity of giving planes flying qualities that allow them to be safely piloted by ordinary people. One way of solving this problem is equipping airplanes with fly‐by‐wire control systems that modify their handling qualities. Then the computer included into such control systems modifies the actions taken by the pilot, making the airplane both easier and more comfortable to control. This paper presents sample software tools – control algorithms that allowing an airplane's handling qualities to be improved. They are prepared by the authors and tested on board an experimental plane. That plane was equipped with a prototypical fly‐by‐wire control system, which can modify a plane's responses to a pilot's actions. First Published Online: 14 Oct 2010

Keywords

• aircraft control system
• handling qualities
• flight tests