Steady Aircraft Flight and Performance

by N. Harris McClamroch

Overview

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

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691147192
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	01/23/2011
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.20(d)

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.

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

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"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

Editorial Reviews

"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

From the Publisher