Flight dynamics is the study of the physics driving the performance, stability, and control of aircraft. It is concerned with how forces acting on the aircraft influence its speed, altitude and attitude with respect to time.
Questions tagged [flight-dynamics]
254 questions
7
votes
5 answers
How can an aircraft turn if the horizontal force component is zero?
Here is the simplest coordinated turn diagram
Picture from https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/100169/pendulum-in-a-turning-airplane
Being:
$L$ = aerodynamic lift
$\tau$ = angle between vertical component and lift
$Fc$ = centrifugal…
XF-91
- 2,096
- 2
- 24
- 32
4
votes
3 answers
Given roll angle and constant velocity, calculate new position
I'm simulating an aircraft in Simulink and then using a controller to make it follow a reference path. My control inputs are elevator, aileron and rudder angles and the outputs of the state space are roll, pitch and yaw.
I'm struggling to find info…
user62605
- 53
- 4
4
votes
3 answers
What is the pivot point of pitch change on an aircraft?
I was wondering if there is a way to determine the pivot point when an aircraft changes pitch, assuming a standard slightly nose heavy and back elevator trimmed Cessna 172. Will it pivot around the CG, the Center of lift, or somewhere in…
Robert DiGiovanni
- 20,216
- 2
- 24
- 73
2
votes
1 answer
How do the linearised equations of motion work?
I am reading this book: "Flight Dynamic Principles" by Cook, second edition.
You can read it here:
https://aerocastle.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/flightdynamicsprinciples.pdf
First, go to the page 76, read the sentence:
Further, the only…
Dat
- 990
- 7
- 25
1
vote
2 answers
Why is airflow forced to be speed up on the upper surface of an aerofoil?
As the title says: Why is airflow compelled to flow further over the upper surface of an aerofoil? I understand because it has a larger distance to travel, but why can't the airflow travel at the same speed as the airflow underneath the lower…
JandyPilot
- 303
- 2
- 7
1
vote
1 answer
Does the rate of turn increase or decrease by turning at a higher speed?
It is easy to derive a formula for rate of turn in a steady banked turn as:
$$\dot\psi=\frac{g \cdot tan\phi}{v}$$
which indicates that as speed increases rate of turn decreases. This feels counteruntuitive especially given the identity for circular…
James Kempton
- 49
- 2
0
votes
6 answers
How can speed and power be made independent in an airplane?
I heard a piece of information many years ago, and the more I think about it, the less it makes sense. It was like:
When airplanes what to raise altitude, they do not increase speed, but they increase power. It is like when going up a hill, you do…
virolino
- 117
- 5