Source: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/aeronautics-and-astronautics/16-333-aircraft-stability-and-control-fall-2004/index.

htm

16.333: Lecture #1

Equilibrium States

Aircraft performance

Introduction to basic terms

Fall 2004 16.333 11
Aircraft Performance
Accelerated horizontal ight balance of forces
Engine thrust T L

Lift L ( to V )
Drag D ( to V ) D T

Weight W mg

dV
T D =m = 0 for steady ight
dt
and
LW =0

Dene L = 21 V 2SCL where

ct

air density (standard tables)

Trailing
S gross wing area = c b, c edge

c = mean chord
c0
b = wing span b = 2.s

AR wing aspect ratio = b/c

Sweepback angle k

kc

Q = 12 V 2 dynamic pressure
V = speed relative to the air

Fall 2004 16.333 12

CL lift coecient for low Mach number, CL = CL ( 0)

3 angle of incidence of wind to the wing

3 0 is the angle associated with zero lift

Back to the performance:

1
L = V 2SCL and L = mg
2

2mg
which implies that V = SC so that
L

1/2
V CL
and we can relate the eect of speed to wing lift

A key number is stall speed, which is the lowest speed that an aircraft
can y steadily
2mg
Vs =
SCLmax

where typically get CLmax at max = 10

Fall 2004 16.333 13

Steady Gliding Flight

Aircraft at a steady glide angle of

Assume forces are in equilibrium

L mg cos = 0 (1)
D + mg sin = 0 (2)
Gives that
D CD
tan =
L CL
Minimum gliding angle obtained when CD /CL is a minimum
High L/D gives a low gliding angle

Note: typically
CL2
CD = CDmin +
ARe
where
CDmin is the zero lift (friction/parasitic) drag
2
CL
gives the lift induced drag
e is Oswalds eciency factor 0.7 0.85

Fall 2004 16.333 14

Total drag then given by

1 2 1 2 2

D = V SCD = V S CDmin + kCL (3)
2 2
1 2 (mg)2
= V SCDmin + k 1 2 (4)
2 2 V S

Total
drag

No-lift drag

Lift-dependent
drag

VE
VS VEmd
1

So that the speed for minimum drag is

1/4
2mg k
Vmin drag =
S CDmin
Fall 2004 16.333 15

Steady Climb

T-D
L
V

T R/C

D

Equations:
T D W sin = 0 (5)
L W cos = 0 (6)
which gives
L
T D cos = 0
sin
so that
T D
tan =
L

Consistent with 13 if T = 0 since then as dened above is negative

Note that for small , tan sin

(T D)V
R/C = V sin V
L
so that the rate of climb is approximately equal to the excess power
available (above that needed to maintain level ight)
Fall 2004 16.333 16

Steady Turn

L sin

L cos
L

Centrifugal
force R
Radius of turn

Equations:
L sin = centrifugal force (7)
mV 2
= (8)
R
L cos = W = mg (9)

V2 V =R V
tan = = (10)
Rg g

Note: obtain Rmin at CLmax

1 2 WV 2
Rmin( V SCLmax ) sin =
2 g

W/S
Rmin =
1/2gCLmax sin max
where W/S is the wing loading and max < 30
Fall 2004 16.333 17

Dene load factor N = L/mg. i.e. ratio of lift in turn to weight

N = sec = (1 + tan2 )1/2 (11)

tan = N2 1 (12)
so that
V2 V2
R= =
g tan g N 2 1

For a given load factor (wing strength)

R V2

Compare straight level with turning ight

If same light coecient
L mg 1
CL = 1 2 = 1 2 N mg Vt2S
2 V S 2 V S
2

so that Vt = N V gives the speed increase (more lift)

Note that CL constant CD constant D V 2CD

Tt Dt Vt2CD N D
so that must increase throttle or will descend in the turn