Accession Number:

AD0754909

Title:

Evaluation of Energy Maneuverability Procedures in Aircraft Flight Path Optimization and Performance Estimation

Descriptive Note:

Final technical rept. Jul 1967-Aug 1970

Corporate Author:

AIR FORCE FLIGHT DYNAMICS LAB WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB OH

Personal Author(s):

• Johnson, David T.

Report Date:

1972-11-01

Pagination or Media Count:

87.0

Abstract:

An assessment is made of the applicability of energy maneuverability techniques EM to flight path optimization. A series of minimum time and fuel maneuvers using the F-4C aircraft were established to progressively violate the assumptions inherent in the EM program and comparisons were made with the Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratorys AFFDL Three-Degree-of-Freedom Trajectory Optimization Program and a point mass option of the Six-Degree-of-Freedom flight path program. It was found the EM results were always optimistic in the value of the payoff functions with the optimism increasing as the percentage of the maneuver involving constant energy transitions increases. For the minimum time paths the resulting optimism was less then 2 for the maneuvers where the constant energy percentage was less than 35 followed by a rather steeply rising curve approaching in the limit 100 error for paths which are comprised entirely of constant energy transitions.

Descriptors:

• *JET FIGHTERS
• *FLIGHT PATHS
• MATHEMATICAL MODELS
• THROTTLING
• MANEUVERABILITY
• OPTIMIZATION
• FUEL CONSUMPTION
• CLIMBING
• TURNING FLIGHT

Subject Categories:

• Attack and Fighter Aircraft

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE