Derivation of Flight Characteristics Data of Small Airplanes Using Design Software and Their Validation by Subjective Tests

Sugjoon Yoon1, Ji-Young Kong1, Kang-Su Kim1, Suk-Kyung Lee1, and Moon-Sang Kim2
Department of Aerospace Engineering, Sejong University 98 Gunja-Dong, Gwangjin-Gu, Seoul, 143-747 Republic of Korea 2 School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Hankuk Aviation University200-1, Whajon-dong, Koyang-city, Kyungki-do, 412-791 Republic of Korea
1

Abstract. It is very difficult to acquire high-fidelity flight test data for small airplanes such as typical unmanned aerial vehicles and RC airplanes because MEMS-type small sensors used in the tests do not present reliable data in general. Besides, it is not practical to conduct expensive flight tests for low-priced small airplanes in order to simulate their flight characteristics. A practical approach to obtain acceptable flight data, including stability and control derivatives and data of weights and balances, is proposed in this study. Aircraft design software such as Darcorp's AAA is used to generate aerodynamic data for small airplanes, and moments of inertia are calculated from CATIA, structural design software. These flight data from simulation software are evaluated subjectively and tailored using simulation flight by experienced pilots, based on the certified procedure in FAA AC 120-40B, which are prepared for manned airplane simulators. Use of design S/W for generation of parameter values representing flight characteristics turns out valid. In this study a practical procedural standard is established for procuring reliable data replicating flight characteristics of an airplane.

1 Introduction
In general, parameter values representing flight characteristics of an airplane are derived from either flight tests or dedicated design software such as DATCOM [1]. However, it is practically very difficult to obtain reliable data from flight tests for small airplanes such as RC (Remote Control) airplanes and UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), which have very limited payload capacities. High-fidelity sensors used in typical flight tests of manned airplanes are relatively big in volume and weight for small airplanes, which causes change of original flight characteristics and results in the measurement of data with significant errors. MEMS sensors may be considered to be alternatives to conventional ones. But their fidelity and reliability are much lower than those of conventional sensors, and their test results are not accurate enough to be used in typical flight simulation. The purpose of this study is to establish a practical procedural standard for procuring reliable data replicating flight characteristics of an airplane, which can be used in
D.-K. Baik (Ed.): AsiaSim 2004, LNAI 3398, pp. 450457, 2005. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005

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flight simulation and design of a flight control system of a small airplane. In this study Darcorps AAA (Advanced Aircraft Analysis) software [2], which has been widely used in the conceptual design of an airplane, is adopted for derivation of aerodynamic data and structural design software, Dassaults CATIA [3], for computation of moments of inertia. Then the design data obtained from AAA and CATIA are implemented in a proven flight simulation code and subjectively validated based on the test procedure regulated in FAAs AC120-40B [4]. RC airplanes such as Extra 300s and 40% scale Night Intruder UAV of Korea Aerospace Industry are used in this paper as test beds for validation of the proposed procedure. The standardized procedure has been applied to derivation of flight characteristics data of several other airplanes, and turns out to be satisfactory.

2 Derivation of Flight Characteristics Data

2.1 Derivation of Aerodynamic Data In this study seven RC airplane models, including high-wing Trainer 40, UT-1, lowwing Extra 300s (Fig. 1), and 40% scale Night Intruder (Fig. 2) are selected and their aerodynamic data are derived from Darcorps AAA design software. Among them only Extra 300s and 40% scale Night Intruder are used as test beds in this paper. Aerodynamic data generally vary depending on the position in the flight envelop. However, a flight envelop of an RC airplane is usually very small, and its flight characteristics is about the same in the whole flight envelop. Thus steady state level flight is assumed as a single reference flight condition in the derivation of aerodynamic parameters of an RC airplane. Geometric dimensions are obtained by either measuring real RC airplanes or reading manufacturers design drawings. Total mass and the center of gravity of an airplane are computed by measuring mass and position of each component such as fuselage, main wing, tail wing, fuel, landing gear, servo, and so on. Aerodynamics depends on the external shape of an airplane. Especially, airfoils of main and tail wings are critical in computation of aerodynamics. These features are used as important inputs to AAA. In computing thrust forces of engines manufacturers data are essential.

Fig. 1. Extra 300s

Fig. 2. 40% scale Night Intruder

While a typical AAA design process is illustrated in Fig. 3, the customized design process applied to this study is described in Table 1. Fig. 4 shows the result of the 9th process in the table, and Table 2 summarizes major flight characteristics data obtained from AAA for Extra 300s and 40% scale Night Intruder.

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Sugjoon Yoon et al. Table 1. Customized design process for derivation of stability and control derivatives

input present velocity, altitude, weight input engine type, configuration of main and tail wings, number of landing gears, etc measure and input sizes of fuselage, main wing, tail wing, etc input derivative values related to airfoils of main and tail wings measure and input weights of fuselage, main and tail wings, fuel, landing gear, etc set and input required flight performance values such as stall velocity, landing distance, maximum cruise speed, etc 7. input propulsion performance values such as maximum thrust, fuel consumption rate, etc 8. set other required values for stability and control derivatives 9. AAA returns stability and control derivatives for a designed airplane

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Fig. 3. Typical AAA design process

Fig. 4. AAA GUI showing stability and control derivatives of Extra300s

Derivation of Flight Characteristics Data of Small Airplanes Using Design Software Table 2. Flight characteristics data for RC airplanes (NI: Night Intruder)
Aero Coeff. CL0 CLA CLQ CD0 CDA CYB CYP CYR CM0 CMA Extra 300s 0.4119 4.5802 5.7712 0.089 0.9061 -0.4035 -0.0337 0.3154 -0.0553 -0.9076 40%scale NI 0.6043 5.0169 5.5208 0.0434 0.2117 -0.5463 -0.0435 0.2839 0.0000 -1.0026 Aero Coeff. CMAdot CMQ CLB CLP CLR CLDR CNB CNP CNR CLDE Extra 300s -2.2830 -4.0303 -0.0027 -0.6167 0.3744 -0.0102 0.123 -0.0037 -0.1469 0.5216

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40%scale NI -3.9936 -12.3658 -0.0769 -0.6375 0.3692 -0.0243 0.1134 -0.0100 -0.1326 0.1922

2.2 Computation of Weight and Balances Principal moments of inertia of an airplane are computed by two different methods: one is to conduct experiments with a real RC airplane, and the other one is to use Dassaults CATIA design software. However, product of inertia can be obtained only by CATIA design. Two different data sets of moments of inertia are examined by implementing them in the in-house flight simulation software, which has been developed and examined for simulation of several military UAV systems. Experienced pilots fly the simulation models with different data sets, and validate the models subjectively based on the test procedures regulated in FAA 120 40B. 2.2.1 Experimental Method Moments of inertia of an RC airplane can be obtained by measuring weight, cable length, distance between cables, and period of oscillation in the experiment illustrated in Fig. 6. The mathematical relation [5] between these parameters is as follows:

I = WM T 2
where,

D2 16 2 L

(1)

I = moment of inertia (kg/m2) WM = weight of an airplane (Kgm/sec2) T = period of oscillation (sec) D = distance between cables (m) L = cable length (m) The average period of oscillation is obtained by measuring five consecutive periods after the coupling effect between principal axes diminishes significantly. Fig. 5 shows three experimental settings for three principal axes, while Table 3 contains experimental values for Extra 300s.
Table 3. Experimental values of 3 principal moments of inertia for Extra 300s
Ixx
0.147 kg/m2

Iyy
0.204 kg/m2

Izz
0.044 kg/m2

2.2.2 Computational Method Using CATIA CATIA, 3D structural design software from Dassault, returns every moment of inertia and center of gravity once 3D configuration design is completed and material density

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is input. The design process of Extra 300s is illustrated in Fig. 6, and resulting moments of inertia are listed in Table 4. Moments of inertia for 40% scale Night Intruder is also included in the table. Use of CATIA requires more efforts and time in the learning and design process than the experimental method, even though it can avoid the structural damage in the cable connection part of an airplane, which may not be avoidable for preparation of the experiment.
Table 4. Computational values of moments of inertia for Extra 300s and 40% scale NI (unit: kg/m2 )
Extra 300s 40% scale NI Ixx 0.175 10.832 Iyy 0.179 22.080 Izz 0.342 24.220 Ixz -0.0008248 -4.902

Fig. 5. Experimental settings for measuring 3 principal moments of inertia (Ix, Iy, Iz)

Fig. 6. CATIA design process of Extra 300s

The values of moments of inertia in Table 3 and 4 are noticeably different. Two different sets of parameter values are implemented in proven flight simulation software and subjectively validated based on the test procedures regulated in FAAs AC120-40B. Pilots turn out to prefer data values derived from CATIA because the flight characteristics with the computed data set resembles the real one better than the flight model with moments of inertia from experiments. In order to obtain a more accurate data set, the RC plane should be heavily damaged for cable connection. Because structural damage of an expensive airplane was not allowed in the experiment, the cable hook could not be located at the right position. This constraint causes couplings among oscillations with respect to three principal axes, and results in measurement errors in moments of inertia.

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3 Test and Evaluation of Design Parameters

3.1 Flight Simulation S/W (RC Virtual Flight) The main purpose of derivation of valid aerodynamic data is to simulate the flight characteristics of an airplane without flight test data. On the contrary, the data set mostly from computer simulation software is validated subjectively by flying a simulated airplane in this study. Therefore, reliable flight simulation software is required for the purpose. UAV-HILS laboratory at Sejong University has developed comprehensive flight simulation software named RC Virtual Flight [6], [7] since 1998. RC Virtual Flight has been upgraded and applied to various research projects sponsored by Korean government and industry. Table 5 summarizes its features, while Fig. 7 captures some of its GUI windows.

Fig. 7. Snapshots of RC virtual flight simulation Table 5. Features of RC virtual flight

Features fixed-wing and rotary-wing models 3D terrain libraries atmospheric environment sound effects lesson plan Maintenance and upgrade remote controller Remarks Pioneer, F16, ChangGong-91, Extra300s, UH60, S61, AH1, Yamaha Rmax, etc. full flight envelope 6 DOF nonlinear math models domestic airports such as Kimpo, Incheon, Kimhae, Jeju, etc. domestic RC runways such as Amsadong, Yoido, Oedo, etc. military UAV runways turbulence, side wind, gust, wind shear, etc. engine, propeller noise Doppler effects 5.1 channel RC flight training lessons edited by experience RC Flight Instructors military UAV training lessons off-the-shelf hardware products object oriented program based on C++, Matlab, and Simulink open architecture USB interface RC trainer jack interface compatible with either simulated or real hardware

3.2 Subjective Tests in FAA AC120-40B Validation procedure of the simulation data follows the subjective test rules in FAA AC 120-40B, which is prepared for manned airplane simulators. The test procedure and its applicability to RC airplanes are summarized in Table 6. Flight profiles of RC and manned airplanes are about the same. Thus typical flight profiles, such as taxing, taking-off, cruising, loitering, and landing, and their relevant tests have to be applicable to RC airplanes, too. Test items for the flight profiles and systems, which are

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neither comprised nor critical in RC flight, must be discarded. Besides, test procedures with respect to a visual system and a motion platform of a manned flight simulator do not have to be applied to the flight data validation process of an RC airplane.
Table 6. Subjective test items in FAA 120-40B and their applicability to RC airplanes
Subjective Tests Applicability Check Items Details pre-flight check system equipments such as switches, indicators, etc. O engine start O pre-takeoff taxi O normal takeoff O takeoff abnormal/emergency Takeoff O climb O In-flight cruise O descent O non-precision X approaches precision X normal landing O landing abnormal/emergency landing O post landing landing roll and taxi O airplane and power plant systems operation O flight management and guidance system X flight phase airborne procedures O engine shutdown and parking O visual system motion system special effect X X X

3.3 Subjective Test and Evaluation by Experienced RC Pilots Following the procedure regulated in FAA AC 120-40B, the design parameter values obtained from AAA and CATIA are subjectively evaluated by experienced RC pilots. The design data such as moments of inertia, stability derivatives, etc are implemented in RC Virtual Flight and tuned based on the indications of experienced pilots. Table 7 shows a part of pilots indications and corrected parameters with respect to Extra 300s.
Table 7. Pilots indications and corrected parameters with respect to Extra 300s
Pilots Indications Rudder effectiveness on roll is too large. Rudder effectiveness on yaw is too small. Airspeed is too sensitive to thrust. Pitch angle becomes too large during the trimmed level flight as the airspeed increases. Corrected Parameters CLB ( C L )

CNDR ( C N

CDu ( C D )
u

CMu ( C M )
u

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4 Conclusions
Darcorps AAA is used for aerodynamic design and Dassaults CATIA for derivation of weights and balances, while a subjective test procedure is extracted from FAA AC 120 40B. Seven RC airplanes, comprising Extra 300s and Night Intruder 40% scale, are selected as test beds. Use of design S/W for generation of parameter values representing flight characteristics turns out valid. In this study a practical procedural standard is established for procuring reliable data replicating flight characteristics of an airplane, which can be used in flight simulation and design of flight control systems of small airplanes.

Acknowledgement
This research(paper) was performed for the Smart UAV Development Program, one of the 21st Century Frontier R&D Programs funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology of Korea.

References
1. USAF Stability and Control DATCOM, Flight Control Division, Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory, Write-Patterson Air Force Base, Fairborn, OH. 2. Jan Roskam,: Airplane Design, Roskam Aviation and Engineering Corporation (1986) 3. CATIA Reference Manual. 4. FAA AC120-40B.: Airplane Simulator Qualification (1991) 5. R.C. Nelson.: Flight Stability and Automatic Control, McGraw-Hill (1998) 6. Yoon S.: Development of a UAV Training Simulator Based on COTS Products and ObjectOriented Programming Languages, Proceedings of AIAA Modeling & Simulation Conference, Aug. 3-5 (2001) 7. Yoon S. and Nam K.: Development of a HLA-based Simulation Game for RC Airplanes and UAVs, Proceedings of AIAA Modeling and Simulation Conference, Aug. (2004)