Design, Identification and Implementation of a High-Fidelity Cessna Citation II Flight Simulation Model

As a result of new aviation legislation, from 2019 on all air-carrier pilots are obliged to go through flight simulator-based stall recovery training. For this reason the Control and Simulation division at Delft University of Technology has set up a task force to develop a new methodology for high-fidelity aircraft stall behavior modeling and simulation. As part of this research endeavor, the development of a new high-fidelity Cessna Citation II simulation model, valid throughout the normal, pre-stall flight envelope, is presented. The new simulation model will replace the current baseline model, which is based on the Cessna Citation I, for an increased fidelity and representation of the dynamics of the current laboratory aircraft, the Cessna Citation II. Aerodynamic model identification was done by employing the Two-Step Method. New in this approach is the use of the Unscented Kalman Filter for an improved accuracy and robustness of the state estimates. For the first time, an explicit model structure is presented for the Citation II. Model structure selection by an orthogonal regression scheme has indicated that most of the six non-dimensional forces and moments can be parametrized sufficiently by a linear model structure. It was shown that only the models for the forces in the X and Y body axis would benefit from the addition of higher order terms relating to the aerodynamic angles. On balance, the models for the non-dimensional forces were improved marginally in comparison to the existing simulation model. More significant improvements were made to the non-dimensional moment models.