Optimal Control Trajectory Optimization of a Battery-Powered Competition Aircraft

A trajectory optimization study is presented which uses an optimal control formulation based on calculus of variations to determine optimal velocity, energy, and power requirements for a battery-powered, 4 passenger competition aircraft over a mission profile. The aircraft is referred to generally as the generic electric aircraft (GEA) model. A three degree-of-freedom flight dynamic model is coupled with an atmospheric, aerodynamic, and electric propulsion model inside a multidisciplinary framework. A cost function, representing the aircraft score based on rules established for the 2011 Google Green Flight Challenge (GFC) competition, is modified to include nonlinear constraints using an adjoint formulation.