Wake-Vortex Induced Wind with Turbulence in Aerial Refueling - Part B: Model and Simulation Validation

This paper is the second of a series of two papers. The first paper (Part A) presents the analysis of the data obtained in an automated aerial refueling test flight conducted with a KC-135 as the tanker and a Learjet 25 as the receiver. The purpose of the analysis is to identify the turbulence and wind induced by the tanker wake and their effect on the receiver aircraft. This paper presents the methods used to model (i) prevailing wind, (ii) wake vortex induced wind and (iii) turbulence as the three sources of wind that the aircraft are exposed to and the approach used for incorporating the wind effect into the dynamic simulation of the aircraft. The test flight is simulated in various cases with different turbulence models and flight controllers. The simulation results are analyzed and compared with the flight data in terms of the power spectral densities and mean variations in order to validate the wind and turbulence modeling techniques.

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