Demonstrative Maneuvers for Aircraft Agility Predictions

Abstract : This study was motivated by a need to develop a reliable method of predicting the agility characteristics of various aircraft. To fully investigate the agility of an aircraft, maneuvers which push the limits of an aircraft's maneuvering capabilities must be simulated. In these cases, classic trajectory optimization techniques either require too many assumptions for a realistic solution or require a good guess of the final solution before the problem is even attempted. This study investigated both the utility of pseudospectral optimization methods for robust trajectory optimization as well as the potential for demonstrating differences in aircraft agility characteristics of several specific maneuvers. Three variations of a basic F-16 mathematical model were simulated for various maneuvers specifically designed to demonstrate aircraft maneuvering limits.

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