Aircraft's Stability & Control

Introduction

Aircraft stability and control is imperative since it dictates how well an airplane flies and how
easily it can be controlled. Aircraft stability implies it has an ability to resume its equilibrium
position once it has been disturbed. The disturbance is likely to arise due to atmospheric
conditions or the actions of the pilot. Atmospheric interference include turbulent air, wind
gradient and wind gusts. For airplane to achieve its mission effectively it must have ability to
maneuver for a wide range of flight altitudes and velocities, and attain equilibrium flight.
Therefore, to perform maneuver and realize equilibrium, airplanes are equipped with propulsive
and aerodynamic controls. The performance and design control systems is a fundamental part
aeroplanes control and stability.

Section A of the easy describes the motion of aircraft by employing control of an aircraft,
standard terminology, and static and dynamic stability. An aircraft has three body axes which
aids in motion combined with aerodynamic forces and moments. Having a clear understanding of
positive angle of sideslip and attack helps in comprehending the motion of aircraft. Other issues
which will be addressed include static and dynamic stability, lateral, longitudinal, and directional
stabilities. Static margin will be described and its effects on aircraft stability and control
explained. Some areas of importance to be addressed include spiral and dutch-roll mode, and
how sweep and dihedral angle help aircraft stability.

In section B, the easy will endeavor to describe and compare control systems of various aircraft.
A clear distinction will be made between controllability and stability. An in-depth explanation
will be provided for longitudinal control, roll control, and yaw control of an airplane from an
equilibrium point. Effort will be made to identify various control surfaces associated with the tail
wing and explain which has an impact on aircraft stability and control. Aircraft stability and
motion can be discussed by employing aircraft coordinate systems, and axes of motion.

Part A: Motion of Aircraft (1500)

1. Define the following terms:

a) Aircraft three body axes

The three aircraft body axes are vertical, lateral, and longitudinal. These axes are imaginarily
under which an airplane can turn. Lateral axes refer to the line that runs from the tip of one wing
to the end of the tip of another wing (Moin & Uddin, 2017). Longitudinal axes starts from the
nose of aircraft and runs to the tail. Vertical axes run through the center of the airplane vertically.

b) Aerodynamic forces and moments

Aerodynamic forces refer to the resultant force acting on an aircraft when moving in the air
which includes lift, drag, weight and thrust (Poudel, 2019). The thrust force is generated by
propeller, drag is a retarding force produced by disruption of airflow by fuselage, wing, rotor and
wing, lift is a force generated by the dynamic effect of air acting on the airfoil (Chanetz et al.,
2020). Weight is as a result of force of gravity acting on the aircraft.

Figure 1: Aerodynamic forces on an aircraft (Poudel, 2019).

An aerodynamic moment is significant in aerodynamic design of aircraft and it helps in

determining controllability and stability and it is expressed in three components. The coordinate
axes are L, N, and M namely rolling moment, yawing moment and pitching moment
respectively.

Figure 2: aerodynamic moments on coordinate axes (Chanetz et al., 2020).

c) Positive angle of attack and positive angle of sideslip

Part B: Control System of Various Aircraft (650)

Conclusion (300)