Middle East Technical University Department of Aerospace Engineering

AE372 Spring 2022

Homework 1
Friday, 01/04/2022

Notes:
1. Write your solutions clearly. Both typewritten and handwirtten reports are
acccepted. Convert your paper to pdf at the end using a scanner or by taking
photos. Make sure that the pages are in correct order and everything is readable
before uploading.
2. Due date is 11 Arpil (Monday) 23:59.
3. Reports (or HW package) should be named as AE372_HW1_Name
Surname_No
4. Submit all the codes that you use within the HW package along with the
report.

1) (25 pts) Aerobatics and air combat maneuvers are one of the most visually
appealing (and from the pilot's perspective thrilling) side of flight. Sketch-plot versus
time of Euler angles for the following maneuvers starting from 𝜙 = 0, 𝜃 = 0, 𝜓 = 0 at
𝑡 = 0.
 Scissors
 Pugachev’s Cobra
 Hineri-komi
Of course to be able to answer this question you need to search for this maneuvers
on internet. There are many videos that you can easily access.
Hand drawn plots are fine. Be precise such that for a single maneuver time-instants
for the changes in the angles are matching.

2) (25 pts) Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) are used to measure the accelerations
and angular rates for an aircraft in sensor frame. Since we know the sensor placement
with respect to the aircraft body axis, these measurements can be easily transformed
into body axis.
One of the high precision IMUs is placed within the center of mass of the aircraft. For
this aircraft, if the aircraft is on ground flat surface the accelerometer measurements
would be 𝑓𝑏 = [0 0 𝑔] in body axis, where g is the gravity acceleration. However, in
sensor axis the accelerometer measurements are
𝑓𝑠 = [0.0694𝑔 −0.1045𝑔 0.9921𝑔].
You are sure that the x axis of the IMU itself is within the (𝑥𝑏 , 𝑧𝑏 ) plane. So there are
two rotations as the sensor is slightly pitched up (or down) and rolled. See the below
Middle East Technical University Department of Aerospace Engineering
AE372 Spring 2022

figure as well (note that the rotations might be positive or negative, so the figure is just
a representation.

a) Find the sensor alignment matrix (or the transformation matrix from sensor
frame to body frame).
b) At another instant, when the aircraft is flying the accelerometer measurements
read as
𝑓𝑠 = [2.005𝑔 0.055𝑔 0.98𝑔]

in sensor axis. What is the acceleration of the aircraft in body axis?

3) (25 pts) The “angular_rate.mat” file includes the true body angular rates (with
respect to inertial frame) for a Saab JAS 39 Gripen aircraft during approximately 15s
of scissor maneuver. The data is collected for a sampling rate of 0.02s starting at 𝑡 =
0 and its unit is rad/s.
If the initial Euler angles (at 𝑡 = 0) are 𝜙 = 0° , 𝜃 = 1.9858° and 𝜓 = 0° find the Euler
angles for the rest of the maneuver and plot vs time.
Briefly discuss if they are matching with your expectation considering the specific
maneuver the aircraft is making.
4) (25 pts) At 𝑡 = 10.8𝑠 the aircraft velocity is measured as 𝑀 = 0.4592. Find the body
frame velocity components if 𝛼 = 20.1° and 𝛽 = −3.124°. What is the velocity vector in
vehicle carried coordinate system?