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Principles of Flight ATPL Chapter 10 (Stability and Control)
Principles of Flight ATPL Chapter 10 (Stability and Control)
֎ Proper response to the controls so that it may achieve its design performance with adequate
manoeuvrability.
Static Stability
The type of static stability an aircraft possesses is defined by its initial tendency, following the removal of
some disturbing force.
֎ pilot effort
֎ trim tabs
֎ moving fuel between the wing tanks and an aft located trim tank, or
Wing
The aerodynamic centre is defined as the point on the wing Mean Aerodynamic Chord (MAC) where
the wing pitching moment coefficient does not vary with lift coefficient.
Contribution of the Component Surfaces
Horizontal Tail
֎ Longitudinal dihedral.
Contribution of the Component Surfaces
Longitudinal Dihedral
Downwash
Effect of CG Position
With the CG at the neutral point, all changes in net lift effectively occur at that point and no change in
pitching moment results. The neutral point defines the most aft CG position without static instability.
Contribution of the Component Surfaces
Power Effects
Power effects will be most significant when the aeroplane operates at high power and low airspeeds
such as during approach and while taking off.
Contribution of the Component Surfaces
Power Effects
The momentum change of the slipstream creates a normal force at the plane of the propeller.
The magnitude of the unstable contribution depends on the distance from the CG to the propeller and
is largest at high power and low dynamic pressure.
Contribution of the Component Surfaces
Power Effects
Contribution of the Component Surfaces
Power Effects
The deflection of the slipstream shown by the normal force at the propeller tends
to increase the downwash at the horizontal tail and reduce the contribution to stability.
The induced flow at the horizontal tail of a jet aeroplane is slight and is destabilising when the jet passes
underneath the horizontal tail.
High Lift Devices
High lift devices tend to increase downwash at the tail and reduce the dynamic pressure at the tail,
both of which are destabilizing.
Control Force Stability
the aeroplane static stability is unchanged but the trim lift coefcient is increased.
Control Force Stability
As the CG is moved aft the slope of this line decreases and the decrease
in stability is evident by a given control displacement causing a greater change in trim lift
coefcient.
This is evidence that decreasing stability causes increased controllability and, of
course, increasing stability decreases controllability.
Control Force Stability
If the CG location is ahead of the neutral point and control position is directly related to surface
deflection, the aeroplane will give evidence of stick position stability. In other words, the
aeroplane will require the stick to be moved aft to increase the angle of atack and trim at a
lower airspeed and to be moved forward to decrease the angle of atack and trim at a higher
airspeed.
Control Force Stability
When the aeroplane is properly trimmed, a push force is required to increase airspeed
and a pull force is required to decrease airspeed. In this manner, the aeroplane would have
positive stick force stability with a stable “feel” for airspeed.
Control Force Stability
If the CG is aft of the neutral point, stick force instability will exist,
e.g. the aeroplane will require a push force at a lower speed or a pull
force at a higher speed.
Manoeuvre Stability
The CG position when the tail moment would be the same as the wing moment
during manoeuvring is known as the manoeuvre point and this “neutral
point” will be further aft than for 1g flight.
Stick Force Per ‘g’
The pitch damping of the aeroplane is related to air density. At high altitudes, the high TAS
reduces the change in tail angle of attack for a given pitching velocity and reduces the pitch
damping.
Increasing altitude at a constant IAS, decreases aerodynamic damping.
Tailoring Control Forces
Down Spring
The down spring would provide improvement in airspeed stick force stability.
But the manoeuvring stick force stability would be unchanged.
Tailoring Control Forces
Bobweight
The bobweight will increase the airspeed stick force gradient and increase the
feel for airspeed.
The bobweight also has an effect on the manoeuvring stick force gradient since the bobweight
mass is subjected to the same acceleration as the aeroplane.
Longitudinal Control
The lower limits of controllability will set the upper limits of static stability.
Take – off Control Requirement
To balance these two nose down moments (by friction) , the horizontal tail must be capable of
producing a nose up moment big enough to attain the takeoff atitude at the specifed speed.
Landing Control Requirement
A wing in proximity to the ground will experience a decrease in tip vortices and downwash.
The decrease in downwash at the tail tends to increase the static stability and produce a nose
down moment from the reduction in download on the tail.
As an example of ground effect, a typical propeller powered aeroplane may require as much as
15° more up elevator to trim at CL MAX in ground effect than in free flight.
Dynamic stability
Dynamic Stability
Dynamic instability
Dynamic Stability
When natural aerodynamic damping cannot be obtained, artificial damping must be provided to give
the necessary positive dynamic stability.
Dynamic Stability
Fuselage
Contribution of the Aeroplane Components
The effectiveness of dorsal and ventral fns increases with increasing sideslip angle, so that the
combination of a fuselage with dorsal or ventral fn is stable at large sideslip angles.
Contribution of the Aeroplane Components
Fin
The fin (vertical stabiliser) is the major source of directional stability for the aeroplane.
Contribution of the Aeroplane Components
Engine nacelles on the wings produce a contribution that will depend on such factors as their size and
position and the shape of the wing planform.
Contribution of the Aeroplane Components
Contribution of the Aeroplane Components
Power Effect
The general effect of power is destabilising and the greatest contribution will occur at
high power and low dynamic pressure.
Contribution of the Aeroplane Components
When the aeroplane is at a high AoA a decrease in static directional stability can be anticipated..
(reduces the effectiveness of fin)
Ventral Fin
Wing
The changes in lift gives a Rolling moment tending to raise the into – wind wing, hence geometrical
dihedral contirbutes a stable role due to sideslip.
Contribution of the Aeroplane Components
Wing Position
Wing Position
A high wing position, on the other hand, usually requires no geometric dihedral at all.
Contribution of the Aeroplane Components
Sweepback
The fin contribution to purely lateral static stability is usually very small.
Contribution of the Aeroplane Components
The ventral fin, being below the aircraft CG, has a negative influence on lateral static stability.
Contribution of the Aeroplane Components
The principal effect which determine the lateral dynamic characteristics of an aeroplane are:
Spiral divergence wil exist when static directional stability is very large when compared to the ‘dihedral
effect’.
Dutch Roll
Dutch roll will occur when the ‘dihedral effect’ is large when compared to static directional stability.
Pilot Induced Oscillation (PIO)
When pilot induced oscillation is encountered, the most effective solution is an immediate release
of the controls. Any atempt to forcibly damp the oscillation simply continues the excitation and
amplifes the oscillation.
Mach Trim
As speed increases beyond the Critical Mach number (MCRIT), shock wave formation at the root of a
swept-back wing will:
To maintain the required stick force gradient at high Mach numbers, a Mach trim system must be fitted.
This device, sensitive to Mach number, may:
move the CG rearwards by transferring fuel from the wings to a rear trim tank.
A Mach trim system will adjust longitudinal trim and operates only at high Mach numbers.