Search results

THE problem of designing an aircraft so that the pilot is able easily to regain and maintain control following the sudden failure of an engine has been for some years a serious one. It is thought that an elementary description of the aerodynamics of the problem and of the flight tests which are made to assess a particular aircraft may be of interest. The equally important problem of ensuring adequate performance after an engine failure is not discussed here.

THE Funk Gerat 10 equipment is the latest standardized type, and is installed in all the later bombers and reconnaissance machines of the Luftwaffe.

Chadderton, England — the home of British Aerospace PLC (BAe), the British company which plays an important role in the Airbus project as designer and builder of the wings for A300, A310, A320 and A340 aircraft. The wings are designed at BAe, Filton, prior to machining at Chadderton, following which assembly is undertaken at BAe in Chester. The company has a one‐fifth share in the Airbus business representing £1 billion turnover and with orders and deliveries for the aircraft approaching 900, the importance of Airbus to the plant is continuing to increase.

THE production of a glider presents problems that are similar in many respects to those found in the production of any other type of aircraft. The position in the case of the glider is simplified by the absence of such parts as the engine and the various equipment associated with it, and also the elaborate undercarriage installation. It is, however, complicated by the relatively large overall size of the aircraft as compared with an equivalent power machine.

Information given applies to the Marks 1 to 5, the illustrations showing the Proctor 5. Differences between the Mk. 5 and earlier Mks. are described and, where possible, related to the illustrations. Information applies to all Marks unless otherwise stated.

THE Twenty‐fourth S.B.A.C. Flying Display and Exhibition to be held at Farnborough during the week Monday,September 7, to Sunday, September 13, promises to be the most interesting ever held. This is in part due to the decision taken in 1962 not to hold an S.B.A.C. Show in the summer of 1963, and partly the result of the effort now being concentrated upon the Concord supersonic airliner project, the TSR‐2 supersonic strike and reconnaissance bomber, the Hawker Siddeley P. 1154 V/STOL fighter, two new research aircraft and a whole range of new transport aircraft. Apart from the models and displays which will be mounted by the major airframe and engine manufacturers demonstrating their own involvement with these projects and programmes, the stands of the Associate Members of the Society of British Aerospace Companies will abound with examples of materials, techniques and equipment which these companies are producing in support of the latest programmes—notably TSR.2 and Concord.

The Westland Lynx helicopter is a particularly fine example of the use of advanced fan technology in modern aircraft applications. The firm of Airscrew Howden have come a long way from their original manufacture of the wooden ‘prop’ but they still continue to play a very essential part in all types of aircraft flying today; this takes the form of sophisticated fan designs to cover a wide variety of special air‐movement requirements that can arise in this sector.

Details of the Hydraulic, Engine Control, Electrical, Fire Protection, Flight Control, Air Conditioning and Cabin Pressurization, Ice and Rain Protection, Radio and Auxiliary Power Plant Systems. IN order that high utilization rates and low maintenance costs may be achieved it was necessary to match the fail‐safe, long‐life structure of the HS.748 to trouble‐free systems. The system design philosophy adopted on the Hawker Siddeley 748 was ‘avoid complication and use proven components wherever possible’. This approach together with a layout whereby external access is provided to all systems has produced easy and almost trouble‐free maintenance. The majority of the system components are installed under the cabin floor and are grouped as shown in Fig. 1. Access is through the landing gear doors or four large quick release elliptical access panels enabling all trades to work on the aircraft at the same time.

The purpose of this paper is to present an approach to a polar graph measurement by a flight testing technique and to propose a baseline research method for future tests of UAV polar graphs. The method presented can be used to demonstrate a conceptual and preliminary design process using a scaled, unmanned configuration. This shows how results of experimental flight tests using a scaled flying airframe may be described and analysed before manufacturing the full scale aircraft.

During the research, the flight tests were conducted for two aerodynamic configurations of a small UAV. This allowed the investigation of the influence of winglets and classic vertical stabilizers on the platform stability, performance and therefore polar graphs of a small unmanned aircraft.

A methodology of flight tests for the assessment of a small UAV’s polar graph has been proposed, performed and assessed. Two aerodynamic configurations were tested, and it was found that directional stability had a large influence on the UAV’s performance. A correlation between the speed and inclination of the altitude graph was found – i.e. the higher the flight speed, the steeper the altitude graph (higher descent speed, steeper flight path angle). This could be considered as a basic verification that the recorded data have a physical sense.

The polar graph and therefore glide ratio of the aircraft is a major factor for determining its performance and power required for flight. Using the right flight test procedure can speed-up the process of measuring glide ratio, making it easier, faster, robust, more effective and accurate in future research of novel, especially unorthodox configurations. This paper also can be useful for the proper selection of requirements and preliminary design parameters for making the design process more economically effective.

This paper presents a very efficient method of assessing the design parameters of UAVs, especially the polar graph, in an early stage of the design process. Aircraft designers and producers have been widely performing flight testing for years. However, these procedures and practical customs are usually not wide spread and very often are treated as the company’s “know how”. Results presented in this paper are original, relatively easily be repeated and checked. They may be used either by professionals, highly motivated individuals and representatives of small companies or also by ambitious amateurs.