Simulation and prototyping of FCS for sport aircraft

Abstract

Purpose: – The presented paper aims to describe the general idea, simulations and prototyping process of an assisting flight control system (FCS) for light sport aircraft (LSA). The proposed FCS framework is intended to simplify piloting, reduce pilot workload, and improve system's reliability and handling qualities of manual flying. Design/methodology/approach: – Assisting flight control strategy integrates mechanical and digital FCS into a synergic platform, combining the high reliability of mechanical controls with the computation and actuation power introduced through a single line digital FCS. Concepts drawn from classical control theory along with flight envelope protection algorithms have been used throughout the design of the flight control laws. A prototype of the assisting FCS has been subjected to validation trials during series of hardware-in-the-loop simulations. Findings: – Despite controversies between the pilots' perception of a modern aircraft and limitations imposed by the legacy airworthiness codes, it has been shown that a pilot assisting and workload reducing control system can be successfully implemented on board of a LSA while satisfying the expectations on a state-of-the-art equipment meeting required level of safety defined by the current legislation. Research limitations/implications: – A transition between specific flight modes as well as nonlinearities in the FCS may lead to unfavorable and unpredictable forms of aircraft-pilot interactions. The number of accessible flight control modes should be therefore limited to the most significant ones. Practical implications: – Sport aircraft are mostly flown by a single pilot, who could benefit from the pilot assisting FCS as the system has the potential to supervise the aircraft's safe operation in various flight conditions. Originality/value: – Introducing an assisting FCS on board of a LSA through an innovative approach which utilizes hidden and unused resources of modern digital automatic FCSs while respecting the limitations imposed through the weight and cost sensitive nature of the LSA market.