16.

333: Lecture #1

Equilibrium States
Aircraft performance
Introduction to basic terms

Fall 2004

16.333 11

Aircraft Performance
Accelerated horizontal ight balance of forces
Engine thrust T

Lift L ( to V )
Drag D ( to V )

Weight W

mg

T D =m

dV
= 0 for steady ight
dt

and
LW =0

Dene L = 21 V 2SCL where

ct

air density (standard tables)

S gross wing area = c b,

Trailing
edge

c = mean chord
c0
b = 2.s

b = wing span
AR wing aspect ratio = b/c

Sweepback angle k
kc

Q = 12 V 2 dynamic pressure
V = speed relative to the air

Fall 2004

16.333 12

CL lift coecient for low Mach number, CL = CL ( 0)

3 angle of incidence of wind to the wing

3 0 is the angle associated with zero lift

Back to the performance:

1
L = V 2SCL and L = mg
2

2mg
which implies that V = SC
so that
L

1/2

V CL

and we can relate the eect of speed to wing lift

A key number is stall speed, which is the lowest speed that an aircraft
can y steadily

2mg
Vs =
SCLmax

where typically get CLmax at max = 10

Fall 2004

16.333 13

Steady Gliding Flight

Aircraft at a steady glide angle of

Assume forces are in equilibrium

L mg cos = 0
D + mg sin = 0
Gives that

D CD

L
CL
Minimum gliding angle obtained when CD /CL is a minimum
tan =

High L/D gives a low gliding angle

Note: typically
CL2
CD = CDmin +
ARe
where
CDmin is the zero lift (friction/parasitic) drag
2
CL

gives the lift induced drag

e is Oswalds eciency factor 0.7 0.85

(1)
(2)

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16.333 14

Total drag then given by

1 2
1 2
2
D = V SCD = V S CDmin + kCL
2
2
1 2
(mg)2
= V SCDmin + k 1 2
2
2 V S

D
Total
drag

No-lift drag

Lift-dependent
drag
VS

VEmd

VE

So that the speed for minimum drag is

1/4
k
2mg
Vmin drag =
S CDmin

(3)
(4)

Fall 2004

16.333 15

Steady Climb
T-D
L
V

T
D

R/C

Equations:
T D W sin = 0
L W cos = 0
which gives
T D

(5)
(6)

L
cos = 0
sin

so that
tan =

T D
L

Consistent with 13 if T = 0 since then as dened above is negative

Note that for small , tan sin

(T D)V
L
so that the rate of climb is approximately equal to the excess power
available (above that needed to maintain level ight)
R/C = V sin V

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16.333 16

Steady Turn

L sin
L cos

Centrifugal
force

R
Radius of turn

Equations:
L sin = centrifugal force
mV 2
=
R
L cos = W = mg
V2
tan =
Rg

V =R

(8)
(9)

V
g

Note: obtain Rmin at CLmax

WV 2
1 2
Rmin( V SCLmax ) sin =
2
g
Rmin =

(7)

W/S
1/2gCLmax sin max

where W/S is the wing loading and max < 30

(10)

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16.333 17

Dene load factor N = L/mg. i.e. ratio of lift in turn to weight

N = sec = (1 + tan2 )1/2

tan =
N2 1
so that

V2
V2
R=
=
g tan g N 2 1

For a given load factor (wing strength)

R V2

Compare straight level with turning ight

If same light coecient
L
mg
1
CL = 1 2 = 1 2 N mg Vt2S
2
2 V S
2 V S

so that Vt = N V gives the speed increase (more lift)

Note that CL constant CD constant D V 2CD

Tt Dt Vt2CD N D
so that must increase throttle or will descend in the turn

(11)
(12)