Contents

⎢⎥
Summary of the equations of motion

Translational Motion:
Angular Motion:
Body angular rate due to an attitude rate:
Attitude rate due to a body rate

With the translational (Eq. (28)) and rotational (Eq. (32)) defined, and the relationship between
the Euler angles and the body rates (Eqs. eq:eulerratetoomega and (17)), fully unconstrained
flight in 6DoF can be described.

In total twelve equations have been derived (body/attitude rates are only three but the matrix is
tough to invert, so I’ll include both versions below) that can describe aircraft position and
attitude in a Newtonian framework:

Translational Motion:

Angular Motion:
⎡U̇ + Q W − R V ⎤

⎡
V̇ + R U − P W

Ẇ + P V − Q U

Ṗ ⋅ Ixx

˙
Q ⋅ Iyy

⎣ Ṙ ⋅ Izz
⎦

Body angular rate due to an attitude rate:

Attitude rate due to a body rate

⎡

⎡ϕ̇ ⎤

⎣ ˙⎦
ψ
˙
θ
P

R
⎤

=
=

Q ⋅ R (Izz − Iyy)

P ⋅ R (Ixx − Izz)

P ⋅ Q (Iyy − Ixx)

⎣
1

0
⎡

0
1

0
−mg sin θ − D cos α + L sin α + T cos θT

cos ϕ

− sin ϕ

sin ϕ tan θ

cos ϕ

sin ϕ

cos θ
mg sin ϕ cos θ + FAY + FTY

mg cos ϕ cos θ − D sin α − L cos α − T sin θT

+
(Ṙ + P ⋅ Q)Ixz⎤

(P
2 2
− R )Ixz

(Q ⋅ R − Ṗ )Ixz⎦

− sin θ

sin ϕ cos θ

cos ϕ cos θ
⎦

cos ϕ

cos θ
⎣

cos ϕ tan θ

− sin ϕ
⎤

⎤ ⎡P ⎤
˙
⎡ ϕ⎤

θ̇

ψ̇

⎦ ⎣ R⎦
⎦

Q
=
⎡

⎣
L

N
⎤

⎦
By Harry Smith
© Copyright 2022.

Aircraft Flight Mechanics by Harry Smith is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at www.aircraftflightmechanics.com.