Flight performance - Horizontal flight

9 important questions on Flight performance - Horizontal flight

What is steady flight?

Flight in which the forces and moments acting on the aircraft do not vary in time, neither in magnitude, nor in direction (dV/dt = 0)

What is horizontal flight?

The aircraft remains at a constant altitude (gamma = 0)

What is symmetric flight?

Flight in which both the angle of sideslip is zero and the plane of symmetry of the aircraft is perpendicular to the earth (Beta=0 and the aircraft is not turning)
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What are the equations of motion again and how can we change it if we look at steady horizontal symmetric flight?

.dV/dt = 0
γ =0 so   sin (γ) = 0     cos(γ)=1

dγ/dt = 0   cause γ is constant
αt = 0   so  con(αt) = 1    sin(αt)=0

so we get:
F||v : T = D
F_|v : L=W

How do you calculate minimum airspeed?

Cl = Clmax (maximum lift)

T = D
L = W

W = 1/2 * Cl * ρ  * V^2 *S

V = sqrt( W/S * 2/ρ   *  1/Clmax)

What is specific range and how do you calculate it?

Distance coverd per kg of fuel.

--> Optimize this

How can you calculate the fuel flow?

Assumption:

Cp is constant
η is constant

How can the range be maximized?

We assumed η and cp are constant

V/F = ηi / Cp D  ~  1/D

--> Maximize Range

(V/F)max = (1/D)max

so Dmin

How can the pilot know how to fly at optimum for flight range?

Cl_optimum into the equation of motion to get a Voptimum --> pilot has velocity meter

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