Kinematics-based model for stochastic simulation of aircraft operating in the national airspace system

Traditional six degree-of-freedom flight simulations provide a very accurate portrayal of aircraft motion allowing for many aspects of an aircraft’s flight envelope, including those close to the edge of the envelope, to be accurately modeled. In some simulations, especially those that make use of aircraft as only one contributing component of the simulation and only in normal modes of aircraft operation, it may only be necessary to approximate the general motion of aircraft. In this case it is not necessary to study the many intricate forces that act on the airplane body or to solve the associated complex dynamical equations. In this situation, six degree-of-freedom aircraft simulators may add unnecessary complexity. However, it may still be of interest to accurately model different types of aircraft uniquely in order to enable the comparison of different performance and maneuver characteristics for different aircraft in the simulation. The original, kinematics-based model detailed here uses precise flight data collected by the Federal Aviation Administration and provides a satisfactory level of fidelity for a variety of aircraft types. It is especially accurate in representing different aircraft in normal flight regimes (i.e., within the flight envelope, non-emergency, standard operations). This paper presents the general mathematical aircraft formulation, a description of both the pilot and aircraft models and parameters, and an explanation of the concept for and design of a future control system.