Flying qualities evaluation of aerial refueling boom with stability augmentation system

Boom refueling is a preferable method for large heavy transport aircraft. During refueling process, a stability augmentation system (SAS) is required to enhance the flying qualities of flying boom. In order to evaluate the performance of SAS, flying quality requirements and evaluation criteria are formulated based on the analysis of the characteristics of boom's attitude motion. Criteria and requirements formulated cover the following aspects: stability, maneuverability, time response, and frequency response. Simulation is conducted contrastively between a boom model with and without SAS. It is concluded that criteria and requirements formulated are capable to evaluate the flying qualities of flying boom, but further researches should be focused on formulating the boundaries of these criteria and requirements.