Use of Flight Simulation To Investigate Aviation Safety Concerns and Stability & Control Analysis of the Mooney Rocket 305 and Cessna 172 Douglas Wilson – Chief Test Pilot Abraham Gutierrez – Chief Systems Engineer Anh Huy Nguyen – Chief Flight Engineer Basil Philip – Advisor Dr. Stearman –Class instructor ASE 463Q Spring 2004
Mooney and Cessna Flight Simulation Investigation Background of the Project Objectives Software Data Comparison Phugoid Mode Phugoid Analysis Summary
Background Mooney Rocket Engine modification to the Mooney M20K - Accident in Bakersfield, CA -Modified engine caused the aircraft to enter a phugoid mode Cessna 172 -Focus is on the Cessna 172H model -Produced in the 1960s -Questions regarding engine power capabilities Background Objectives Software Data Comparison Phugoid Mode Phugoid Analysis Summary
Objectives Look into the background of the two flights in question -Mooney 305 -Cessna 172H Load Accurate versions of flight models onto simulators -X-Plane -Microsoft Flight Simulator Perform test runs at several conditions -Weather Conditions -Plane configurations Compare Radar and Actual Data to determine if Phugoid Mode can be demonstrated Background Objectives Software Data Comparison Phugoid Mode Phugoid Analysis Summary
Software Research - Make sure that the Mooney M20K and the Cessna 172 can be tested in the flight simulator -Make sure the X-Plane software can be modified to wanted characteristic Setup - Adjust the X-Plane software to wanted weather conditions -Connect programs to extract data Tests - Conduct several test to obtain sufficient data for analysis - Verify that the data is obtain is accurate and useful Background Objectives Software Data Comparison Phugoid Mode Phugoid Analysis Summary
Data Comparison Code - Use a Matlab program to analyze our data - Compare our data obtain from our code to the data obtain from previous code Airplane Modifications - Adjust the airplane tail -Compare data obtain from the adjust airplane to the airplane of interest Data Analysis - Analyze velocity versus time of the Mooney M20K at different altitudes & weather - Look for the Phugoid Mode for different conditions Background Objectives Software Data Comparison Phugoid Mode Phugoid Analysis Summary
Phugoid Mode Motivation -Low-frequency, lightly damped oscillation -Aircraft becomes dynamically unstable - Reproduce data to see where phugoid mode occurs to verify if this contributed to the crashes Background Objectives Software Data Comparison Phugoid Mode Phugoid Analysis Summary
Analysis Phugoid Analysis Method -Extract data from simulator and compare with previous results - Use Wavelet and Fourier Transform to see Phugoid mode Background Objectives Software Data Comparison Phugoid Mode Phugoid Analysis Summary Slide taken from ASE 463Q Prospective Presentation
Summary Background Load Models into Flight Simulator and Run Tests Analyze Data and Plot to Compare with Previous Results Background Objectives Software Data Comparison Phugoid Mode Phugoid Analysis Summary