Handling Qualities of a Flying V Configuration

Handling Qualities of a Flying V Configuration

Cappuyns, Thibaut (TU Delft Aerospace Engineering; TU Delft Flight Performance and Propulsion)

Vos, Roelof (mentor)
Bender, Klaus (mentor)

Delft University of Technology

Aerospace Engineering

2019-12-17

Generally, performance of aircraft is optimized within the limits of adequate Handling Qualities. The dominant challenges in designing flying wings exist in their paradigm relating stability margin and the effectiveness of controls. The project, undertaken at Airbus Future Projects Office, provides a qualitative assessment of the Handling Qualities of the Flying V concept. The Flying V is an aerodynamically efficient tailless design, based on similar requirements as the Airbus A350-900. Relevant Handling Qualities criteria are selected and a 6 Degrees of Freedom Flight Mechanics Toolbox is set-up. Data was assembled from parametric models. These were utilized to create aero data based on a Vortex Lattice Method and lumped masses model providing the inertia estimation. The same methodology was repeated for a reference aircraft of conventional configuration based on the A350-900. Results revealed the characteristically lower centre of gravity range of flying wings in comparison to conventional configurations. The trivial effects of a shorter tail arm, emphasizing the need for a yaw damper and increased directional control for the Flying V were also reviewed. Lateral-directional controllability were however found to be limited but not insurmountable. Taking into account the limitations of the toolbox, this study concludes that the basic handling characteristics tested of the Flying V's design are favourable.

Flying V
Handling Qualities
Tailless Aircraft
Flight Mechanics
Flight Dynamics

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:69b56494-0731-487a-8e57-cec397452002

2024-12-17

Student theses

master thesis

© 2019 Thibaut Cappuyns