Department of Aerospace Engineering

Tutorial 3
Aircraft Stability & Control - AE 31004

1. The aerodynamic center of wing-fuselage is located at 0.2c̄ and the center of gravity is at 0.25c̄. Using the
following data, determine the horizontal tail area to give a minimum static margin of 0.08. Cm,f = 0.1CL ,
aw = 0.1/deg, at = 0.08/deg, ǫ = 0.45α, l/c̄ = 2.5, ηt = 0.95, and S = 25m2 .
2. An aircraft with a swept-back wing has the following data: W/S = 2000 N/m2, S = 30 m2 , hcg − hac = −0.15
(c.g. ahead of wing a.c.), Cmf = 0.05 + 0.08CL , Cmac,w = −0.05, Cmac,t = 0, ηt = 0.9, St /S = 0.3, and
lt /c̄ = 2.5.
(a) Determine the tail lift coefficient for steady level flight at a speed of 250 m/s and at sea level.
(b) If CD = 0.025 + 0.05CL2 , what is the approximate trim drag penalty?
3. A canard aircraft has the following data: aw = 0.10/deg, ac = 0.08/deg, Cmac,w = −0.02, hcg − hac = −0.5,
Cmf = 0.1CL , c̄c = 0.3c̄, Cmac,c = −0.015, and Sc = 0.3 S. Determine the distance between the canard and
aerodynamic center and the center of gravity interms of c̄ for a static margin of 0.1. Ignore upwash/downwash
effects for canard and wing.
4. A small transport jet with two high-bypass-ratio turbofan engines and with wing canard design weighs
324720 N . The wing and the canard are mounted so as to have the following properties:

Sw = 88.26 m2, bw = 22.86 m, λw = 0.35, CLw α = 4.3, Cmacw = −0.050, Λw = 150

α0w = −2.00 , iw = 1.50 , lw = 2.62 m, hw = −1.16 m, CD0w = 0.01, CD0 ,Lw = 0.00, ew = 0.95
Sc = 20.35 m2, bc = 10.97 m, λc = 0.35, CLc α = 4.3, Cmacc = −0.050, Λc = 150
α0c = −2.00 , ic = 2.00 , lc = −10.33 m, hc = −1.16 m, CD0c = 0.01, CD0 ,Lc = 0.00, ec = 0.95
W = 324720 N, τc = 0.51, Cmδc = −0.49, ljet = 2.87 m, hjet = 0.73 m, CDL0 = 0.020, CD0 ,L = 0.0, e = 0.67
including the effects of wing up-wash but neglecting effects of the thrust and fuselage,
(a) find the control surface deflection and angle of attack required for trimmed level flight at 9144 meter
(ρ = 0.461 kg/m3) for airspeed of 804.672 kilometers per hour.
(b) Also determine the lift on both the wings and the canard at level trim for the same altitude and airspeeds.
Assume ηc = 1.0. The maximum lift coefficient for the main wing is 1.4. The maximum lift coefficient
of the canard varies with control surface deflection according to CLc max = 1.4 + 0.955δc where δc is in
radians.
(c) Estimate the maximum total lift coefficient and minimum airspeed. Consider maximum total lift coef-
ficient and minimum airspeed to be that for trimmed flight when either the wing or canard carries its
maximum lift.
(d) Find the location of the most forward C.G. that can be trimmed assuming free flight.
First derive suitable expression and then solve the problem. All the distances are measured from a point on
the reference line rather than from the leading edge of the wing. w stands for the wing and c stands for
the canard. For example, hc is the height of the canard aerodynamic center from the fuselage reference line.
Similarly, lc is the distance of the aerodynamic center of the canard from the reference point on the fuselage
C2
reference line. b stands for the span of wing or canard. CDw = CD0w + CD0,Lw CLw + πewLA w
w
. The above
expression holds for the canard also. λc and λw are the taper ratio of the canard and the wing respectively.
α0c and α0w is the zero lift angle of attack for the canard and wing respectively. ew and ec are the efficiency
factor of the wing and canard. Aw and Ac are the aspect ratio of the wing and canard respectively. Use the
same relation for up-wash as used for the down-wash. All the distances are measured from the C.G. which is
the reference point in this case. The last three terms in the above data are due to jet and may be neglected.
Assume that down-wash or up-wash rate is 2C πAR . You can assume any other required information.
Lα

5. An aircraft contains flaps over the wings. Assuming the down-wash due to the flaps to be linear find the
exact expression (not approximate one) for the stick fixed and stick free stability margin using the part by
part addition from different surfaces. Neglect the fuselage and thrust contribution.
6. A small aircraft has the following characteristics: tail volume ratio V̄1 = 0.5, pitching moment coefficient

about
the aerodynamic center at zero lift is Cmac = −0.05, the wing lift coefficient is CLw = 0.08 αw + 20 , for the
∂ǫ
symmetrical tail plane CLt = 0.05αs + 0.017δe where the angles are in degree. At the tail plane ∂α = 0.35,
tail efficiency factor ηt = 0.90, and the wing loading w = 1530 N m−2. In this condition the static margin
is required to be 0.12. You can neglect the fuselage contribution. On landing, flaps are used which give a
stalling speed of 20.7 ms−1 , the operation of the flaps increases the normal maximum lift coefficient by 1.15 at
the same incidence. The corresponding increment in the pitching moment coefficient is −0.13. Estimate the
tail-setting angle required if the elevator deflection at the stalling speed is to be 100 up. Also calculate with
this tail-setting angle, the elevator angle to trim when the aircraft is cruising at 76.2 ms−1 TAS at 3048m
(σ = 0.738). Comment on the effect of pitching control of varying the static margin. Assume CL = CLw ,
iw = 0, ans ǫ0 = 0. Flap defection does not affect the aerodynamic center of the wing, but changes the zero
lift pitching moment of the wing because of camber change. You can work by approximate method. Sea level
density of air is 1.225 kg/m3.
7. The following data apply to a 1/25 scale wind tunnel model of a transport airplane. The full scale mass of the
aircraft is 22680 kg. Assume that aerodynamic data can be applied at the full scale. For level unaccelerated
flight at V = 123 m/s of the full scale aircraft, under the assumption that the propulsion effect can be neglected
(a) Find the limits on tail setting angle it and CG position hcg imposed by the conditions Cm0 > 0 and
Cmα < 0.
(b) For trimmed flight with δe = 0, plot it vs. hcg for the aircraft and indicate where this line meets the
boundaries of part (a).
Given wing area S = 0.139 m2, wing mean aerodynamic chord c̄ = 15.61 cm, lt = 38.84 cm, tail area St =
∂ǫ
0.0342 m2, awb = 0.077/deg, at = 0.064/deg, ǫ0 = 0.720 , ∂α = 0.30, Cmac,wb = −0.018.

8. The following data relate to an airplane in which the tail volume ratio is 0.55, and the arm of the tail plane lift
is 7.6 m. For the wing the area is S = 39 m2, and ∂C
∂α = 4.6/rad. For the tail plane , the area is St = 4.65 m ,
L 2
∂CLt ∂CH ∂CH ∂ǫ
∂δe = 1.9/rad, ∂δe = −0.013, ∂αt = −0.008, ∂α = 0.39. Assume tail efficiency ηt = 0.98. Find the
movement of neutral point on freeing the stick.
′
9. Derive the exact expression for the stick free pitching moment curve slope with respect to alpha i.e. Cmα
using the equation for the pitching moment where the contributions of the wing, fuselage, and tail are taken
separately.

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