ISTANBUL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

UCK341E Flight Stability and Control

Fall 2016-2017
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Lecturers:
Prof. Emre Koyuncu
Department of Aeronautics Engineering
Istanbul Technical University
Web: cal.uubf.itu.edu.tr/~koyuncu
Email: emre.koyuncu@itu.edu.tr *feel free to stop by my office (room 08)
Prof. Gokhan Inalhan
Department of Aeronautics Engineering
Istanbul Technical University
Email: inalhan@itu.edu.tr
Mr. Oral Barkay
Professional in aeronautics industry
Email: barkay@me.com
TAs and RAs:
Mr. Mevlut Uzun (uzunm@itu.edu.tr) and
Mr. Guney Guner (gunergun@itu.edu.tr)
You can find them at Controls and Avionics Laboratory (UUBF Room 312)
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COURSE DESCRIPTION
To teach fundamentals of Flight Stability and Controls as to provide them with them basics that lead to
analysis of flying and handling characteristics and successful design of automatic flight control systems.
The course focuses on the following topics for the student gain expertise on the fundamentals of flight
stability and controls : Basic definitions of flight mechanics, control and control surfaces. General structure
of flight control systems. Aircraft static and dynamic stability and stability derivatives. Static longitudinal
and lateral stability. Aircraft longitudinal and lateral dynamic equations. Nonlinear dynamic equations.
Linearization of equations. Longitudinal and lateral transfer functions. Longitudinal modes of motion. Short
and long period approximation. Transient response of aircraft dynamic. Basic concept of aircraft control
systems. The types of autopilot. Autopilot design. Design of displacement autopilot by the Root Locus
method. Inner and outer loop concepts. Pitch orientation control system. Root locus analysis. Acceleration
control system. Matlab Simulink simulation of aircraft autopilots.
COURSE MATERIAL

The lecture notes will be provided during class based on:

o Lecture Notes: Gokhan Inalhan, Flight Stability ad Control (Lecture Notes), UUBF, 20062010.
o Jonathan How, Flight Stability ad Control (Lecture Notes), MIT/AA, 2004
Robert C. Nelson Flight Stability and Control, 1998 ISBN : 0-07-115838-3 : This text is available
as an e-book from the library!
Brian L.Stevens, Frank L. Lewis, Aircraft Control and Simulation, 2003, Second Edition, ISBN: 0471-37145-9 : Highly recommended for future Aerospace GNC studies

Bernard Etkin, Dynamics of Flight: Stability and Control, 3rd Edition. New York: John Wiley 2001 :
Classic
Donald Mclean, Automatic Flight Control Systems. New York, Prentice Hall, 1990.
John Blakelock, Automatic Control of Aircraft and Missiles. Second Edition, New York: John
Wiley, 1991.
Thomas R. Yechout et al, Introduction to Aircraft Flight Mechanics, AIAA, 2003.
Bandu N. Pamadi, Performance, Stability, Dynamics and Control of Airplanes, 2004, ISBN :156347-538-9

ACADEMIC ASSESSMENT

Content

Description

Grade

Homework

There will be 4 homework assignments

% 30
handed out every two weeks. Generally, you
will have one week to complete them.

Midterm exam

At 8th or 9th week, in class hour

% 30

Final exam

During final exam weeks

% 40

# Description

Notes

1 Basic definitions of flight mechanics,

control, and control surfaces

2 Aircraft static and dynamic stability and

stability derivatives

3 Aircraft longitudinal and lateral dynamic

equations, nonlinear dynamics

HW1

4 Linearization and transfer functions

5 Longitudinal modes of the motion;

longitudinal stability derivatives, short and
phugoid modes

6 Longitudinal transfer functions , analysis of

transient and steady state responses for
elevator displacement

HW2

7 Basic concepts of the aircraft control

systems; longitudinal autopilot design

8 Types of autopilots and design methods

HW3

9 Displacement autopilots design by root

locus method

10 Design of autopilot by inner and outer

loop concepts

Midterm exam at 8th

or 9th week, in class
hour

11 Pitch and acceleration aircraft control

system design methods

12 cont. Pitch and acceleration aircraft

control system design methods

13 MATLAB and SIMULINK programming in

aircraft dynamic and control systems

HW4

14 MATLAB and SIMULINK programming in

aircraft dynamic and control systems

During final exam

weeks

Final TBA
exam