Practical Methods for Aircraft and Rotorcraft Flight Control Design
An Optimization-Based Approach

Reducing the theoretical methods of flight control to design practice, Practical Methods for Aircraft and Rotorcraft Flight Control Design: An Optimization-Based Approach compiles the authors’ extensive experience and lessons learned into a single comprehensive resource for both academics and working flight control engineers.

Concepts Discussed:
- Historical flight control design case studies and lessons learned, and best practices in selecting control law architecture, specifications, and simulation modeling.
- Multi-objective parametric optimization design approach, with a focus on how to apply this method to both simple case studies and real-world piloted simulation and flight-test examples.
- Optimization of classical and modern MIMO control design methods to meet a common set of design requirements and compare the resulting performance and robustness.

Special Features:
- Step-by-step illustrations of all methods using practical case studies covering the entire design cycle, from selection of design specifications and simulation model to optimization results and robustness analysis.
- Specific guidelines for specification selection, simulation modeling, control design rules of thumb, robustness analysis, nested-loop architecture optimization, and design margin optimization.
- Extensive problem sets and a solution guide for classrooms or self-study, giving hands-on real-world experience with methods and results. Student version of CONDUIT® for exercises is included.

- Chapter 1. Introduction
- Chapter 2. Fundamentals of Control System Design Methodology Based on Multi-Objective Parametric Optimization
- Chapter 3. Overview of CONDUIT® Software
- Chapter 4. Description of XV-15 Design Case Studies
- Chapter 5. Quantitative Design Requirements for Flight Control
- Chapter 6. Simulation Requirements for Flight Control Design
- Chapter 5. Conceptual and Preliminary Design
- Chapter 8. Design Optimization
- Chapter 9. Sensitivity and Robustness Analyses of Design
- Chapter 10. Design Trade-offs and Piloted Feedback
- Chapter 11. Practical Application of Multi-Objective Parameter Optimization to Hover/Low-Speed Control Laws for a Conventional Helicopter
- Chapter 12. Practical Application of Multi-Objective Parameter Optimization to Longitudinal Control Law for A Business Jet Flight Control System
- Chapter 13. Alternative Design Methods Using CONDUIT®
- Appendix A. Specifications
- Appendix B. Summary of Suggested Guidelines
- Appendix C. Exercises

Mark B. Tischler leads research and flight testing in system identification, control system optimization, handling-qualities, and flight simulation covering manned and unmanned vehicles.