On determining the flyability of airplane rectilinear trajectories at constant velocity
Gilles Labonté · Advances in aircraft and spacecraft science · 2018
This work is concerned with the motion of propeller driven airplanes, flying at constant velocity on ascending or descending rectilinear trajectories. Its purpose is to provide important features of rectilinear flights that are required for airplane trajectory planning but that cannot be found already published. It presents a method for calculating the amount of fuel used, the restrictions on the trajectory parameters, as inclination and speed, which result from the load factor, the lift coefficient, the positivity and upper boundedness of the power available. It presents a complete discussion of both ascending and descending flights, including gliding. Some original remarks are made about the parameters of gliding. It shows how to construct tables of parameters allowing to identify rapidly flyable trajectories. Sample calculations are shown for the Cessna 182 and a Silver Fox like unmanned aerial vehicle.