Maneuvers During Automatic Formation Flight of Transport Aircraft for Fuel Savings

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
André Kaden ◽  
Robert Luckner
Keyword(s):  
Formation Flight ◽  
Transport Aircraft ◽  
Fuel Savings ◽  
Automatic Formation

Investigation on the benefit of formation flight with a focus on the leading and trailing aircraft rotation

2018 ◽  
Vol 90 (9) ◽  
pp. 1421-1427
Author(s):  
Yaolong Liu ◽  
Yaoming Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Fuel Efficiency ◽  
Formation Flight ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mission Analysis ◽  
Transport Aircraft ◽  
Fuel Savings ◽  
Fuel Burn ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the potential advantages of aircraft formation flight (FF) and to exploit further benefits through exchanging the leading positions. Design/methodology/approach The detailed and robust methodologies concerning FF mission analysis including the leading aircraft rotation strategies are developed in this paper to study the fuel burn benefit and the additional bonus of formation rotation. Findings Switch of FF leading positions can offset the undesired weight ratios between the leading and trailing aircraft within FF missions, which further alleviates the deviations from design flight conditions. The case studies on two long-range civil transport aircraft in FF show that the leading and trailing aircraft can achieve almost equal fuel benefit through rotations. As compared to FF without rotation, the fuel efficiency can be improved by more than 11 per cent. Research limitations/implications The work can bring benefit the research communities as a fundamental basis for operational studies of FF, such as FF airspace management in the future, which is significant for a future real-world implementation of FFs. Practical implications According to the authors’ study, equal or quasi-equal fuel savings can be achieved if the rotation is properly arranged. For the real-world FF application, fuel consumption (FC) or cost redistribution problem for leading and trailing aircraft belonging to two different operating airlines can therefore be resolved through the concept proposed by the paper. Originality/value The methods developed in the paper have the advantage to give more reliable estimations of the achievable fuel burn savings of FF. The concept proposed in the paper has significant meaning with respect to offset the undesired weight ratios between the leading and trailing aircraft within FF missions and redistributing FC or cost redistribution of different operating airlines.

Automatic formation flight control

1994 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 1380-1383 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Pachter ◽  
J. J. D'Azzo ◽  
J. L. Dargan
Keyword(s):  
Flight Control ◽  
Formation Flight ◽  
Automatic Formation

scholarly journals Formation flight investigation for highly efficient future civil transport aircraft

2016 ◽  
Vol 120 (1229) ◽  
pp. 1081-1100
Author(s):  
G.J. Durango ◽  
C. Lawson ◽  
A.Z. Shahneh
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Formation Flight ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Aerospace Vehicles ◽  
Efficient Operation ◽  
Fuel Savings ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Highly Efficient ◽  
Air Transport Industry ◽  
Near Future

ABSTRACTFormation flight could greatly assist the air transport industry in tackling the challenges of environmental impact, excessive reliance on fuel and overcapacity. Previous studies have shown drag reductions leading to significant fuel savings for aircraft in formation relative to their solo flight. Safety is guaranteed with the use of extended formation distances, and practical implementation issues could be solved in the near future. Since studies so far have focused on existing aircraft configurations and technology, a case study using a strut-braced wing airliner was carried out to ascertain its applicability to less conventional craft. The present results did not indicate such clear-cut benefits. If formation flight is to be successful and beneficial for the next generations of aircraft, it will be vital to consider its interaction with new technologies developed for highly efficient operation, in particular those aimed at reduction of aircraft drag such as laminar flow, and to do so early in the design of aerospace vehicles and wider systems.

Limited Evaluation of the Automatic Formation Flight Controller (Project Solo Form)

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan K. Osteroos ◽  
David L. Ferris ◽  
Jason R. Maddocks ◽  
Ian P. Moreno ◽  
Massismo Sabella
Keyword(s):  
Formation Flight ◽  
Automatic Formation

Design and aerodynamic evaluation of a medium short takeoff and landing tactical transport aircraft

2021 ◽  
pp. 095441002110236
Author(s):  
Pedro D Bravo-Mosquera ◽  
John J Vaca-Rios ◽  
Anny I Diaz-Molina ◽  
María A Amaya-Ospina ◽  
Hernán D Cerón-Muñoz
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Original Design ◽  
Cfd Simulations ◽  
Transport Aircraft ◽  
Fuel Savings ◽  
Moment Coefficient ◽  
Future Production ◽  
Aircraft Performance ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Short Takeoff And Landing

The present article deals with the conceptual design of a new medium short takeoff and landing tactical transport aircraft, which is intended to expand the institutional capabilities of the Colombian Air Force in terms of versatility and flexibility. An original design strategy was developed during the conceptual design, combining classical methodologies and high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. This methodology allowed the aircraft to be assessed in a single design space, based on its design requirements, mission, and applicable airworthiness standards. Once obtained a baseline concept, the aerodynamic study focused on the flow around two types of wingtip devices: tip tanks and blended winglets. These devices were designed to optimize the performance capabilities of the aircraft, while keeping simple certification procedures. Wind tunnel experiments and CFD simulations were carried out to evaluate and select the best configuration. Lift, drag, and pitching moment coefficient charts, along with vorticity contours, are presented. Results showed that blended winglets have a significant potential for improving aircraft performance without severe structural weight penalties, allowing additional payload capabilities and/or increased range and fuel savings. Finally, the optimized aircraft is compared to major competitors in order to discuss and highlight its main advantages and feasibility for future production.

Neural network based fuel savings optimization for transport aircraft

1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ching-Fang Lin ◽  
Tie-Jun Yu ◽  
Glenn Gilyard ◽  
Ching-Fang Lin ◽  
Tie-Jun Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Transport Aircraft ◽  
Fuel Savings
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