Simulator Study of Flight Characteristics of a Large Twin-Fuselage Cargo Transport Airplane During Approach and Landing

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Simulator Study of Flight Characteristics of a Large Twin-Fuselage Cargo Transport Airplane During Approach and Landing

W. D. Grantham / P. L. Deal / G. L. Keyser / P. M. Smith

A six degree-of-freedom, ground-based simulator study was conducted to evaluate the low speed flight characteristics of a twin fuselage cargo transport airplane and to compare these characteristics with those of a large, single fuselage (reference) transport configuration which was similar to the Lockheed C-5C airplane. The primary piloting task was the approach and landing. The results indicated that in order to achieve 'acceptable' low speed handling qualities on the twin fuselage concept, considerable stability and control augmentation was required, and although the augmented airplane could be landed safely under adverse conditions, the roll performance of the aircraft had to be improved appreciably before the handling qualities were rated as being 'satisfactory.' These ground-based simulation results indicated that a value of t sub phi = 30 (time required to bank 30 deg) less than 6 sec should result in 'acceptable' roll response characteristics, and when t sub phi = 30 is less than 3.8 sec, 'satisfactory' roll response should be attainable on such large and unusually configured aircraft as the subject twin fuselage cargo transport concept.