Computing an Aircraft's Gliding Range and Minimal Return Altitude in Presence of Obstacles and Wind

Fuente: arXiv
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Autor principal: Piccioli, Giovanni
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2024
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author Piccioli, Giovanni
author_facet Piccioli, Giovanni
contents In the event of a total loss of thrust, a pilot must identify a reachable landing site and subsequently execute a forced landing. To do so, they must estimate which region on the ground can be reached safely in gliding flight. We call this the gliding reachable region (GRR). To compute the GRR, we employ an optimal control formulation aiming to reach a point in space while minimizing altitude loss. A simplified model of the aircraft's dynamics is used, where the effect of turns is neglected. The resulting equations are discretized on a grid and solved numerically. Our algorithm for computing the GRR is fast enough to run in real time during flight, it accounts for ground obstacles and wind, and for each point in the GRR it outputs the path to reach it with minimal loss of altitude. A related problem is estimating the minimal altitude an aircraft needs in order to glide to a given airfield in the presence of obstacles. This information enables pilots to plan routes that always have an airport within gliding distance. We formalize this problem using an optimal control formulation based on the same aircraft dynamics model. The resulting equations are solved with a second algorithm that outputs the minimal re-entry altitude and the paths to reach the airfield from any position while avoiding obstacles. The algorithms we develop are based on the Ordered Upwind Method and the Fast Marching Method.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2407_18056
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Computing an Aircraft's Gliding Range and Minimal Return Altitude in Presence of Obstacles and Wind
Piccioli, Giovanni
Optimization and Control
Numerical Analysis
Systems and Control
In the event of a total loss of thrust, a pilot must identify a reachable landing site and subsequently execute a forced landing. To do so, they must estimate which region on the ground can be reached safely in gliding flight. We call this the gliding reachable region (GRR). To compute the GRR, we employ an optimal control formulation aiming to reach a point in space while minimizing altitude loss. A simplified model of the aircraft's dynamics is used, where the effect of turns is neglected. The resulting equations are discretized on a grid and solved numerically. Our algorithm for computing the GRR is fast enough to run in real time during flight, it accounts for ground obstacles and wind, and for each point in the GRR it outputs the path to reach it with minimal loss of altitude. A related problem is estimating the minimal altitude an aircraft needs in order to glide to a given airfield in the presence of obstacles. This information enables pilots to plan routes that always have an airport within gliding distance. We formalize this problem using an optimal control formulation based on the same aircraft dynamics model. The resulting equations are solved with a second algorithm that outputs the minimal re-entry altitude and the paths to reach the airfield from any position while avoiding obstacles. The algorithms we develop are based on the Ordered Upwind Method and the Fast Marching Method.
title Computing an Aircraft's Gliding Range and Minimal Return Altitude in Presence of Obstacles and Wind
topic Optimization and Control
Numerical Analysis
Systems and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.18056