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Unit of study_

AERO5560: Flight Mechanics 2

2025 unit information

This unit aims to develop an understanding of the application of flight mechanics principles to modern aircraft systems. Students will gain skills in problem solving in the areas of dynamic aircraft behaviour, aircraft sensitivity to wind gusts, control systems development and aircraft handling analysis. At the end of this unit students will be able to: understand the nature of an aircraft's response to control inputs and atmospheric disturbances, including the roles of the various modes of motion; analyse an aircraft's response to control inputs in the frequency domain using Laplace Transforms and Transfer Function representations; represent and model wind gust distributions using stochastic methods (Power Spectral Density); analyse an aircraft's response to disturbances (wind gust inputs) by combining Transfer Function representations with gust PSD's; understand the principles of stability augmentation systems and autopilot control systems in aircraft operation, their functions and purposes; understand basic feedback control systems and classical frequency domain loop analysis; understand the characteristics of closed loop system responses; understand the characteristics of PID, Lead, Lag and Lead-Lag compensators, and to be competent in designing suitable compensators using Bode and Root-locus design techniques; design multi-loop control and guidance systems and understand the reasons for their structures.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Engineering

Study level Postgraduate
Academic unit Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
? 
(AERO3560 or AERO8560 or AERO9560) and (AMME3500 or AMME8501 or AMME9501)
Corequisites:
? 
None
Prohibitions:
? 
AERO4560
Assumed knowledge:
? 
Basic principles of engineering mechanics and system dynamics that underpin this unit; the specifics of aircraft flight dynamics and stability; and basic system theory and control system synthesis techniques. AMME2500/8500/9500 develops the basic principles of engineering mechanics and system dynamics that underpin this course. AERO3560/8560/9560 Flight Mechanics 1 develops the specifics of aircraft flight dynamics and stability. AMME3500/8501/9501 Systems control covers basic system theory and control system synthesis techniques.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. develop the ability to work as a member of a team and to take responsibility for the meeting of project goals and completion of project sub-tasks. Communicate with team members to negotiate strategies to satisfy project requirements
  • LO2. programme in Matlab to analyse dynamic aircraft behaviour, aircraft sensitivity to wind gusts, control system development and aircraft handling analysis
  • LO3. develop skills in the preparation and presentation of analytical and design reports to standards expected in industry
  • LO4. understand the nature of an aircraft’s response to control inputs and atmospheric disturbances, including the roles of the various modes of motion
  • LO5. analyse an aircraft’s response to control inputs in the frequency domain using laplace transforms and transfer function representations
  • LO6. represent and model wind gust distributions using stochastic methods (power spectral density). Analyse an aircraft’s response to disturbances (wind gust inputs) by combining transfer function representations with gust PSD’s
  • LO7. understand the principles of stability augmentation systems and autopilot control systems in aircraft operation, their functions and purposes
  • LO8. understand basic feedback control systems and classical frequency domain loop analysis
  • LO9. understand the characteristics of closed loop system responses
  • LO10. understand the characteristics of PID, Lead, Lag and Lead-Lag compensators, and be competent in designing suitable compensators using Bode and Root-locus design techniques. Design multi-loop control and guidance systems and understand the reasons for their structures.

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2024
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2025
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
There are no availabilities for previous years.

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Modes of attendance (MoA)

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