Infotech@Aerospace 2012 AIAA 2012-2595

19 - 21 June 2012, Garden Grove, California

Detailed Flight Performance Analysis of a Fixed Wing UAV

Khayyam Masood 1 and Zhang Wei 2
School of Aeronautics, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, P.R. China

The purpose of this paper is to investigate a method in which 6DOF mathematical

simulation technique is applied for calculation and analysis for the flight performance of
fixed wing UAV in detail. The performance calculating process is automated in segmented
forms of the flight to simulate the whole flight of the UAV applying the features of
commercial software MATLAB. The flight simulation code is made in segmented form
breaking the total flight of the UAV into segments of climb, cruise, loiter and descent of the
UAV. Every segment starts with the initial conditions set by the final conditions of the
previous one. The user can make a whole mission profile in advance by dictating the total
number of segments, the length of each segment or the dictating factors of each segment and
Downloaded by PURDUE UNIVERSITY on January 20, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.2012-2595

type of mission profile. This program can also be used to confirm the point performance
which is calculated by conventional methods and show the true ranges and endurances of
each segment. This method is also used for graphical representation of the actual mission
with a detailed breakdown of each segment. Unlike point performance, the user can check
the performance of the aircraft at any point during the flight and also fly it with different
speeds and altitude within one mission and check the feasibility of the mission. The example
of UAV in this paper is a fixed wing aircraft with the ROTAX 914UL turbofan engine. The
airfoil of the wing is NACA4412, and the typical aero data is generated for this airfoil. The
program includes the engine data, the propeller data, the aircraft mass data and the aero
data in particular. The propeller data is a complex function of velocity of aircraft and power
provided by the engine. The engine data depends on the propeller efficiency, height and
velocity of the aircraft. The aero data also depends on the velocity of the aircraft, thus the
whole program is a complex interdependent simulation and every parameter is carefully
modeled so that singularity in the simulation does not occur. The simulation is designed not
only for the particular UAV but also can be generalized for other UAVs as well by changing
the aircraft data. The features of the simulation include the user friendly technique to find
the performance of any aircraft by just changing the data. It helps in making unlimited
segments of the flight of the UAV to check whether a mission is possible before going on the
mission. It shows that the method in this paper is advantageous in flight performance
analysis in detail for UAV.

Nomenclature
DOF = Degree of freedom
UAV = Unmanned air vehicle
MATLAB = Matrix Laboratory
RPM = Revolutions per minute
Cf = Aerodynamic force coefficient
γ = Climb angle
•
ψ = Turn rate
ϕ = Bank angle
GUI = Graphical User Interface
η prop = Propeller efficiency

1
Post Graduate Student of Flight Vehicle Design, School of Aeronautics, Northwestern Polytechnical University,
Xi’an, P.R. China, AIAA Student Member.
2
Associate Professor in Manufacture Engineering of Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering, School of
Aeronautics, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an, P.R. China.
1
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Copyright © 2012 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved.
 η E −loss = Engine power loss
η Ins−loss = Propeller Installation loss
Rm = Radius of earth
Fengine = Thrust provided by the engine
D = Drag acting on the aircraft
L = Lift acting on the aircraft
Pengine = Engine power delivered
F = Force acting on aircraft
W = Weight of aircraft
m = Mass of aircraft
g = Gravity
a = Acceleration
h = Altitude of aircraft
S = Distance moved by aircraft
Downloaded by PURDUE UNIVERSITY on January 20, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.2012-2595

Sref = Surface Area

Vol = Volume of fuel
V = Velocity of Aircraft
ρ = Density of fuel
q = Dynamic pressure
SFC = Specific fuel consumption

I. Introduction

T HIS work is an effort to develop a simulation to capture the flight performance of a fixed wing UAV including
mission profiling. The UAV model is a fully developed 6DOF program which captures the performance of the
UAV during all phases of flight. The mathematical model of the UAV is a complex program of interdependent
variables computed at every time step during the simulation. The goal of this exercise is to develop a fast and simple
performance tool which can show the flight performance of a UAV in much detail compared to the point
performance technique.
In this paper, a method is explained to calculate the performance of an aircraft with the help of analytical and
experimental data of the aircraft. The UAV has 6DOF and is fully functional in six-dimensions. In addition to
modeling the flight model of the UAV, special attention is given to fly the UAV with desired performance and
constantly checking the failure conditions of the UAV e.g. stalling and running out of fuel.
All the data of UAV including propeller performance, engine performance, structure, atmosphere and aero data
are fully utilized. An effort is made to couple all these data variables which are interdependent on each other to
make a flight program which can show the performance of the UAV in true sense. The whole flight simulation
program is simulated in a close loop. Careful attention is paid in the modeling of the aircraft so that singularity in the
closed loop does not occur. Commercial mathematical software MATLAB/SimuLink is used to model the trajectory
and natural flight of the aircraft. Simulation modeling of mathematical software is used to complete the process.
The flight dynamics parameters, angle of attack and flight path are also extracted at every small interval. These
intermediate properties are also saved for determining the performance evaluation of the UAV. The stalling of the
aircraft is checked at every instant and in case of stall, the mission of the aircraft is said to be failed. Manual mission
profiling is also available for the user so that the feasibility of a mission can be checked before actually going on the
mission. This technique is also helpful in evaluating the actual boundaries of the system at different intervals within
one mission.
The whole process is handled automatically and easily with the proposed technique as compared to the
convenctional methods of checking the performance of the UAV with the help of flight envelope or point
performance. Thus by using this technique, we can easily find out the borderline cases of the UAV performance
which in point performance may be hidden. This yields to understanding the UAV and its performance more
comprehensively and gives a more graphical understanding of the performance of UAV compared with conventional
methods.
The overall advantage of this technique is to develop a performance tool which can show the performance of
UAV in more detail compared to conventional methods and help in mission profiling of the UAV before the actual
flight. Also it can help the user in understanding the performance of the UAV much more easily with the help of
graphical representation of the performance of UAV.

2
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
 II. Previous Approaches
Every new aircraft design starts with the preliminary system requirements including range, endurance and ceiling
of the aircraft. After the initial design is met, the system goes into detail designing which leads to detailed
aerodynamic analysis, structural analysis and control design. Performance analysis of UAV is done a lot in the past.
A good example of the performance calculations is done using point performance for teaching purposes1. Other
works on the flight performance include the 6DOF flight program of a helicopter2, testing and evaluation of aircraft
flight performance3 and sensitivity analysis of UAV4. Besides, the related work on flight performance of aircraft
includes the work by Sweeten5 and Ro6, but both are either limited to point performance or do not show the mission
profiling of the aircraft. This work will give additional information in terms of flight performance of the aircraft and
also the mission profiling with the ease in the hands of the user. A lot of work is found in the literature about the
preliminary designing of aircrafts7 and controller design of aircraft8. Modelling and simulation of UAVs are also
done in the past9, but the approach to the problem is entirely different. The approach is only limited to transition
phases, not including the whole flight of the aircraft.
Close work relating to this technique was done on the Meridian UAV by calculating its performance using
analytical and experimental data5. Flight performance of the aircraft is also calculated in this approach but is limited
Downloaded by PURDUE UNIVERSITY on January 20, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.2012-2595

to point performance of the aircraft, the data gathering technique in the above mentioned paper is similar to what is
done in this research. The data of ROTAX 914UL is taken in the same fashion as is taken in the above research on
Centurion 1.7. Meridian UAV also has sensitivity analysis4 done for its enhancement of flight performance. All of
this work is still unable to show the mission profiling of the aircraft.
Many aerodynamic and modelling equations for this paper are taken from the work done by Zhang10 and
Raymer11. The modelling equations are used to build a user friendly, changeable and improvable performance model
of UAV in case the model has to be improved.
A lot of help in simulation building and understanding of the MATLAB simulation tool can be seen in the work
done by Turevskiy12. Reference to this will also be used later in this paper. Simulink modelling of the aircraft in this
reference is a very good and effective way of modelling a new developing aircraft or UAV. However, extensive use
of SimuLink tools renders the performance program developer to make changes in the system required by developer
as the SimuLink packages are fixed. So the best way for the development of the simulation program for UAV is to
use the SimuLink tools which does not affect the system performance and which are useful, and make the rest of the
program by using the general equations of motions. This yields to changeable and better simulation program,
however this technique is more prone to human error but the advantage of mixing the Simulink blocks with user
created blocks is quite good.
For better understanding of the modelling of performance of the UAV, other work done on the UAVs was also
studied closely13. However, they did not affect the outcome of this research so their details are not mentioned.

III. Establishing of UAV System Parameters

To model the performance of the UAV, it is necessary to evaluate the UAV system parameters before the
performance analysis. The structure data, aero data, engine data and propeller data for the UAV have to be gathered
before performance analysis can be performed. Detail evaluation and data acquisition of the UAV system
parameters are discussed below

A. Determining Structure Parameters of UAV

The structure parameters of UAV are broken down into two portions.
1) Mass breakdown of the system
2) Geometry of the UAV
The mass breakdown of the UAV is discussed in detail in Table 1. The total mass of the system was chosen after
an extensive survey of previous aircrafts with similar type of engine and performance requirement. The mass
breakdown of the fixed wing UAV includes the basic breakdown and calculations of the masses of subsystems of
the aircraft.
System Components Mass in kg
Mass of Fuel 110
Mass of Payload (Camera) 80
Mass of Engine with Propeller14 100
Structure Mass of UAV 250
Total Mass 540
Table 1. Mass breakdown of UAV.
3
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
 The geometry of the particular fixed wing UAV and its details are given in the Table 2. The full body geometry,
as well as the geometry of the wing and tail is also discussed in this table.

Maximum Height Maximum cross- Center of gravity

Body Length (m)
of Aircraft (m) section area (m2) above ground (m)
Body Parameters 6.3 1.1 0.785 1.0
Surface area (m2) Chord length (m) Airfoil Type
Wing Parameters 9.0 1.0 NACA4412 Rectangular
Horizontal tail
1.66 0.7 NACA4412 Rectangular
Parameters
Vertical tail
0.85 0.04 - -
Parameters
Table 2. Geometry breakdown of UAV.
Downloaded by PURDUE UNIVERSITY on January 20, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.2012-2595

B. Aerodynamic data and analysis of UAV

NACA4412 airfoil is used in the wing design of this aircraft. However, the CFD analysis of the whole aircraft
was done in order to calculate the real effective lift and drag coefficients which were calculated as different as the
predicted NACA4412 airfoil lift and drag coefficients. Fig. 1 shows the mesh generated for the analysis of the whole
bird. The results obtained from the CFD analysis are given in Fig.2 and Fig. 3 respectively. The results of Navier
Strokes are used in the performance evaluation of the UAV.
X

Figure 1. CFD Grid of the whole bird.

1.6 0.25
N-S
1.4 AVL
0.2
1.2

1 0.15
Cd
CL

0.8 N-S
0.1 AVL
0.6

0.4
0.05
0.2

0 0
-5 0 5 10 15 20 -5 0 5 10 15 20
Alpha Alpha

Figure 2. Lift coefficient vs Angle of attack (deg). Figure 3. Drag coefficient vs Angle of attack (deg).

4
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
 C. Engine performance and specifications
ROTAX 914UL engine was selected for this aircraft. The engine is shown in the Fig. 4 and the basic details of
the engine are given in Table 3. The engine loss is taken as 5% of the total Power.

General Engine Data

Displacement (cm3) 1211.2
Max Power (hp) 100
Fuel Type AVGAS 100LL
Fuel Consumption (l/hr) 15-27
Compression Ratio 9.0:1
Bore (mm) 79.5
Stroke (mm) 61
Engine Weight
Dry Weight (kg) 75
Engine Dimensions
Downloaded by PURDUE UNIVERSITY on January 20, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.2012-2595

Width x Depth x Height (mm) 531x576x665

Table 3.Basic Data of ROTAX 914UL. Figure 4. ROTAX 914UL Engine.

The performance of the ROTAX 914 is taken from the operators manual of ROTAX 914UL15 and the effect of
altitude on power variance is ROTAX brochure14. The effect of SFC reduction with altitude for ROTAX 914UL was
not found specifically, a generalized SFC reduction was taken from the work done by Schulz16. The performance
curves used for performance evaluation of the system are given in the figures below. Fig. 5 shows the power change
with throttling and also the effect of altitude on Rotax 914UL power, Fig. 6 shows the SFC of the engine and also
the effect of altitude on SFC.
Engine RPM vs Max. Continous Power at different Altitude
80
Altitude = 0 km
Altitude = 2 km
70 Altitude = 4 km
Altitude = 6 km
Max. Continous Power (kW)

Altitude = 8 km
60

50

40

30

20
3000 3500 4000 4500 5000 5500 5800
Engine RPM
Figure 5. Engine RPM and Max. Continous Power

5
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
 Engine RPM vs Fuel Consumption with different Altitude
28
Altitude = 0 km
26 Altitude = 2 km
Altitude = 4 km
Altitude = 6 km
24
Altitude = 8 km

Fuel Consumption (Lit/hr) 22

20

18

16

14

12
Downloaded by PURDUE UNIVERSITY on January 20, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.2012-2595

3000 3500 4000 4500 5000 5500 5800

Engine RPM
Figure 6. Engine RPM and Fuel Consumption.

D. Propeller Detail and Efficiency

The propeller chosen for this UAV is an in-flight hydraulically adjustable, constant speed propeller V534BD, the
manufacturer of this propeller are VZLU Praha. It is a three blade propeller and has a diameter of 1.65m. This
propeller is specifically designed for ROTAX 914 UL. The propeller installation losses are taken as 7 % in addition
to the efficiency of the propeller. The characteristics of this propeller were obtained from results of experiments and
are discussed by Jan17 in his work. The propeller efficiency variation with throttle and airspeed are shown in Fig. 7.
It is assumed in this work that the propeller efficiency is not changing with changing altitude.
Variation of Propeller efficiency wrt Velocity of Aircraft and Throttle condition
90
Throttle = 40 %
85 Throttle = 55 %
80 Throttle = 75 %
Throttle = 100 %
Propeller Efficiency (%age)

75

70

65

60

55

50

45

40

35
50 100 150 200 250 300
Velocity of UAV (km/hr)

Figure 7. Propeller Efficiency wrt Velocity and Thrust variation.

IV. Mathematical and Simulation Modeling

A. Mathematical Model for UAV performance

The mathematical model for calculating the performance of UAV is a combination of non linear set of inter-
related equations. Mathematical model is verified against point performance of UAV for validating the performance
of UAV. The range and endurance at a particular altitude and velocity were matched with point performance and
this technique. The mathematical equations used for modeling the simulation are given below. Mass flow is
calculated from Eq. (1). Calculation of the thrust provided by the engine is shown in Eq. (2). The summation of
forces in x and y direction are shown in Eq. (3) and Eq. (4). The rate of change of climb angle is calculated through
Eq. (5). Eq. (6) shows the calculation of bank angle and Eq.(7) shows how turn rate is calculated for this aircraft. Eq.
(8) shows the set of non-linear equations of motion and Eq. (9) shows the function dependency of different
variables. Eq. (6) and Eq. (7) are only used during the loiter phase and the aircraft is not allowed to bank in other
phases of flight. The remaining set of equations are all used in other phases of flight.
6
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
 • •
m = Vol× ρ Eq. (1)
P 
Fengine = η prop • η E −loss • η Ins −loss •  engine  Eq. (2)
 V 
ΣFx = Fengine cos(α ) − D − W sin γ  D = qS ref C d Eq. (3)
ΣFy = Fengine sin(α ) + L − W cos γ  L = qS ref Cl Eq. (4)
• V  Fengine sin α + L  cos γ
γ= cos γ +   − g Eq. (5)
(h + Rm )  mV  V
( )
ϕ = cos −1 W L Eq. (6)
• tan φ
ψ =g
Downloaded by PURDUE UNIVERSITY on January 20, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.2012-2595

Eq. (7)
V
•
F = ma, m = ∫ m,V = ∫ a, S = ∫ V Eq. (8)
Pengine / SFC = fn(h, throttle ),η prop = fn(V , throttle ), gravity = fn(h ) Eq. (9)

B. Simulation Modeling
For simulating the performance of the UAV, MATLAB coupled with SimuLink is used. MATLAB is basically
used for storing the data and for variable definitions. MATLAB is also used for mission simulation which is done by
calling simulink’s simulations. Also the mission definition is done in MATLAB.
The inputs and outputs of the system are discussed in Table 4. The inputs of the system are defined by the user
before the start of simulation.

Inputs Outputs
Dead mass Range of each Segment / Total Range
Fuel mass Endurance of each Segment / Total Endurance
Lift & Drag coefficient wrt alpha Required angle of attack
Engine Power wrt height & RPM Throttle requirement for the aircraft
Fuel flow rate wrt RPM & Velocity Mass consumed during each segment
Propeller efficiency wrt RPM & Velocity 3D Mission profile
Initial Bank angle (For loiter only) Turn radius (For loiter only)
Climbing and Descending angle of attack Local flight path angle
Gear Ratio of engine Propeller RPM
Density of fuel Turn rate (For loiter only)
Table 4. Inputs and Outputs of the program.

Simulink is used for modeling of equations for UAV. SimuLink has advantage of graphical representation of
equations and also it gives more ease for the programmer to develop the programs in time domain which is the case
in the performance evaluation of UAV. Four different simulation programs are made for the ease of mission
definitions which include climb, cruise, loiter and descent. Different missions can be made with these programs by
calling these simulations again. Similar example of modeling the equations of motion of aircraft in Simulink is
found in the work done by MathWorks12. However, only few equations are selected in this work from the simulation
set for aerospace vehicle from SimuLink. Rest of the equations are modeled mathematically. Fig. 8 shows how
SimuLink in-build blocks were used for ease, Fig. 9 shows the user made blocks and Fig. 10 and Fig. 11 shows the
whole simulation blocks.

7
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
 Figure 8. Atmospheric modeling with help of aerospace blockset.
Downloaded by PURDUE UNIVERSITY on January 20, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.2012-2595

Figure 9. Thrust Calculation of the engine.

Figure 10. Inside simulation model of Acceleration blockset.

8
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Downloaded by PURDUE UNIVERSITY on January 20, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.2012-2595

Figure 11. Main Simulation Block for cruise performance.

V. Simulation Results
A user-made mission was defined using the simulation technique and mathematical model discussed above. The
mission definition and the details of the mission are given in the Fig. 12. The mission complete summary is given in
Table. 4. The mission is distributed in nine segments with segments in the following manner.
Climb→Cruise→Descent→Cruise before loiter→Loiter→Cruise after loiter→Climb→Cruise→Descent

Figure 12. Mission definition of UAV.

9
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
 Cruise Cruise
Cruise Cruise
Parameter Climb Descent before Loiter after Climb Descent
Out Back
loiter loiter
Total Time, hr 0.41 2.45 2.62 2.77 3.77 3.92 4.12 6.0 6.82
Segment
0.41 2.04 0.17 0.15 1.0 0.15 0.2 1.88 0.82
Duration, hr
Total Range,
54 504 532 562 562 592 622.5 1072.5 1184
km
Segment Range
54 450 28 30 562 30 30.5 450 111.5
, km
Initial Mass, kg 540 533 503.5 501 499 485.5 483.5 480 451.25
Final Mass, kg 533 503.5 501 499 485.5 483.5 480 451.25 439
Fuel
Consumption, 7 24.5 2.5 2 13.5 2 3.5 28.75 12.3
kg
Downloaded by PURDUE UNIVERSITY on January 20, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.2012-2595

Initial Height
0.01 7.0 7.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 8.0 8.0
(km)
Final Height
7.0 7.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 8.0 8.0 0.01
(km)
Cruise Velocity
- 220 - 200 200 200 - 240 -
(km/hr)
Total Fuel
101
Consumed, kg
Remaining Fuel 9 (8.9%)
Table 5. Mission summary of fixed wing UAV.

The simulation results of the fixed wing UAV are given in the figure plots below. In simulation, the blue color
denotes the climb, the red color shows cruise, the magenta color denotes descent and the loitering is shown by green
color. Fig. 13 shows the variation of velocity in the whole mission of the aircraft, the black line shows the stall
velocity and is for the confirmation of the mission that it did not stall during the course of flight. Fig. 14 shows the
three dimensional mission of the UAV. Fig. 15 shows the time vs height plot of the aircraft. Fig. 16 shows the thrust
variation with time. Fig. 17 shows the angle of attack variation of the aircraft. Fig. 18 shows the mass variation and
Fig. 19 shows the percentage throttle, Fig. 20 shows the variation of local flight path angle (pitch) with time. Fig. 21
shows the loitering pattern of the aircraft. Fig. 22 shows the variation of propeller efficiency and Fig. 23 shows the
propeller RPM variation with time.
Velocity vs Time plot
250
3-Dimensional mission profile

200
8
Velocity (km/hr)

6
Height (km)

150
4

2
100
0
1.5
Actual Velocity 1500
1
Stall Velocity 1000
50 0.5 500
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Time(hr) Side Range (km) 0 0 Range (km)
Figure 13. Velocity vs Time plot of mission. Figure 14. Three dimensional plot of mission.

10
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
 Height vs Time plot Thrust vs Time plot
8 1.6

7 1.4

6
1.2
5
Height (km)

Thrust (kN)
1
4
0.8
3
0.6
2

1 0.4
Downloaded by PURDUE UNIVERSITY on January 20, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.2012-2595

0 0.2
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Time (hr) Time (hr)
Figure 15. Height vs Time plot of mission. Figure 16. Thrust vs time plot of mission.
Variation of Angle of Attack Mass change wrt Time
7 540

6 520
Angle of Attack (deg)

5
500
Mass (kg)

4
480
3
460
2

1 440

0 420
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Time (hr) Time (hr)
Figure 17. Variation of angle of attack wrt Time. Figure 18. Mass variation of system wrt Time.
Throttling of UAV Flight path angle wrt Time
80 15

70
Local Flight Path Angle (deg)

10
Percentage Throttle (%)

60
5
50
0
40

-5
30

20 -10
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Time (hr) Time (hr)
Figure 19. Throttle variation wrt Time. Figure 20. Flight path angle vs Time plot.
11
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
 Loitering pattern of UAV Propeller efficiency wrt Time
1.4 85

1.2 80

Propeller efficiency (%)

1 75
Side Range (km)

0.8 70

0.6 65

0.4 60

0.2 55
Downloaded by PURDUE UNIVERSITY on January 20, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.2012-2595

0 50
561 561.5 562 562.5 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Range (km) Time (hr)
Figure 21. Loiter pattern of UAV. Figure 22. Propeller efficiency wrt Time plot.

Propeller RPM wrt Time

2200

2100

2000
Propeller RPM (rpm)

1900

1800

1700

1600

1500

1400
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Time (hr)
Figure 23. Propeller RPM variation wrt Time.

VI. Conclusion and Future Work

The technique discussed in this paper is a very effective way of representing a mission profile for a UAV or
aircraft. The verification of the performance of the UAV was cross checked using advance point performance
technique. The results of point performance and simple mission i.e. Climb→Cruise→Descent were closely
comparable. The range and endurance of the aircraft at a particular velocity were matched. The results obtained from
the mission are assumed to be a critical mission for this particular UAV and the success of this mission verifies the
design of the UAV.
The advantage of this technique compared with point performance is the graphical representation of the mission
profile and the number of segments that can be incorporated within a single mission. Point performance technique is
not considered valid if the range is more than 200 km. If the range of the aircraft is more than 200 km, the range
should be calculated in multiple segments for point performance. In this technique, there is no need to break the
overall program into smaller segments since integration is done after every small interval.
Future work in this technique is the development of GUI for the user to create missions as per his requirements.
After the development of GUI, this tool can be used for marketing purposes of UAV. More UAV data, which arises
after the gradual development of design i.e. moment of inertia can be plugged into the program with ease. After
inputting the required data of UAV and linking it with graphical user interface, this technique can also be used for
flight simulation and training for the UAV.
12
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
 Acknowledgments
I, Khayyam Masood, duly acknowledge the special support from Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xian,
China for this project. The prayers of my parents and the support of my family during this endeavor helped me a lot
to complete this project in time.

References
[1] Baughn, J. and Wolf, J., "Teaching Aircraft Flight Performance in Aeronautical Engineering Using PC-Based Flight
Simulation," AIAA Journal. SAE Technical Paper .1998.
[2] Subodh, B., and Richard, C., “Six DoF Dynamic Modeling and Flight Testing of a UAV Helicopter,” AIAA Modeling and
Simulation Technologies Conference and Exhibit. 15-18 Aug 2005.
[3] Burdun, I. and Mavris, D., "A Technique for Testing and Evaluation of Aircraft Flight Performance During Early Design
Phases," SAE Technical Paper 975541, 1997.
[4] David, A. R., Shahriar, K., Benjamin, C. S., and Valerie, J., “Modeling and Sensitivity Analysis of the Meridian Unmanned
Aircraft,” AIAA Infotech@Aerospace 2010 Conference. 20-22 Apr 2010.
[5] Benjamin, C. S., Dave, R., and Shahriar , K., “The Meridian UAV Flight Performance Analysis using Analytical and
Downloaded by PURDUE UNIVERSITY on January 20, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.2012-2595

Experimental Data,” AIAA Infotech@Aerospace Conference, Apr, 2009.

[6] Kapseong, R., and James, W.K., “Flight Performance Analysis of Freewing Tilt-Body Unmanned Aerial Vehicle,” AIAA
Flight Mechanics Conference, Aug, 2005.
[7] Anastasios, P. K., Vangelis, S., and John, A.E., “Design and Analysis of a Light Cargo UAV Prototype,” 4th ANSA & µETA
International Conference. June, 2011.
[8] Shashiprakash, S., and Radhakant, P., “Automatic Path Planning and Control Design for Autonomous Landing of UAVs
using Dynamic Inversion,” American Control Conference, June. 2009, pp. 2409-2414.
[9] Guillermo, H., Alfonso, D., and Anibal, O., “Modeling and Simulation of the HADA Reconfigurable UAV,” Journal of
Intelligent and Robotic System, Vol. 65, Nr. 1-4, 2012, pp. 115-122.
[10] Ke-shi, Z., Zhong-hua, H., and Bi-feng, S., “ Flight Performance Analysis of Hybrid Airship: Revised Analytical
Formulation,” AIAA Journal of Aircraft, Vol. 47, No. 4, 2010, pp 1318-1330.
[11] Daniel, P. Raymer, “Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach,” Published by American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics Inc, Virginia,. Ed. 4th, 2006, pp 515-552.
[12] Arkadiy, T., Stacey, G., and Craig, B., “Model-Based Design of a New Light-weight Aircraft,” AIAA Modeling and
Simulation Technologies Conference and Exhibit, Aug. 2007.
[13] Jack, W. L., "Long Distance/Duration Trajectory Optimization for Small UAVs," AIAA Guidance, Navigation and Controls
Conference, Aug, 2007.
[14] Ed. Leinenweber., “ROTAX Aircraft Engines: Powerful, Light, Efficient,” Published by BRP-Powertrain GmbH & Co.,
Austria, 2012, http://www.rotax-owner.com/pdf/brochure-all.pdf [cited: 30 April 2012].
[15] “ROTAX Aircraft Engines: Operators Manual for ROTAX® Engine Type 914 Series” Published by BRP-Rotax GmbH &
Co., Ref No.: OM-914, 2008.
[16] Oliver, S., “Assessment of Numerical Models for Thrust and Specific Fuel Consumption for Turbofan Engines,” Diploma
Thesis, Department of Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Limerick,
Ireland. Mar., 2007.
[17] Jan, K., “Increasing of Aircraft Propeller Efficiency by using Variable Twist Propeller Blades,” Students Conference STC
2008, Czech Technical University in Prague., Apr. 2008.

13
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics