Flight Maneuvers

Although throttle-dependent linear acceleration would generate flight load in the direction of the flight path, pilot-induced control maneuvers could generate the extreme flight loads that may be aggravated by inadvertent atmospheric con­ditions. Aircraft weight is primarily determined by the air load generated by maneuvers in the pitch plane. Therefore, the associated V-n diagram described in Section 5.7 is useful information for proposing candidate aircraft configura­tions. Section 3.6 describes the six deg of freedom for aircraft motions – three lin­ear and three angular. Given herein are the three Cartesian coordinate planes of interest.

5.3.1 Pitch Plane (X-Z) Maneuver (Elevator/Canard-Induced)

The pitch plane is the symmetrical vertical plane (i. e., X-Z plane) in which the elevator/canard-induced motion occurs with angular velocity, q, about the У-axis, in addition to linear velocities in the X-Z plane. Changes in the pitch angle due to angular velocity q results in changes in CL. The most severe aerodynamic loading occurs in this plane.