World-Wide Flying Qualities Specifications

As mentioned earlier, the German air forces in World War II operated under a set of military flying qualities requirements related to the Gilruth set of 1943. The growth of civil aviation after the war led to a number of national and world-wide efforts to specify flying qualities requirements, in order to rationalize aircraft design and procurement in each country and the international licensing of civil aircraft. The goal of internationally agreed upon civil aircraft flying qualities standards is the responsibility of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an arm of the United Nations. Annex 8 of the ICAO Standardsdealswith airworthiness, which includesadequate flying qualities(Stinton, 1996).

Standards have also been adopted by individual countries for both civil and military machines. An earlier section traced the evolution of U. S. flying qualities specifications for military aircraft. Similar evolutions took place all over the world. British military specifi­cations are in the UK DEF STAN publications. In particular, DEF-STAN 00-970, issued in 1983, is similar in style to MIL-F-8785C and provides much the same information (Cook, 1997).

British civil flying qualities requirements were embodied initially in the BCARs, or British Civil Airworthiness Requirements. European standards now apply, as found in the European Joint Aviation Requirements, or JARs, issued by the Joint Aviation Adminis­tration. The U. S. versions are the Federal Air Regulations, or FARs, parts 21, 23, 25, and 103 of which deal with airplanes. The wording of the stability and control airworthiness requirements of the FARs is similar to the Gilruth requirements of 1943, which were also concerned with minimum rather than optimum requirements.