************************************************
* *
* FGFS Reconfigurable Aircraft Flight Model *
* Sample Input Files *
* Version 0.73, June 27, 2000 *
* *
* Authors: *
* Jeff Scott (jscott@mail.com) *
* Bipin Sehgal (bsehgal@uiuc.edu) *
* Michael Selig (m-selig@uiuc.edu) *
* Dept of Aero and Astro Engineering *
* University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign *
* Urbana, IL *
* http://amber.aae.uiuc.edu/~m-selig *
* *
************************************************
The simulator executable, fgfs.exe, uses the aircraft.dat files
located in Aircraft-uiuc to fly the desired aircraft. This file
should either be in the same directory as fgfs.exe or should be called
from the command line. To do the latter, open a DOS or Cygwin shell
and go to the directory containing fgfs.exe. Type the following:
> fgfs.exe --aircraft-dir=Aircraft-uiuc/Cessna172
The same procedure can be accomplished using a batch file. A sample
batch file (runfgfs.bat) is provided in the top level directory. To
run the desired aircraft, simply delete the "rem" command from the
beginning of the line. Make sure that all the other model lines still
begin with "rem" or you may not actually be flying the plane you
want. Double click the file runfgfs.bat to begin the simulation.
There is also a record feature that generates a file called
uiuc_record.dat. The desired variables can be recorded in this file
using the proper record lines. The syntax of these lines and the
aircraft.dat files in general is provided in the documentation file
README-uiucDoc.txt.
The runfgfs.bat file also provides samples of other command line
options, including time of day, cloud and fog options, and the airport
from which the flight begins. The airport commands are provided in
README-airports.html. An overview
of all the options available for the command line is provided in
README-options.html.
Note that the proper scenery for that segment of the world must be
provided for the scenery at that airport to be rendered. If the
desired airport is not available (i.e. you see a bluish terrain when
the program begins), you will need to download the additional terrain
at
http://www.flightgear.org/Downloads/world-scenery.html.
Simply click on the grid containing the desired airport, save to your
computer and unzip the file to the Scenery directory. Note that the
scenery files are very large and occupy a large amount of disk space!
Notes:
------
- All aircraft use the C172 gear model, and this gets overloaded for
some of the heavier aircraft. Adding throttle will eventually lead
to enough airspeed to fly. Once airborne, some corrective control
inputs may be necessary.
- For each aircraft, the thrust was set to give more or less
"reasonable" performance characteristics. Users are encouraged to
vary the thrust (see line
> engine simpleSingle [simpleSingleMaxThrust]
and change the value) to improve performance.
- Most aircraft are modeled using cruise condition data only. Takeoff
and landing configurations and associated changes in aerodynamic
characteristics are not currently modeled.
- Some files use "record" lines to produce flight-data recorder
output. These data are written to the file uiuc_record.dat. Be
aware that when flying for an extended period of time this file (if
written by using record lines) can become very large.
To fly, use one of the aircraft.dat files.
The aircraft data used in each of these models is provided in the
Simulation Specifications.
Note that these models may be updated, revised, or extended. For the
most recent versions, be sure to visit the on-line
version.
Beech99:
Beech 99, small commercial commuter aircraft
very smooth characteristics
Boeing747:
Boeing 747, large commercial jetliner
too heavy for gear so noses down into ground at 70 degree angle, but
this can be fixed by going to max throttle till plane rotates and
becomes airborne; sluggish, but flies well
Cessna172:
Cessna 172, small general aviation aircraft
based on Tony Peden's model, but uses stability derivatives only
flies very well
Cessna172-TD:
Cessna 172, small general aviation aircraft
uses lift curve data from Peden model to model stall
also flies well
Cessna310:
Cessna 310, twin engine general aviation aircraft
elevator seems too effective and slight instability in roll
Cessna620:
Cessna 620, four engine business aircraft
very sluggish
Convair880:
Convair 880, medium commercial jetliner
too heavy for gear so noses down into ground, but this can be fixed
by going to max throttle till plane rotates and becomes airborne;
play with the controls to obtain the proper orientation; sluggish,
but flies pretty well
*This model works best already in flight. The example in
runfgfs.bat begins at 35,000 ft. To fly, increase the throttle and
use small elevator and aileron deflections to level the aircraft.
F104:
Lockheed F-104, small supersonic fighter
flies pretty smoothly but it's called "the Widow maker" for a reason
F4:
McDonnell F-4 Phantom, fighter/attack plane
very difficult to fly and sometimes will have problems taking off
from the ground
*This model is somewhat buggy and behaves differently on different
computers. If it becomes uncontrollable during takeoff, try using
the --altitude command (also with --uBody set to a high number) to
start already in flight. Increase the throttle and use small
elevator and aileron deflections to level the aircraft.
Learjet24:
Learjet 24, business jet
flies very well
Marchetti:
SIAI-Marchetti S-211 military jet trainer
flies very smoothly, probably the easiest aircraft to fly
Pioneer:
IAI Pioneer UAV, small reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle
version uses stability derivatives only
slight roll instability, but very responsive
Pioneer-TD:
IAI Pioneer UAV, small reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle
version uses lookup tables for lift and drag and most control
surface deflections
slight roll instability, but very responsive
T37:
Cessna T-37 twin jet engine military trainer
flies very well
TwinOtter:
DeHavilland Canada DHC-6 Twin otter, small commuter aircraft
NASA Glenn Twin Otter for icing research
clean version (no ice), flies well
TwinOtterAllIce:
DeHavilland Canada DHC-6 Twin otter, small commuter aircraft
NASA Glenn Twin Otter for icing research
note the degradation in performance after ice accretion begins
(icing begins 2 minutes into flight; transition from clean to iced
aerodynamics lasts 5 seconds--this is not very realistic, but you
can vary these times and the icing severity factor, eta [0=no ice,
1=max ice], to see the impact on performance)
TwinOtterTailIce:
DeHavilland Canada DHC-6 Twin otter, small commuter aircraft
NASA Glenn Twin Otter for icing research, tail icing only
TwinOtterWingIce:
DeHavilland Canada DHC-6 Twin otter, small commuter aircraft
NASA Glenn Twin Otter for icing research, wing icing only
X15:
North American X-15, rocket-powered high-speed research aircraft
go easy on the throttle since this is a very over-powered aircraft,
very slow elevator but extremely responsive ailerons
*This model is somewhat buggy and behaves differently on different
computers. If it becomes uncontrollable during takeoff, try using
the --altitude command (also with --uBody set to a high number) to
start already in flight. Increase the throttle and use small
elevator and aileron deflections to level the aircraft.