Flight Simulator Investigation of Continuously Moving Highlift Devices During Landing Approaches

摘要

This paper describes a flight simulator investigation in which airline pilots evaluated the effects of a high-lift system with continuously moving slats and flaps. Focus is on landing approach. Five pilots participated in the investigation, which was performed on the SEPHIR flight simulator at TU Berlin. The investigation included various high-lift control laws and different wind conditions. The traditional approach where most commercial transport aircraft configure the high-lift setting stepwise represents the reference. Here, the airspeed is reduced to the maximum allowable speed of the next slat/flap configuration, and then the pilot commands the next higher slat/flap setting. Thus, most of the time the aircraft does not fly in its optimal aerodynamic configuration, when it maneuvers in the terminal area during approach. The investigated high-lift system with continuously moving high-lift devices automatically adapts the slat/flap setting based on the airspeed and aircraft mass and enables the aircraft to fly in an optimal aerodynamic configuration, either for minimal drag or for minimal power. In the flight simulator, the pilots easily handled the new function. They suggested further investigations of the continuously moving slats and flaps system (CMSFS). Additionally, the simulator tests affirmed, that the system improves aircraft performance.