VOLAR: A Digital Computer Program for Simulating VSTOL Aircraft Launch and Recovery from Small Ships. Volume I. Program Description.

摘要

A digital computer program has been developed for simulating the launch and recovery of VSTOL aircraft operating from small ships. Volume I of this report describes the program, Volume II is the user's manual. The program, known as VOLAR (Vought Launch and Recovery Dynamics Program), employs the computational technique of nonlinear covariance propagation. This permits the time histories of the means and variances of all systems state variables to be computed from a single run, as opposed to the Monte Carlo technique, which requires multiple runs, plus subsequent averaging. Typically, VOLAR requires approximately 7 percent of the computer time required for comparable Monte Carlo simulations. The program includes a general airframe mathematical model suitable for helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft. The airwake of a small ship is also modeled and ship motion models are included. Two alternative models of the human pilot are supplied, one is based on verbal adjustment rules, the other is based on optimal control theory, utilizing performance index parameters deduced from manned simulator experiments. The program is demonstrated for AV-8A recovery on a small ship. The trends predicted by VOLAR are shown to agree with flight test data. (Author)