Flight simulation for museums

Abstract

A generalized microcomputer based flight simulator has been developed, one part of this simulator is a numerical solution of the equations of flight. For accurate solution, a simple numerical scheme would demand a very small timestep: A modified scheme is therefore developed which allows a much larger timestep to be used by introducing certain scaling factors. These factors are themselves functions of the timestep and of the characteristic response time of the equations being solved. The modified numerical scheme is shown to be adequate when applied to simultaneous solutions of all the components of an aircraft motion. Within limits, the simulation is independent of the aircraft being simulated. Relevant performance and control parameters are entered before the commencement of solution.