Courses

Flight Control Design

Synopsis

Industry proven methods combining the insights of frequency domain methods with practical elements of modern control theory. The course starts with reviews of important fundamentals of control theory and takes the student through state-of-the-art practical design techniques used in industry.  The course covers the process from system control requirements, through design and analysis, to formal model based software requirements taking into account practical constraints and limitations.

Key Topics

Motivation and Objectives

  • The place of control theory in the control design process
  • What is a good flight control engineer?
  • Importance of modeling
  • The control problem and the information problem
  • “Classical” control and “Modern” control
  • Successful applications

Review of Basics

  • Linear algebra
  • Time-domain models
  • Frequency-domain models
  • Realizations
  • Similarity transformations
  • Model connections
  • System responses
  • Time delays and zero-order hold dynamics
  • Stability margins
  • Classical root locus

Frequency-Domain Based Linear Quadratic Regulator Design

  • LQ derivation: Regulation, Model following, Tracking
  • Target zeros
  • Selecting cost function penalties
  • Concepts of control loop bandwidth constraints
  • Control loop bandwidths
  • Performance loop bandwidths
  • Direct multiloop control design
  • Aircraft examples with loop shaping

Implementation Aspects

  • Gain scheduling
  • Delta operators
  • Continuous to Discrete Time Filters

Filtering and Estimation

  • Notch filters
  • Lead-lag filters
  • Complementary filters
  • Frequency-shaped Kalman filters: Uncertainty loop bandwidths, Measurement loop bandwidths
  • Duality with frequency-shaped regulation

Combined Regulation and Estimation

  • Full LQG design
  • Partial full-state feedback
  • Eigenvalue separation

Who Should Attend

This course will be of interest to control engineers, aerodynamicists, avionics specialists, pilots, flight test engineers, simulation engineers and others who need some depth or appreciation of this important and challenging interface.

Course Information

Type of Course: Instructor-Led Short Course

Course Level: Intermediate


Course is available in the following format:

  • On-site Course
  • Standalone/Public Course

Course Length: 5 days

Instructors: Dagfinn Gangsaas & Nomaan Saeed

Training Courses

Contact information

Contact us for more information about how we can support your projects.

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