Flight dynamics of an aircraft

When dealing with the actual flight dynamics of an aircraft, there are two
aircraft dynamic modes to consider: Longitudinal and lateral modes
Longitudinal mode of the flight dynamics can be further characterized by
two distinct motions: Short-period pitch oscillation and Phugoid oscillation.
These are reflected in the change of pitch of the aircraft.
Short-period oscillation mode
The short-period mode is high frequency oscillation with heavy damping.
Its period usually lasts only for a few seconds. The aircraft pitches rapidly
about its centre of gravity such that the oscillation is essentially an angle-
of-attack variation with almost no change in airspeed.
Phugoid oscillation mode
The phugoid mode is a lower frequency oscillation which there is a large-
amplitude variation of air-speed, pitch angle, and altitude, but almost no
angle-of-attack variation. The phugoid oscillation is really a slow
interchange of kinetic energy (velocity) and potential energy (height)
about some equilibrium energy level as the aircraft attempts to re-
establish the equilibrium level-flight condition from which it had been
disturbed. The motion is so slow that the effects of inertia forces and
damping forces are very low. Although the damping is very weak, the
period is so long that the pilot usually corrects for this motion without
being aware that the oscillation even exists. Typically the period is 2060
seconds. The pilot generally can control this oscillation himself.
Lateral dynamic modes involve rolling and yawing motions and can be
further characterized by three modes: Roll subsidence mode, Dutch roll
mode and Spiral mode.
Roll subsidence mode
When an aircraft experiences a roll, the roll subsidence mode is seen as
the damping of this roll motion. During a roll, there is a difference in lift
generated along both the wings, which results in a restoring balancing
moment to the wings. This causes the disturbance to be damped
Roll mode characteristic can be improved through use of dihedral angles
and higher mounted wings.

As the plane rolls, the wing going down has an increased

(wind is effectively coming up more at the wing)
Opposite effect for other wing.
There is a difference in the lift generated by both wings
 more on side going down
The differential lift creates a moment that tends to restore the
equilibrium
After a disturbance, the roll rate builds up exponentially until the
restoring
moment balances the disturbing moment, and a steady roll is established.
Dutch roll mode
The second lateral motion is an oscillatory combined roll and yaw motion
called Dutch roll, perhaps because of its similarity to an ice-skating motion
of the same name made by Dutch skaters; the origin of the name is
unclear. The Dutch roll may be described as a yaw and roll to the right,
followed by a recovery towards the equilibrium condition, then an
overshooting of this condition and a yaw and roll to the left, then back
past the equilibrium attitude, and so on. The period is usually on the order
of 315 seconds, but it can vary from a few seconds for light aircraft to a
minute or more for airliners. Damping is increased by large directional
stability and small dihedral and decreased by small directional stability
and large dihedral. Although usually stable in a normal aircraft, the motion
may be so slightly damped that the effect is very unpleasant and
undesirable. In swept-back wing aircraft, the Dutch roll is solved by
installing a yaw damper, in effect a special-purpose automatic pilot that
damps out any yawing oscillation by applying rudder corrections. Some
swept-wing aircraft have an unstable Dutch roll. If the Dutch roll is very
lightly damped or unstable, the yaw damper becomes a safety
requirement, rather than a pilot and passenger convenience. Dual yaw
dampers are required and a failed yaw damper is cause for limiting flight
to low altitudes, and possibly lower Mach numbers, where the Dutch roll
stability is improved.
Spiraling
Spiraling is inherent. All aircraft trimmed for straight-and-level flight, if
flown stick-fixed, will spiral. Some types will spiral-dive. The difference is
determined by the design of the aircraft. If a spiral dive is entered
unintentionally, the result can be fatal as explained below.
A spiral dive is not a spin; it starts, not with a stall or from torque but with
a random, increasing roll and airspeed. Without prompt intervention by
the pilot, this can lead to structural failure of the airframe, either as a
result of excess aerodynamic loading or flight into terrain. The aircraft
initially gives little indication that anything has changed. The pilots
down sensation continues to be with respect to the bottom of the
airplane, although the aircraft actually has increasingly rolled off the true
vertical. Under VFR conditions, the pilot corrects for this deviation from
level automatically using the true horizon, while it is very small; but in IMC
or dark conditions it can go unnoticed: the roll will increase and the lift, no
longer vertical, is insufficient to support the airplane. The nose drops and
speed increases: the spiral dive has begun.
This sequence is more likely with some configurations, such as low wing.
With other configurations, such as high wing and relatively low power, the
spiral does not become a dive.

Flight Dynamics Modeler

- A Flight Dynamics Modeler (FDM) consists of a set of mathematical
equations that are used to calculate the physical forces acting on a
simulated aircraft, such as thrust, lift, and drag.
- The outputs given by the FDM are inputted into a flight simulation
software which will display the visual representation of the motion of
aircraft.
- There are several types of FDM available for use, such as LaRCsim,
UIUC, YASim and JSBSim.
JSBSim
JSBSim is an open-sourced flight dynamics and control modeler which uses
XML-based text files to read data input from. These inputs are from
aircraft configuration and initial conditions data, which then goes into the
JSBSim library for the modeler to utilize. This flight modeler is able to
simulate up to six degrees of freedom, hence having six equations of
motion.
Another feature of JSBSim is the ability to construct a flight control system
via the use of Block Diagrams. Each functional block in the diagram
represents a certain component of the flight control system.
Besides the former, JSBSim is also able to model the propulsion and
aerodynamics of an aircraft.