A design methodology for pitch pointing flight control systems

Abstract

A methodology is developed for designing pitch pointing flight control laws by using eigenstructure assignment and command generator tracking. Eigenvalues are chosen to obtain desired damping and rise time, and eigenvectors are chosen to decouple the pitch attitude and flight path angle. Feedforward gains are computed which ensure steady-state tracking of the pilot's command. The design methodology is illustrated by application to an AFTI F- 16 aircraft.