Turns of an AircraftByS. Lalith Kumar11uq1a2138

• Turn- A turn is a change in flight path direction

• Fundamental terminologyConsider an aircraft performing a turn-The bank angle (ϕ)is the angle between the horizon and the wing- Ailerons are used to control an aircraft’s bank angle - velocity and angle of attack control the magnitude of the lift vector

- Additionally, thrust , weight and drag are also acting on the plane.

- The above picture shows the bank angle,which is the angle between the horizon and wing.

Turn Rate:- ᴪTurn rate is the time rate of change in direction

They are three types of turns-Level turn-Sustained turn- Instantaneous turn

Level turn:-- A level turn is one in which the curved flight path is in

a horizontal plane parallel to the plane of the ground.- In level turn altitude remain constant- level turn comes under lateral maneuvers- in level turn the aircraft is turning due to the Radial force(FR)- The (FR) increses for Two resons

1. lift vector increses2. ϕ (Banking angle)

Top view

Front view

Sustained turn- sustained turn is also called as Fastest turn

(maximum turn rate)- The fastest turn is the one that has the

maximum rate of turning ( dX/dt ) min- The fastest turn flight parameters and the

maximum rate of turn would be expressed here analytically in terms of the aircraft design parameters.

- The fastest turn parameters will be denoted by the subscript FT.

the following parameters are involved in sustained turn-Airspeed, load factor and Aerodynamic Efficiency.- Turning Rate and Turning Radius.

Instantaneous Turn- Instantaneous turn is also called as

Tightest turn (minimum Turning radius)- the turning maneuver of minimum

radius of turn r min is called the tightest turn.- The tightest turn parameters will be

subscripted by TT- An Aircraft tightest turn is a measure of

its maneuverability