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Pilot-Induced Oscillation Suppression
Methods and their Effects on Large
Transport Aircraft Handling Qualities

By R. Van der Weerd
December 2000
Delft University Press
ISBN: 90-407-2137-8
149 pages, illustrated
$40.00 paper original

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Flight Control System design for large, fly-by-wire aircraft is aimed at providing optimal handling qualities over the entire flight envelope and all mission tasks that the aircraft has to fulfill. Pilot-Induced Oscillations (PIO) are handling qualities deficiencies that are highly undesirable, and have a tendency to show up unexpectedly during developmental flight testing. Numerous design criteria have been developed that should help avoid PIO tendencies in such aircraft. Recently, several Category II PIO criteria that specifically deal with nonlinearities, such as rate and position limiting in the flight control system, have been proposed. In the first part of this study, these criteria are documented and evaluated by applying them to an example fly-by-write military transport aircraft, concentrating on handling qualities during the aerial refueling task. In the second part of the study, two specific methods are examined that can help reduce PIO susceptibility.

Aviation; Transportation
Series 3: Control and Simulation No. 7