Parafoil powered flight performance

Author / Creator

Nicolaides, John D., author

Available as

Online

Summary

The predicted flight performance of a powered parafoil flight vehicle is calculated from solutions which are obtained from the parafoil equations of motion. Flight vehicle total weights of 350, 400...

The predicted flight performance of a powered parafoil flight vehicle is calculated from solutions which are obtained from the parafoil equations of motion. Flight vehicle total weights of 350, 400, 500, and 540 pounds are considered. Parafoil wing areas of 200 square feet and 400 square feet are considered. Wing loadings include .875, 1.0, 1.25, 1.35, 1.75, 2.0, and 2.7 pounds per square foot. Steady state flight trim angles of attack cover a range from -6 degrees to +80 degrees. The flight performance analyses include level flight, climbing flight, and descending flight. The computed flight parameters include the total velocity, the rate of climb (sink), the angle of climb (descent), and the horsepower required for the type of flight under consideration.

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