Calculation of the response of a transport aircraft to continuous turbulence and discrete gusts and a comparison with flight measurements

Abstract

The symmetric response of a tri-jet transport aircraft to continuous atmospheric turbulence and to discrete ramp gusts has been calculated and compared with the results of flight measurements. The aircraft was represented by two rigid and six elastic modes, and a lifting surface theory was used to calculate airforces. Cockpit and wingtip rms accelerations relative to the cg acceleration were overestimated by the calculations, but wing end tailplane rms bending moments per g agreed with measurements to better than 12% accuracy.