Rajan Bhandari

• Auburn University

This paper describes the flight test validation of a Trajectory Control System on a subscale lift-plus-cruise vertical takeoff and landing urban air mobility aircraft concept. The aircraft was sized using the Parametric Energy-based Aircraft Configuration Evaluator framework. A simulation model was developed using the Modular Aircraft Dynamics and...

The ongoing development of numerous novel vertical takeoff and landing configurations necessitates flight control system design that enables the Simplified Vehicle Operations paradigm. This paper shows flight test results for one subscale lift-plus-cruise and one tilt-wing configuration employing such a flight control system architecture. Pilot inc...

Conventional aircraft sizing methods face challenges in analyzing all-electric or hybrid-electric novel aircraft configurations, such as those for urban air mobility applications. The vast design space containing both continuous and discrete design variables and competing design objectives necessitates searching for not necessarily a unique optimal...

This work investigates the simplified vehicle operations paradigm, which seeks significant reductions in pilot workload and training requirements through the holistic design of flight control laws, control inceptors, and cockpit displays in the context of vertical takeoff and landing urban air mobility aircraft using piloted flight simulations. Two...

This paper describes the application of a research and development pipeline at the Vehicle Systems, Dynamics, and Design Laboratory to the design, fabrication, and flight testing of a subscale lift-plus-cruise vertical takeoff and landing urban air mobility aircraft concept. The aircraft was sized using the Parametric Energy-based Aircraft Configur...