The Boeing Company

Tristan C Flanzer

Kioumars Najmabadi

Dragos Dorin Margineantu

David Paul Eggold

Alvin L Sipe

Uy-Loi Ly

Nikos D Mills

Heidi M Haugeberg

Kirk A Vining

Mark R Morel

Neil Zimmer

A method is provided for optimizing a flight of an aircraft with at least one segment of formation flight. The method includes accessing flight plans for flights of a fleet, and transforming the flight plans into values of a set of features that describe segments of the flights. The values are applied to a machine learning model trained to predict the segment(s) during which the aircraft is within a region that includes at least one second aircraft of the fleet that is thereby capable of serving as a leading aircraft in the segment(s) of formation flight in which the aircraft is a trailing aircraft. A notification is sent to the aircraft of the segment(s) and the second aircraft capable of serving as the leading aircraft. And a second notification is sent to the second aircraft of the segment(s) and the aircraft capable of serving as the trailing aircraft.

Optimizing a flight of an aircraft with at least one segment of formation flight

A machine and process for control of rotation of a vehicle about an axis of the vehicle is shown. A flight control system includes control laws that control the rotation of the vehicle around the axis of the vehicle. An estimate is derived for an inertia about the axis. The estimated inertia is derived from sensed quantities of material in a component of the vehicle. An inertia gain schedule and filter are added to enhance, using the estimated inertia, the accuracy of the control laws that control the rotation of the vehicle around the axis of the vehicle.

Machine and process for rotating a vehicle

An example method of limiting an aircraft to a pitch axis envelope includes determining aircraft state limits associated with multiple pitch axis variables of an aircraft, determining predicted aircraft states, comparing the predicted aircraft states to the aircraft state limits to produce aircraft state errors, translating the aircraft state errors into a set of positive and negative limit elevator commands, selecting a highest priority positive limit elevator command, selecting a highest priority negative limit elevator command, limiting a primary pitch axis control law elevator command of the aircraft to a value that is less than or equal to the highest priority positive limit elevator command and greater than or equal to the highest priority negative limit elevator command, and controlling the aircraft according to the primary pitch axis control law elevator command limited to the value.

Systems and methods for pitch axis envelope limiting of an aircraft

Systems and methods according to one or more embodiments are provided for limiting elevator deflection commands to avoid the aft body of an aircraft from contacting the ground during a landing maneuver. In one example, a system includes a memory configured to store a plurality of executable instructions and a processor. The processor is configured to determine a descent profile and a current pitch profile. A pre-determined maximum pitch profile associated with the descent profile is used to compare to the current pitch profile. The comparison is used to compute an elevator deflection value that limits an elevator command signal in order to avoid a tail strike. Additional systems and methods are also provided.

Systems and methods to prevent an aircraft from tail contact with the ground

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Tristan C Flanzer