The sensitivity analysis of engine time delay to the deceleration performance in formation flight

Abstract Formation flight has been investigated for many years, with numerous application-oriented considerations. The performance of the engine of the trailing aircraft plays an important role in the whole procedure of the formation flight. The trailing aircraft discussed in this thesis emerged with a pure mechanical flight control system and with no track controller. This thesis focuses on researching the sensitivity of the engine delay in the trailing aircraft deceleration performance in tight cruise formation flight. The Simulink model of the aircraft is established. Different settings and parameters are simulated on the model to make comparisons. And conclusions are made based on the simulation results.