A Robust Flight Controller Design: Investigating Guidance Failures Near TSS Heliport in Challenging Wind Conditions

With the imminent integration of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) into the national airspace, ensuring the robustness of flight controllers in spatially congested metropolitan areas and in the presence of external disturbances is of paramount importance. The complex interaction between atmospheric turbulence and tall buildings further exacerbates the effects of wind disturbances, posing significant safety challenges to aircraft stability and trajectory tracking. This study employs the high-fidelity urban wind field model using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) which captures wind variations in urban environments. This model quantifies wind shear intensity and vorticity distributions, which are critical factors affecting flight performance. The failure of an autonomous fixed-wing aircraft to maintain its intended flight path within permissible deviation limits under extreme wind conditions is investigated. To address these challenges, a robust flight control system is developed to enhance trajectory tracking performance and mitigate the adverse effects of wind on the path following. The proposed controller is designed to ensure reliable operation despite the unpredictability of urban wind fields, contributing to safer and more resilient autonomous flight operations in complex metropolitan airspaces.