Scaling Flight Test Data Between a Scaled Aircraft and a Cessna 172 for Use in Trajectory Energy Model Validation

Abstract

Currently in the general aviation sector, a new type of aircraft is rising to prominence. It is known as Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and takes many shapes and sizes. The goal of UAM is to produce aircraft that can be used to travel into and out of the city in an efficient manner through the sky. This may cut down on many people’s commutes and lower the amount of ground traffic in cities. One core component of UAM research is to determine the fuel consumption during phases of flight such as conventional takeoff and landing, as well as cruise travel in a fixed wing configuration. Currently, energy technology such as batteries is lacking for full scale aircraft. While waiting for battery technology to improve, it is critical to develop a subscale model for the use of testing. This model will allow for testing to be accomplished while safety and technology reach an acceptable level for full scale flight. The purpose of this paper is to layout a model for scaling an RC aircraft to a general aviation vehicle. To meet this goal a Cessna 172 and AJ Slick 540 were used as the representative aircraft. Using the Froude Number and Reynolds Number approach the accuracy of using the AJ Slick 540 can be verified. From there a theoretical aircraft is designed using NASA’s modeling aircraft techniques. This technique produced an aircraft that was similar to the AJ Slick 540. This paper verifies the concept that a trajectory can be scaled, and through using a properly scaled aircraft, produce scaled fuel usage.