Autopilot design based on the Model Following Control approach

The application of the Model Following Control (MFC) technique to the RCAM autopilot design problem is presented. The overall controller structure and the design cycle are discussed. A detailed controller assessment confirms that the design criteria are met in the design point and for several additional off-design points, considering varied centre of gravity location, aircraft mass, airspeed and additional time delays. The presented design approach is insensitive to additional time delays (up to 100 msec) and centre of gravity variations. Aircraft mass and airspeed variations had small adverse effects on the controller performance. The results of the automated evaluation procedure demonstrate that the vertical and lateral deviations from the track are well within the limits for all investigated cases.