LINEAR-QUADRATIC OPTIMAL MODEL-FOLLOWING CONTROL OF A HELICOPTER IN HOVER

Presented are results of a study of the application of linear quadrati c optimal model-following control applied to a Bell 205 helicopter in hover, The primary objective of good in-flight stability robustness an d performance was accomplished via singular value analysis using pertu rbed systems. Nominal aircraft models were compared with experimental data and discrepancies quantified in a robustness criterion. Current m ilitary handling quality requirements were specified as a target model to be followed. The linear quadratic optimal control and command feed forward was found suitable for these requirements. Design analyses ena bled consideration of the tuning process, where effects of variations in selected tuning parameters demonstrated their sensitivity to the de sign.