Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 10-31.
The four stability trim possibilities
Dynamic Stability
The preceding discussion on stability has actually been on the
static stability
of the airplane.
The term “static” means that there is no time component to the analysis. Static stability deals
only with the initial tendency of the airplane to return to an equilibrium orientation or not.
Another important aspect of airplane stability is the
dynamic stability
, which is concerned
with the time history of the airplane motion when it deviates from its equilibrium orientation.
An airplane is defined to be dynamically stable if it naturally returns to its equilibrium
orientation over time. For example, assume that Figure 10-32 shows the moment about the
center of gravity of an airplane as a function of time. Initially, there is a positive moment about
the c.g. The moment oscillates both positively and negatively, but the magnitude of the moment
decreases over time so the plane is dynamically stable.
