Analysis of Wind-Shear Effects on Optimal Aircraft Cruise

Description

An analysis of the effects of wind shear on optimal aircraft cruise trajectories is presented. The procedure considered is cruise at constant Mach number and constant altitude, which is commonly flown by airlines, following air- traffic-control rules. The optimal trajectories correspond to the case of minimum direct-operating-cost cruise with given range, and are obtained using parametric optimization theory. The main objective of the paper is to analyze the influence of the wind shear on the optimum altitude and speed. The results show that, for a given cost index, the effect of the wind shear on the optimum altitude is quite large. The effect of the cost index on the optimum results is also analyzed. Results are presented for a model of a Boeing 767-300ER.

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