New technique for nonlinear control of aircraft

A newly developed methodology for design of nonlinear feedback controllers is applied to aircraft control. Using a high-performance aircraft model, we evaluate the controller performance under a variety of strenuous conditions. The controller performance is further enhanced by optimally adjusting a controller parameter continuously and incorporating derivative feedback. The robustness of the controller is demonstrated by achieving satisfactory performance in the presence of large system uncertainties and external disturbances. Finally, novel applications of this control technique in point-to-point control of aircraft are presented.