An analysis and simulation of landings utilizing stored-energy lift Final report, May 12 - Nov. 30, 1967

Computerized simulation of aircraft landing deceleration with stored energy lif

Threat perception while viewing single intruder conflicts on a cockpit display of traffic information

Subjective estimates of the threat posed by a single intruder aircraft were determined by showing pilots photographs of a cockpit display of traffic information. The time the intruder was away from the point of minimum separation was found to be the major determinant of the perception of threat. When asked to choose a maneuver to reduce the conflict, pilots selected maneuvers with a bias toward those that would have kept the intruders in sight had they been visible out the cockpit window

Do Three Dimensions tell us Anything about a Theory of Everything?

It has been conjectured that four-dimensional N=8 supergravity may provide a suitable framework for a `Theory of Everything', if its composite SU(8) gauge fields become dynamical. We point out that supersymmetric three-dimensional coset field theories motivated by lattice models provide toy laboratories for aspects of this conjecture. They feature dynamical composite supermultiplets made of constituent holons and spinons. We show how these models may be extended to include N=1 and N=2 supersymmetry, enabling dynamical conjectures to be verified more rigorously. We point out some special features of these three-dimensional models, and mention open questions about their relevance to the dynamics of N=8 supergravity.Comment: 20 pages Latex, 2 eps figure

Integrated lift/drag controller for aircraft

A system for altering the lift/drag characteristics of powered aircraft to provide a safe means of glide path control includes a control device integrated for coordination action with the aircraft throttle. Such lift/drag alteration devices as spoilers, dive brakes, and the like are actuated by manual operation of a single lever coupled with the throttle for integrating, blending or coordinating power control. Improper operation of the controller is inhibited by safety mechanisms

Integrated flight controller for light aircraft

Controller-throttle engages spoiler/dive brake system when throttle setting is below a fixed power setting and gradually increases effect of spoiler/dive brake as throttle is moved toward idle position; since action is automatically reversible, a sudden application of power abruptly terminates aerodynamic effects of spoiler/dive brake system

Dark Matter in SuperGUT Unification Models

After a brief update on the prospects for dark matter in the constrained version of the MSSM (CMSSM) and its differences with models based on minimal supergravity (mSUGRA), I will consider the effects of unifying the supersymmetry-breaking parameters at a scale above M_{GUT}. One of the consequences of superGUT unification, is the ability to take vanishing scalar masses at the unification scale with a neutralino LSP dark matter candidate. This allows one to resurrect no-scale supergravity as a viable phenomenological model.Comment: 12 pages, 16 figures, To be published in the Proceedings of the 6th DSU Conference, Leon, Mexico, ed. D. Delepin

In-flight simulation study of decoupled longitudinal controls for the approach and landing of a STOL aircraft

In this decoupled concept, the natural interactions of the flight variables were suppressed, and the pilot operated a separate controller for each (fore-and-aft control column for flight path angle without speed or pitch attitude change, for example). The handling qualities of the decoupled airplane were judged to be very favorable. The precise path control led to small touchdown point dispersion along with consistently low sink rates. The decoupled control system provided significantly better flying qualities than did conventional SAS applied to the same basic airframe

Quasi-Newtonian dust cosmologies

Exact dynamical equations for a generic dust matter source field in a cosmological context are formulated with respect to a non-comoving Newtonian-like timelike reference congruence and investigated for internal consistency. On the basis of a lapse function $N$ (the relativistic acceleration scalar potential) which evolves along the reference congruence according to $\dot{N} = \alpha \Theta N$ ($\alpha = {const}$), we find that consistency of the quasi-Newtonian dynamical equations is not attained at the first derivative level. We then proceed to show that a self-consistent set can be obtained by linearising the dynamical equations about a (non-comoving) FLRW background. In this case, on properly accounting for the first-order momentum density relating to the non-relativistic peculiar motion of the matter, additional source terms arise in the evolution and constraint equations describing small-amplitude energy density fluctuations that do not appear in similar gravitational instability scenarios in the standard literature.Comment: 25 pages, LaTeX 2.09 (10pt), to appear in Classical and Quantum Gravity, Vol. 15 (1998

Brany Liouville Inflation

We present a specific model for cosmological inflation driven by the Liouville field in a non-critical supersymmetric string framework, in which the departure from criticality is due to open strings stretched between the two moving Type-II 5-branes. We use WMAP and other data on fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background to fix parameters of the model, such as the relative separation and velocity of the 5-branes, respecting also the constraints imposed by data on light propagation from distant gamma-ray bursters. The model also suggests a small, relaxing component in the present vacuum energy that may accommodate the breaking of supersymmetry.Comment: 23 pages LATEX, two eps figures incorporated; version accepted for publication in NJ

Effect of field of view and monocular viewing on angular size judgements in an outdoor scene

Observers typically overestimate the angular size of distant objects. Significantly, overestimations are greater in outdoor settings than in aircraft visual-scene simulators. The effect of field of view and monocular and binocular viewing conditions on angular size estimation in an outdoor field was examined. Subjects adjusted the size of a variable triangle to match the angular size of a standard triangle set at three greater distances. Goggles were used to vary the field of view from 11.5 deg to 90 deg for both monocular and binocular viewing. In addition, an unrestricted monocular and binocular viewing condition was used. It is concluded that neither restricted fields of view similar to those present in visual simulators nor the restriction of monocular viewing causes a significant loss in depth perception in outdoor settings. Thus, neither factor should significantly affect the depth realism of visual simulators