Control Algorithms of the Longitude Motion of the Powered Paraglider

The design of remotely controlled and autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is an actual direction in modern aircraft development. A promising aircraft of this type is a powered paraglider (PPG). In this paper, a new mathematical model is suggested for the paraglider’s longitudinal motion aimed at the study of PPG dynamics and the synthesis of its automatic control. PPG under consideration is composed of a wing (canopy) and a load (gondola) with propelling unit. The PPG mechanical model is constructed as the system of two rigid bodies connected by an elastic joint with four degrees of freedom that executes a 2D motion in a vertical plane. The details of PPG’s motion characteristics including steady-states regimes and its stability have been studied. A nonlinear control law, based on the partial feedback linearization, has been designed for the thrust of PPG. Simulation results are analyzed. Simulation tests show that the internal dynamics are stable near the steady-state flight regime.