Regulation of Relaxed Static Stability Aircraft1

We formulate and solve a regulator problem for nonlinear parameter dependent dynamics. It is shown that the problem is solvable except at parameter values associated with bifurcation of the equilibrium equations and that such bifurcations are inherently linked with the system zero dynamics. These results are applied to the study of the regulation of the longitudinal dynamics of aircraft. It is shown how the ability to regulate aircraft flight path is dependent on system parameters. Computational studies focus on changes in the center of gravity location. We indicate how design choices affect the ability to regulate over a range of parameter values.