Resumen
The paper presents results of the vortex safety analysis conducted for selected unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operating alongside commercial aircraft in the terminal zone. The approach is developed on the basis of a dynamic model of an aircraft entering an upstream wake vortex that allows evaluating changes in the important aerodynamic parameters following the wake vortex interaction and assessing the operational safety risks in application to variable-size UAS. The benchmark parametric study estimates UAS responses in terms of the roll control ratios (RCR) developed by the follower aircraft depending on their position and orientation relative to the wake shed by the leader B737 aircraft, as well as the duration of the wake-UAS interaction. The UAS dynamic reaction is examined in the context of several possible flight control scenarios that include a time-delayed maximum aileron deviation and application of a robust feedback-loop flight controller.