Aircraft Spin Tutorial

About the Book

In the past, the computation of aircraft spin conditions required the use of a six degree of freedom program. In this paper a simple procedure was developed by using approximations for predicting spin values. This method required only one force (normal) and one moment (spin about the vertical axis). A simple algebraic equation was derived for the spinning moment in which the roots produced the spin conditions. Three fighter aircraft were analyzed and two stable equilibrium spin points were determined for each aircraft (flat and steep). Comparison with results of previous six degree of freedom analysis showed good agreement with this simple procedure.

About the Author

Dr. Wilbur Hankey (AIAA fellow) is a retired aeronautical engineer living in Dayton, Ohio. Stephen Scurria has a BS in mechanical engineering from Miami University and an MS in biomechanical engineering from Ohio State University. He is currently employed as a mechanical engineer at GE Healthcare Coils in Aurora Ohio where they design, manufacture and repair MR coils used in MRI applications.