Low speed handling qualities of the High Speed Civil Transport

The low speed handling qualities of a High Speed Civil Transport class aircraft have been investigated by using data of the former Advanced Supersonic Transport (AST) 105. The operation of such vehicles in the airport terminal area is characterized by performance, Le. flight a t airspeeds below that for minimum thrust required. Main objectives of this research effort were the determination of the nature and magnitude of the speed instability associated with the backside of the thrust required curve, comparison with existing MIL-SPEC handling qualities criteria, safety of operation in the event of autothrottle failure, and correlation of required engine responsiveness with level of speed instability.