Time-Optimal Path Following for Fixed-Wing Aircraft

Abstract

In this paper, a method is proposed for the minimum-time travel of a fixed-wing aircraft along a prescribed geometric path. The method checks the feasibility of the path, namely, whether it is possible for the aircraft to travel along the path without violating the state or control constraints. If the path is feasible, the method subsequently finds a semi-analytical solution of the speed profile that minimizes the travel time along the path. The optimal speed profile is then used to time parameterize the path and generate the state trajectory along with the control histories via inverse dynamics. Two algorithms for the time-optimal parameterization are proposed. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the validity, numerical accuracy, and optimality of the proposed method.