Quasi-level flight performance of a rocket powered vehicle under suitable thrust command in a non homogeneous atmosphere

Abstract

In the first section of the paper a rocket powered aircraft is constrained to fly in a rectilinear path of a very small inclination with respect to the horizon by exerting necessary thrust control .For such a typical maneuver, velocity-time, velocity-altitude and velocity- horizontal distance distributions have been established. Final payload ratio is also found .In the second section the aircraft is maneuvered with constant velocity along a rectilinear path of the same nature which calls for continuous variation of both angle of attack and thrust and the dimensionless thrust is found to obey exponential law with respect to time. In the third section of the paper  is considered that the vehicle moves with constant dynamic pressure, which also entails continuous variation of the thrust and angle of attack .Either of lift coefficient and pay load ratio is found to satisfy a linear differential equation which can be solved by approximate-procedures depending on the values of drag and lift coefficient. In each section a parabolic drag with constant coefficients is considered and the load factor is maintained equal to the unity to yield a rectilinear path.