Computing optimal trajectories for light soaring aircraft using Fast Marching Tree Star

Lucas Bonin (1) , Andreas Guitart (1) , Daniel Delahaye (2) , Xavier Prats (3) , Eric Feron (4)

1 OPTIM - ENAC - Equipe Optim
2 ENAC - Ecole Nationale de l'Aviation Civile
3 UPC - Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya [Barcelona]
4 KAUST - King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

In the last couple of years, performances of light soaring aircraft (para gliders, hang gliders, or light sailplanes) have increased significantly, allowing pilots to fly great distances using only the convective energy of the atmosphere. This activity, called "Cross-Country flying" or "soaring", requires topological and aerological knowledge and a lot of pre-flight preparation in order to make the right decisions, thus maximizing the flying distance or minimizing the flying time in a race. To optimize these flights, a pre-tactical decision support tool has been developed. This tool results from the adaptation of the Fast Marching Tree Star algorithm. It is extended in such a way it can deal with differential constraints associated with light soaring aircraft, operating in a convective atmosphere, in a field of wind, and close to reliefs. The method has been tested and validated on a real competition light soaring aircraft.

Mots clés: Motion planning trajectory Design soaring aircraft anisotropy; Motion planning; trajectory Design; soaring aircraft; anisotropy

Domaines: Optimisation et contrôle [math.OC]

Lucas Bonin, Andreas Guitart, Daniel Delahaye, Xavier Prats, Eric Feron. Computing optimal trajectories for light soaring aircraft using Fast Marching Tree Star. 2023. ⟨hal-03923994⟩