Effect of Lifting Surface and Tail Configuration on the Aerodynamics and Flight Mechanics of VTOL Aircraft

To increase the cruising range for VTOL aircraft it has become necessary to add a wing or wings so the aircraft can vertically take off like a helicopter but cruise like an airplane. This paper compares the aerodynamic efficiency, stability, and handling qualities of four different cruise configurations: conventional wing-tail airplane, canard airplane, flying wing and tandem wing. An additional aim is to perform a parametric study of the tandem wing aircraft configuration because that has become a popular choice among eVTOL aircraft designers. This paper does not examine the hovering flight portion of the mission. The study is carried out using a vortex lattice model and a RANS CFD model. The paper reveals the pros and cons of each configuration in terms of aerodynamics and flight mechanics. The parametric study of the tandem wing illustrates the effect of parameters such as the relative wing sizes and wingspan on the performance of a tandem wing aircraft. The paper also shows examples of how the four baseline configurations can be applied to different eVTOL aircraft.