Wake vortex gliding

Abstract

Airplanes and birds can save energy by flying in formation. The energy is harvested from the wake vortex of the formation leader. This paper brings flight performance feasibility study of an extreme formation when a big airliner is followed by a small UAV. Models of B 747 wake vertices are laid out and parameters of the UAV designed for flight in the wake vortex are introduced. Regions with sufficient energy for gliding flight are analysed for different vortex models.Airplanes and birds can save energy by flying in formation. The energy is harvested from the wake vortex of the formation leader. This paper brings flight performance feasibility study of an extreme formation when a big airliner is followed by a small UAV. Models of B 747 wake vertices are laid out and parameters of the UAV designed for flight in the wake vortex are introduced. Regions with sufficient energy for gliding flight are analysed for different vortex models.