Flight path optimization for an airplane

Abstract

The diminution of the fuel consumption during the flight trajectory has an impact on the cost of the travel and answers to the ecologic challenge Green Sky . The analysis has for objective to optimize the flight trajectory of the aircraft in order to reduce the fuel consumption. The flight trajectory is defined by a simplified description and depends on some parameters which affect the different phases of the trajectory. The flight description is introduced in a computer code and the different parameters vary in order to define their influence on the fuel consumption. The results which are obtained show the influence of the times of climb and descent and the cruise altitude on the fuel consumption. The variation according to the defined configuration is in the order of few percent. Today, all the few kilograms of fuel which are saved are important. The different phases of the flight trajectory have to be optimized to reduce the fuel consumption.