Modeling and Simulation of Flight Dynamics of a Relative-Roll-Type Parafoil

This paper presents a nine-degree-of-freedom (9-DOF) nonlinear model of flight dynamics of a parafoil whose canopy can be rolled relatively to the payload for lateral control and payload is suspended from the canopy at two points by the riser. Unlike an 8-DOF parafoil whose payload is also connected to the canopy at two points, the lateral maneuver of the 9-DOF type is performed by inclining lift of the canopy rather than by applying the brakes to generate yaw moment as in the 8-DOF type. The dynamic model is obtained by eliminating part of internal forces between the canopy and the payload. Simulation results are shown to illustrate how this kind of parafoil makes a horizontal turn, in comparison with a regular 8-DoF type.