Patent attributes
Embodiments of a method to determine airspeed for aircraft include determining critical air data parameters without the use of pitot-static systems. Airspeed may be determined by iteratively repeating the method until converging on a stable airspeed value that differs from a previous airspeed value by less than a predetermined threshold. Airspeed may be determined by modeling aircraft lift and repeatedly updating dynamic pressure to converge on an airspeed based on the balance between aircraft lift and weight. Airspeed may be determined based on predetermined relationships between a horizontal control surface position and dynamic pressure. A voting logic method validates or invalidates airspeeds from dissimilar sources, including airspeeds determined using the methods described herein and conventional pitot-static systems.
