Chord-dominated ground-effect aerodynamics of fixed-wing UAVs

During take-off and landing on a runway or on an aircraft carrier deck, the aerodynamics and flow field of a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) will be influenced by the ground effect (GE). An understanding of their GE aerodynamics benefits the development of automatic takeoff and landing systems for UAVs. Based on flow physics, the GE can be categorized into the attached-flow GE of high-aspect- ratio wings for transport aircraft and the separated-flow GE of delta wings for fighters. The former can be further classified into the chord-dominated GE and the span-dominated GE. Depending on the application, the GE can be categorized into the static ground effect (SGE), the dynamic ground effect (DGE) and the mutational ground effect (MGE). The study of the DGE at higher sink rates is of considerable interest in efforts to ensure flight safety during take-off and landing.