Longitudinal stability issues including propulsive effects on an innovative commercial propeller-driven aircraft

This paper deals with the assessment of aerodynamic characteristics, including the propulsive effects, of the innovative regional turboprop aircraft configuration for the IRON EU project. This work focuses on the three-lifting surfaces configuration with rear engines of Design Loop 2. High-fidelity numerical analyses have been performed in order to build an aerodynamic database. Longitudinal stability and control characteristics, maximum lift capability, and propulsive effects have been investigated. An experimental campaign through wind-tunnel tests has been carried out to validate numerical simulations. In this paper, the experimental investigation concerning the propulsive effects includes only the setup of the scaled propulsion system. Powered wind tunnel tests are scheduled by the end of 2019.