Fuel conservation - DC-9 series 20/30/40

Journal Article · Tue Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1981 · Society of Flight Test Engineers, Journal; (United States)

OSTI ID:5551571

Operational performance penalties and approximate fuel costs associated with the aerodynamics, flight operations, fuel gage system and performance analysis aspects of the DC-9 Series 20, 30 and 40 aircraft are presented. Degradations in aerodynamic cleanness, caused by the gradual deterioration of various seals, rigging adjustments and skin surface smoothness, are shown to lead to drag increases of less than 0.5%, which, however, represents a significant cost in view of the amount of fuel consumed. Flying off-optimum altitude or Mach number may result in excess fuel expenditures greater than those due to degraded aerodynamic cleanness. Other operational factors with substantial influence on fuel use include fuel or aircraft weight, center of gravity, flight time, the use of automatic flight control systems, APU operation, engine starting times, takeoff procedures, climb speed, en route profile, descent profile, and approach maneuvers. The DC-9 fuel gage system has been designed to be as accurate as possible in all phases, in order to minimize the necessity of carrying excess fuel for a given flight. Finally, investigations of aircraft performance may be used to identify areas requiring correction through the comparison of the indicated performance level against a reference, the assessment of engine and airframe contributions, and the investigation of the most likely areas for correction - the external control surfaces and internal systems.

• OSTI ID: 5551571
• Journal Information: Society of Flight Test Engineers, Journal; (United States), Journal Name: Society of Flight Test Engineers, Journal; (United States) Vol. 3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320201* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Transportation-- Air & Aerospace
AERODYNAMICS
AIRCRAFT
AIRCRAFT COMPONENTS
AVIATION FUELS
CONTROL SYSTEMS
COST
ENERGY CONSERVATION
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
FLUID MECHANICS
FUEL CONSUMPTION
FUEL GAGES
FUELS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MECHANICS
PERFORMANCE