Modeling and Control of a Powered Parafoil in Wind and Rain Environments

A novel modeling method, based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to simulate a parafoil flying in rain and wind environments, is proposed. Then, the dynamic model of the powered parafoil in the complex environment is established on the basis of revised aerodynamic equations. By introducing path-following controllers based on active disturbance rejection control (ADRC), horizontal and longitude trajectory tracking of the powered parafoil in realistic environments are simulated. Results verify the effectiveness of the model and control methods.