Robust Motion Planning for a Differentially Flat Fixed-Wing Aircraft

This paper investigates robustness and sensitivity in autonomous flight trajectory planning, focusing on model uncertainties during frame transitions. We analyze the role of differential flatness in planning open-loop state-control trajectories and examine how uncertainties impact robustness when mapped from the wind frame to the body frame. Using the given coordinated flight model, we assess mapping errors under mass uncertainty, reflecting these uncertainties back to the wind frame for analysis. Numerical simulations of a barrel roll maneuver illustrate our findings, contributing to the development of resilient trajectory planning frameworks for autonomous flight under variable conditions. Copyright (c) 2024 The Authors.