Systems and methods for providing throttle guidance as a function of flight path acceleration

A system for providing throttle rate control, comprising:

• a source of aircraft state data;
• a source of aircraft constraints;
• a source of a potential flight path angle command, PFPAcmd, which is a function of a flight path acceleration;
• a source of a real time (RT) throttle level angle (TLA) that is a throttle setting;
• a source of a RT thrust (T) setting;
• a processor operationally coupled to the source of aircraft constraints, the source of a thrust acceleration command, the source of a RT TLA, and the source of a RT T, the processor programmed to:
• use the potential flight path angle command, PFPAcmd to generate an error on a potential flight path angle;
• convert the error on the potential flight path angle into an equivalent flight path acceleration;
• generate a throttle rate command TLA_ratecmd by converting the equivalent flight path acceleration into the throttle rate command TLA_ratecmd;
• detect a change in real time settings for one or more of flaps, gear handles, and flight director commands
• estimate a delta drag as a function of the detected change;
• determine a first adjustment to acceleration required to compensate for the delta drag, responsive to estimating the delta drag;
• and
• generate the throttle rate command TLA_ratecmd by further adding the first adjustment to the equivalent flight path acceleration.

An aircraft, comprising:

• a source of aircraft state data;
• a source of aircraft constraints;
• a source of a potential flight path angle command, PFPAcmd, which is a function of a flight path acceleration;
• a source of a real time (RT) throttle level angle (TLA);
• a source of a RT thrust (T) setting;
• a processor operationally coupled to the source of aircraft constraints, the source of a thrust acceleration command, the source of a RT TLA, and the source of a RT T, the processor programmed to:
• use the potential flight path angle command, PFPAcmd to generate an error on a potential flight path angle;
• convert the error on the potential flight path angle into an equivalent flight path acceleration;
• generate a throttle rate command TLA_ratecmd by converting the equivalent flight path acceleration into the throttle rate command TLA_ratecmd;
• detect a change in real time settings for one or more of flaps, gear handles, and flight director commands;
• estimate a delta drag as a function of the detected change;
• determine a first adjustment to acceleration required to compensate for the delta drag, responsive to estimating the delta drag;
• and
• generate the throttle rate command TLA_ratecmd by further adding the first adjustment to the equivalent flight path acceleration.