Results from flight and simulator studies of a Mach 3 cruise longitudinal autopilot

At Mach numbers of approximately 3.0 and altitudes greater than 21,300 meters, the original altitude and Mach hold modes of the YF-12 autopilot produced aircraft excursions that were erratic or divergent, or both. Flight data analysis and simulator studies showed that the sensitivity of the static pressure port to angle of attack had a detrimental effect on the performance of the altitude and Mach hold modes. Good altitude hold performance was obtained when a high passed pitch rate feedback was added to compensate for angle of attack sensitivity and the altitude error and integral altitude gains were reduced. Good Mach hold performance was obtained when the angle of attack sensitivity was removed; however, the ride qualities remained poor.