Integrated autopilot/autothrottle for the NASA TSRV B-737 aircraft: Design and verification by nonlinear simulation

An integrated autopilot/autothrottle was designed for flight test on the NASA TSRV B-737 aircraft. The system was designed using a total energy concept and is attended to achieve the following: (1) fuel efficiency by minimizing throttle activity; (2) low development and implementation costs by designing the control modes around a fixed inner loop design; and (3) maximum safety by preventing stall and engine overboost. The control law was designed initially using linear analysis; the system was developed using nonlinear simulations. All primary design requirements were satisfied.