STK AVIATOR
Aviator is a premier
tool for performing
complex, highlyaccurate, time-based
mission analysis foraircraft operations.
Aviator is built upon the concept of anaircraft’s mission, as opposed to a mere pointto-point route. An aircraft using Aviator as its
propagator can carry out operations that are
more complex than a transit between twopoints (e.g., holding in a pattern).

Aircraft models
An aircraft model defines the physicalcharacteristics of the aircraft and the modesof flight that define how the aircraft flies inany given situation.

Configuration
Basic. Used to define empty parameters of theaircraft, and displays the total values, based on
the stations and fuel tanks defined for it.
Stations. Used to define internal fuel tanks,stations, and external fuel tanks that are
attached to the stations.
Fuel. Displays all the fuel tanks defined forthe aircraft, in their consumption order.

Performance models
Performance models are used to define thebehavior of the aircraft in flight. By specifying
performance models to use with each phaseof the mission, you can vary the manner inwhich the aircraft performs based on thepriorities of the mission. There are over 15
types of performance models, such as:• Basic acceleration, advanced acceleration•	
Basic climb, advanced climb,
sequenced climb• Basic cruise, advanced cruise•	
Basic descent, advanced descent,sequenced descent• Basic landing, advanced landing• Terrain follow

Phases•	
Area target searchPhases are the basic logical unit of a
mission, and serve as containers for theprocedures that define the aircraft’s actions.
You can select a specific set of performancemodels to use with each phase, allowing
you to perform one mission with multipleperformance characteristics.

•	
Basic maneuver, basic point to point

Sites
Each procedure is associated with a site. Thesite defines the location and the nature of theposition at which the procedure takes place- e.g., a runway, a waypoint, another aircraft- and also determines what procedure types
are available for selection. There are over
15 types of sites, such as:•	Airport, Navaid, runway, VTOL point, andwaypoint from the Aviator catalog•	
STK objects, including area target,waypoint, static object, and vehicle•	
Relative to previous procedure, relative tostationary STK object•	
Reference state•	Super procedure•	Holding – circular, Holding – figure-8,Holding – racetrack•	
Hover, hover translate•	Landing, takeoff•	
Parallel flight line, terrain following•	Transition to forward flight,
transition to hover•	
Vertical landing, vertical takeoff

Basic maneuvers
A basic maneuver procedure is a single action
undertaken by the aircraft, in contrast to
most procedures in Aviator, which represent
a series of actions that together comprise acommon flying procedure. There are over
15 types of basic maneuvers, such as:•	
Aileron roll, barrel roll•	
Autopilot - horizontal plane, Autopilot vertical plane, Glide - Vertical Plane•	
Loop, pull, rolling pull•	
Simple turn, smooth turn

Flight procedures•	
Smooth accel

At a specified waypoint, you can specify
a flight procedure from a set of over 25
flexible, pre-defined options, such as:•	Straight ahead, weave•	Arc enroute, arc point to point•	
Cruise profile•	Profile Segment - Bezier or push / pull

• Vertical take off and landing (VTOL)
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3D route editing

Advanced Fixed Wing toolIn addition to building routes, you can add,
move and alter waypoints within the 3Denvironment. The entire mission, including
waypoints and procedures, can be clickedout in a matter of seconds. Holding patternparameters such as length and width can beedited by simply clicking and dragging the3D control points.

The Advanced Fixed Wing tool is used
to define a highly precise set of physicalproperties for the aircraft that you aremodeling. These physical properties canthen serve as the basis for a set of advanced
performance models. Properties include:

Catalogs
Aviator provides a catalog for the loading andsaving of aircraft, airports, navaids, runways,
VTOL points, and waypoints. Each of theseelements of a mission has an associatedcatalog in STK. You can add, modify, anddelete items from the catalogs to make iteasier to use the same elements for multiple
missions and procedures. In addition, you canimport catalogs of compatible data, such as
DAFIF and ARINC424 data, and access themfor use in defining these elements.

Mission profile
The mission profile can display a variety ofdata describing the mission. The default
profile displays the aircraft’s altitude relative
to its downrange distance, but the graphcan be customized to display any Flight
Profile data provider with respect to time ordownrange distance.

Wind and Atmosphere Model tool
The Wind and Atmosphere Model
tool enables you to simulate wind andatmospheric conditions for the scenario, amission, a specific procedure, or a group ofmulti-selected procedures.
•	Wind models in Aviator can change theground speed, flight path angle, andaltitude rate of an aircraft and can produce a
difference between the heading and courseof an aircraft (also known as a crab angle).

• Aircraft Geometry• Aerodynamics• Powerplant• Structural and Human Factors Limits

Hypersonic/thermodynamic
propulsion models
These high-end, complex, propulsion
models incorporate an extensible fuel model
system that handles the thermodynamic
properties of air and fuel mixtures. All of themodels incorporate variable, specific, heat
thermodynamics. The fuel models are allplugins, so you can employ your own models
by providing additional plugins.
•	Dual Spool Turbojet. You can specify
various maximum values for temperaturesand pressure ratios along with component
efficiencies to model the effect of thoseparameters on thrust and fuel burn.
•	
Dual Spool Turbofan. You can specify
standard parameters, including the bypass
ratio, to understand how advances intechnology affect thrust and fuel burnacross the flight envelope.
•	
Sub/Super/Hypersonic Powerplant.
Combines the operating concepts ofturbines, ramjets and scramjet modes.

Search patterns
Define search patterns using the Flight Lineand Parallel Flight Line procedures or theArea Target Search procedure.

Aviator Pro
Aviator Pro extends the modelingcapabilities of Aviator by providing a
selection of real guidance strategies for theBasic Maneuver procedure. These strategies
are executed without future knowledge ofthe target object’s route, so that the aircraft
reacts in simulated real-time to the target
object’s maneuvering.
Intercept. The aircraft attempts a forward
quarter intercept on a moving object,
guided to a constant target aspect orlateral separation.
Relative Bearing. The aircraft flies to a
constant relative bearing to a stationary ormoving object.
Stationkeeping. The aircraft orbits a point
relative to a stationary or moving object.
Rendezvous/Formation. While operatingin the wind frame, the aircraft uses multimode guidance to maintain formation with acooperative aircraft.

•	
Atmosphere models in Aviator define airdensity, which affects the behavior of all
performance models.

Refuel / Dump tool
The Refuel / Dump tool simulates adding
or removing fuel in flight during theassociated procedure.

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