Author Description

This thesis effort focuses on the development of an object-oriented simulation of C-17 personnel airdrop operations and provides a tool for risk assessment of jumper and wingtip vortex interaction. Using the initial modeling efforts of the Wright Laboratory, this model expands those efforts to include random aircraft, wind and jumper movement within the simulation using MODSIM III as its language. Once the model was built, verified, and calibrated, it helped perform a preliminary analysis of jumper risk with varying element spacing and no crosswind. The results of the simulation provided 15 data points with which linear and logistic regression provided an estimation of the marginal rate of change of jumper/vortex encounter rate. Using the third order model shows that the encounter rate levels off around 24,000 feet spacing between element leaders at 12%, and stays as high as 11% at 32,000 feet before dropping to 0.4% at 34, 000 feet. Further research and model improvements may bring the encounter rate down at the more distant spacing but that is left for post thesis analysis efforts.