For what application, Dave?
Much of the time i use software packages developed specifically to solve Finite Element problems or CAD problems. If i am trying to model something in more detail i have been known to write iterative code in Excel. I have written powertrain performance simulations in Pascal and test data processing in Fortran. I have even programmed 4 bit computers in machine code.
But my point is that a control system does not need to be complicated. When my old man was a rocket scientist at Hawker Siddely it was often done using gyros and analogue circuits. In fact the only real advantage of digital is very complex circuitry with no noise. As i say Lockheed did it mechanically.
But there are folk who specialise in this. It would be unrealistic to expect an experimental / homebuilt to perform as well as an OEM machine. If you used the config to get the same handling, the payload/machine ratio would suffer for both cost and weight.
Helicopter design is all about extending the margins...
Last edited by Graviman; 15th January 2008 at 22:01.