Initial Aircraft Setup

Selecting the aircraft that you want to model is the first step in the process of defining a mission. You can select and edit aircraft models using the buttons in the Initial Aircraft Setup toolbar.

The aircraft type currently being used for the mission is displayed in the Aircraft field. To choose a different aircraft model, click Select Aircraft () to the right of the Aircraft field to open the Select Aircraft window and then browse the aircraft catalogs to select an aircraft to use in the Mission. You can customize specific parameters - including performance models - for an aircraft by opening the Aircraft Properties window from the Select Aircraft window or by clicking Aircraft Catalog () in the Mission window.

You can edit the aircraft's station and fuel configuration for the mission by clicking Aircraft Configuration (), which will open the Aircraft Configuration window. Changes made in the window when launched using this button will be applied only to the current mission, and will not be saved to the catalog copy of the aircraft.

Aircraft Properties

The Aircraft Properties window is used to define the global settings and performance models of the aircraft. The settings and performance models are defined by the aircraft you have selected from the catalog; any changes you make in this window will be applied to the aircraft's definition in the catalog. When you are done editing performance models, click Save to save any changes you have made and click Close to close the window; you will be prompted to save any changes before closing the window.

Note: You cannot make changes to any of the STK default aircraft models; all of the properties fields for these aircraft will be grayed out.

Performance Models

Performance models are used to define the behavior of the aircraft in flight. By specifying performance models to use with each phase of the mission, you can vary the manner in which the aircraft performs based on the priorities of the mission.

The performance models are organized into a tree hierarchy with each type of performance model available to the aircraft as a top level entry. Expand the tree for a particular type of performance model to see what specific performance models are available to it. You can right-click any performance model to create a new, custom performance model; right-clicking a custom performance model also gives you the option to delete it, rename it or copy it to a new custom performance model. In addition, you can use the right-click menu to set the default selection of performance models for each phase of the mission by using the Set As Default and Unset As Default (available only for user-added performance models such as Landing or Terrain Follow). The default selections are indicated by a green icon, rather than the normal gray.

All aircraft are defined by, at a minimum, a set of basic, built-in performance models that includes Acceleration, Climb, Cruise, and Descent. These models are applied by default unless other performance models are selected in the Phase Properties window instead.

Aircraft can also be defined by advanced performance models, which provide more precise methods of defining the attributes covered by the basic models, or allow you to define very specific behaviors, such as terrain following.

You can define any number of performance models for an aircraft, including multiple variations of a single basic or advanced model. When you select Add New Model Type... from the right-click menu of any performance model, the Add New Model Type window will open. Select a class of performance model and then a type in the adjacent frame. The new performance model will appear in the tree under the correct class branch and with a default name. For detailed descriptions of the performance models available in Aircraft Mission Modeler, refer to the Basic Performance Models and Advanced Performance Models pages of this help system.

Default Configuration

Click to open the Aircraft Configuration window and define the default configuration of the aircraft. Changes that you make in the window when accessing it using this button will be saved to the catalog copy of the aircraft model.

3D Model File

The 3D Model for the aircraft can be specified by clicking . The name of the currently selected 3D model is displayed in the field to the left of the ellipsis button.