Hybrid method for estimating the ground effect on an aircraft

1. A method for assessing the aerodynamic ground effect on an aircraft by determining the variation of at least one aerodynamic coefficient of said aircraft as a function of the height, for a range of heights extending from an aerodynamically infinite height to a zero height, in which:

said range of heights is subdivided into at least two consecutive sets of heights;

for one of said sets of heights, the variation of said aerodynamic coefficient is determined by wind tunnel tests using a model of the aircraft; and

for the other of said sets of heights, the variation of said aerodynamic coefficient is determined by digital simulation reproducing by computation the physical reality of the air flow around said aircraft.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 ,

in which said set of heights for which the variation of said aerodynamic coefficient is determined by digital simulation corresponds to the low heights close to the ground.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 ,

in which said set of heights for which the variation of said aerodynamic coefficient is determined by digital simulation corresponds to the high heights close to said aerodynamically infinite height.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 ,

in which:

said range of heights is subdivided into three consecutive sets of heights;

for that of these three consecutive sets which is in an intermediate position relative to the other two, the variation of said aerodynamic coefficient is determined by wind tunnel tests using said model; and

for each of the other two sets, which are in a lateral position on either side of said intermediate set, the variation of said aerodynamic coefficient is determined by digital simulation.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4 , in which the wind tunnel tests are carried out in an airstream limited by a floor simulating the ground, by a ceiling and by two lateral walls, said model being displaced heightwise in said airstream without, however, approaching said floor by less than a minimum safety height,

in which:

said intermediate set of heights in which the variation of said aerodynamic coefficient is determined by wind tunnel tests corresponds to a range of heights in said airstream extending from said minimum safety height to a height at least approximately equal to that of the center of said stream;

a lateral set of heights in which the variation of said aerodynamic coefficient is determined by digital simulation corresponds to a range of heights in said airstream extending from the zero height to said minimum safety height; and

the other lateral set of heights in which the variation of said aerodynamic coefficient is determined by digital simulation corresponds to a range of heights in said airstream extending from said height at least approximately equal to that of the center of said stream to the infinite height at which the ground effect is zero or negligible.