Contact Dr Linghai Lu
- Tel: +44 (0) 1234 754838
- Email: L.Lu@cranfield.ac.uk
- ORCID
Areas of expertise
- Aeronautical Systems
- Aircraft Design
- Airworthiness
- Autonomous Systems
- Computing, Simulation & Modelling
- Flight Physics
Background
Lu is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, a Fellow of the High Education Association; a member of the American Helicopter Association, AIAA (Senior), IEEE, and USA Vertical Flight Society
Lu is the Head of Communication Officer at UK Vertical Lift Network (VLN).
• 2023.12 Sliver Award from RAeS, for the tilt-rotor XV-15 paper led by Professor Gareth Padfield
• 2023.12 Contributed to the RAeS’s Yong Person’s Written Paper Prize led by Dr Wajih Memon
• 2013.09 Best Paper awarded from 39th European Rotorcraft Forum, Moscow, Russia
• Proficient in using flight simulation for flight certification (CS27/CS29, eVTOL SC).
• Extensive experience in high-fidelity Multi-Body Aircraft Modelling (Bo105, Puma, Blackhawk, XV-15, AW109, and Bell412); Aircraft Control Design.
• In-depth expertise in System Identification, encompassing time-domain methods such as Stepwise Regression and Maximum Likelihood Method, and frequency-domain techniques, e.g., CIFER.
• Extensive experience in Aircraft Real-Time Simulation, covering Rigid-Body and Aeroelastic models.
• Skilled in operating three Commercial 6DOF Full-Motion Simulators (Liverpool University’s HELIFLIGHT-R/I and TUD Delft’s SIMONA); fixed-base simulators (Cranfield’s FSS, LFS, and EFS simulators).
• Hands-on experience in Real Flight Testing with the Bell42 (National Research Council (Canada)).
• Proficiency in Aircraft Handling Qualities; Pilot Modelling and Perception; Human Factors; Aircraft/Rotorcraft Pilot Active and Passive Coupling.
• Proficient in software tools FLIGHTLAB, VAPS XT, Vega Prime 5, Visual C++, MATLAB, and X-Plane.
Research opportunities
Open for PhD Applications
Lu's interests encompass a wide range of topics, including high-fidelity modelling and real-time simulation for aircraft, rotorcraft, UAM, and EVTOL systems, as well as robust and nonlinear control.
Additionally, Lu is passionate about aircraft and rotorcraft safety, operational aspects, handling qualities, system identification in both time and frequency domains, full-motion simulator fidelity (6DOF), aircraft design, human factors, drone guidance, navigation, stability and control, and certification through simulation.
Furthermore, Lu is actively involved in the field of Active Inceptor systems.
Current activities
• External (Co-PI, EU Project), Towards a flying testbed for European leadership in aviation, (16M Euros), (from 01 Jan. 2025 to 31st May 2028, 40 months).
• External (PI, funded by Rolls-Royce), Single Pilot Operation (SPO) Research relating to Engine Events (£100k), (from 01 Apr. 2024 to 20 May. 2025).
• External (Co-PI, funded by Rolls-Royce), Liquid-Hydrogen Operation (LH) Research relating to Engine Events (£100k), (from 01 Feb. 2024 to 31 Dec. 2024).
• External (UK ATI): ADEPT project with Vertical Aerospace, (£1.3M for Cranfield University), (from 11. 2023, 40-months period).
• External (UK UKRI): Future Leaders Fellows Development Network, (02.2023 – 07.2024).
• External (PI, UK EPSRC): A Novel Approach to Rotorcraft Simulation Fidelity (£365k) (01.2018 – 01. 2024, EP/P030009/1).
• External (Co-I, PINES Project funded by Rolls-Royce): Development of “IntelligentEngine Technologies” (£0.5M) (01. 2022 – 11. 2024)- The project is intended to explore how novel technologies at engine level can be integrated to the benefit of the whole aircraft and beyond.
• External (PI, Royal Society): International Exchanges fund (03. 2020 – 04. 2023, £6k), to develop a bio-inspired GNS methodology in the dark environment with the Medical School of USA Johns Hopkin University.
• External (Co-I, TRL 6-7, EU’s Clean Sky 2): ‘Rotorcraft Certification by Simulation (RoCS, total: €3M) (05. 2019 – 12. 2023, H2020-CS2-CFP08-2018-01).
• External (Co-I, EU’s Clean Sky 2): E-PILOT (total: €797k) (01. 2021 – 12. 2022, No 831993)- Develop Machine Learning and Sensor-based solutions for aviation and pilot cognitive monitoring. (took over from a former employee, and I managed to successfully conclude and deliver the project for the final whole year).
• External (PI): 2017.12 Building a Virtual Reality Simulation Platform with Motion System, Knowledge Exchange & Innovation (KE&I) (£10k, 2018.01 -2018.07).
Clients
- European Aviation Safety Agency
Publications
Articles In Journals
- Enenakpogbe E, Whidborne JF & Lu L. (2025). Control allocation problem transformation approaches for over-actuated vectored thrust VTOLs. Aerospace Science and Technology, 161
- Kang N, Lu L & Whidborne JF. (2025). Energy optimization strategies for automatic tiltrotor electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print)
- Whidborne JF, Place S, Alam M & Lu L. (2024). Supporting flight dynamics, parameter identification and simulation teaching with a flying classroom. IFAC-PapersOnLine, 58(16)
- Korek WT, Beecroft P, Lone M, Bragado Aldana E, Mendez A, .... (2024). Simulation framework and development of the Future Systems Simulator. The Aeronautical Journal, 128(1330)
- Enenakpogbe E, Whidborne JF & Lu L. (2024). Full envelope control of over-actuated fixed-wing vectored thrust eVTOL. Aerospace, 11(12)
- Agarwal D, Lu L, Padfield GD, White MD & Cameron N. (2022). The use of augmented rotor inflow to predict rotorcraft responses in hover and low-speed manoeuvres. The Aeronautical Journal, 126(1301)
- Padfield GD & Lu L. (2022). The potential impact of adverse aircraft-pilot couplings on the safety of tilt-rotor operations. The Aeronautical Journal, 126(1304)
- Ji H, Lu L, White MD & Chen R. (2022). Advanced pilot modeling for prediction of rotorcraft handling qualities in turbulent wind. Aerospace Science and Technology, 123(April)
- Ji H, Lu L & Chen R. (2022). Moving Spatial Turbulence Model for High-Fidelity Rotorcraft Maneuvering Simulation. Mathematics, 10(12)
- Lu L, Agarwal D, Padfield GD, White MD & Cameron N. (2022). A new heuristic approach to rotorcraft system identification. Journal of the American Helicopter Society, 68(2)
- Ji H, Chen R, Lu L & White MD. (2021). Pilot workload investigation for rotorcraft operation in low-altitude atmospheric turbulence. Aerospace Science and Technology, 111(April)
- Agarwal D, Lu L, Padfield GD, White MD & Cameron N. (2021). Rotorcraft lateral-directional oscillations: the anatomy of a nuisance mode. Journal of the American Helicopter Society, 66(4)
- White MD, Padfield GD, Lu L, Advani S & Potter M. (2021). Review of flight simulation fidelity requirements to help reduce ‘rotorcraft loss of control in‑flight’ accident rates. CEAS Aeronautical Journal, 12(4)
- Memon WA, White MD, Padfield GD, Cameron N & Lu L. (2021). Helicopter handling qualities: a study in pilot control compensation. The Aeronautical Journal, 126(1295)
- Lu L, Jump M & Padfield GD. (2018). Development of a Generic Time-to-Contact Pilot Guidance Model. Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 41(4)
- Muscarello V, Quaranta G, Masarati P, Lu L, Jones M, .... (2016). Prediction and Simulator Verification of Roll/Lateral Adverse Aeroservoelastic Rotorcraft–Pilot Couplings. Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 39(1)
- Lu L, Jump M, White M & Perfect P. (2016). Development of Occupant-Preferred Landing Profiles for Personal Aerial Vehicles. Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 39(8)
- Pavel MD, Masarati P, Gennaretti M, Jump M, Zaichik L, .... (2015). Practices to identify and preclude adverse Aircraft-and-Rotorcraft-Pilot Couplings – A design perspective. Progress in Aerospace Sciences, 76
- Lu L & Jump M. (2014). Multiloop Pilot Model for Boundary-Triggered Pilot-Induced Oscillation Investigations. Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 37(6)
- Masarati P, Quaranta G, Lu L & Jump M. (2014). A closed loop experiment of collective bounce aeroelastic Rotorcraft–Pilot Coupling. Journal of Sound and Vibration, 333(1)
- Lu L, Jump M & Jones M. (2013). Tau Coupling Investigation Using Positive Wavelet Analysis. Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 36(4)
- Jones M, Jump M & Lu L. (2013). Development of the Phase-Aggression Criterion for Rotorcraft—Pilot Coupling Detection. Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 36(1)
- Padfield GD, Lu L & Jump M. (2012). Tau Guidance in Boundary-Avoidance Tracking - New Perspectives on Pilot-Induced Oscillations. Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 35(1)
- Lu L, Padfield GD, White M & Perfect P. (2011). Fidelity enhancement of a rotorcraft simulation model through system identification. The Aeronautical Journal, 115(1170)
- Lu L, Padfield GD & Jump M. (2010). Investigation of rotorcraft-pilot couplings under flight-path constraint below the minimum-power speed. The Aeronautical Journal, 114(1157)
- Lu L, Murray-Smith DJ & Thomson DG. (2008). Issues of numerical accuracy and stability in inverse simulation. Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory, 16(9)
- Lu L, Murray-Smith DJ & McGookin EW. (2007). Investigation of inverse simulation for design of feedforward controllers. Mathematical and Computer Modelling of Dynamical Systems, 13(5)
- Lu L, Murray-Smith DJ & Thomson DG. (2007). Sensitivity-Analysis Method for Inverse Simulation Application. Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 30(1)