Tailsitter

Project Description

A tailsitter is a fixed wing aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities but requires no additional moving parts as tilt-rotor, tilt-wing or vectored thrust aircraft do. This type of aircraft combines the flexibility of rotorcraft and endurance of fixed-wing aircraft. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tailsitter for more details.)

Problem Statement

Autonomous flight desired from takeoff through landing, including transition between hover and level flight
Platform must be robust to external disturbances such as wind during all flight regimes.

Challenges

Aircraft inherently unstable in hover
Characterizing aerodynamics during transition
Traditional methods of attitude description (Euler Angles) not sufficient
Maintaining control authority while descending during hover

Goals

Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation o Interface Kestrel 3 Autopilot with the X-Plane flight simulator
Control Algorithms o Implement previously developed control algorithms on Kestrel 3 Autopilot o Validate algorithm robustness to external disturbances, specifically during hover and landing o Improve transition controller: - Banking during transition - Minimize altitude gain while controlling horizontal position
System Identification o Wind tunnel testing for general aircraft parameters o Flight Testing for aerodynamic and other physical parameter o Simulator Validation

Personnel

BYU: Dr. Randy Beard, Dr. Tim McLain, Matthew Argyle, Nathan Edwards, and Jason Beach

MLB Company: Steve Morris www.spyplanes.com

Sponsor

MLB was recently awarded a Phase II contract from the Air Force Research Lab. MLB has chosen BYU to develop the flight controls.

Project Duration

Summer 2011 - 2015