The development of a low-cost research R.P.V. system

Abstract

Flight testing is recognised to be the definitive validation of an aerodynamic concept or of an aircraft configuration’s performance. However, flight testing of manned aircraft presents concerns for safety and increasingly prohibitive cost requirements. Complementing wind tunnels, an instrumented Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV) is a valuable tool for aeronautical research, with which many aspects of flight mechanics and applied aerodynamics can be investigated economically before the final design of the full size prototype. The aim of this research project is to develop a research RPV system with a low cost emphasis.

This thesis details the development, design, construction, and testing of an RPV and its integration into a flight system including an instrumentation payload, a real-time telemetry downlink, data acquisition and processing equipment and software. There have been many innovations in both hardware and software in order to create an RPV system which is small, safe, inexpensive, and yet reliable. Limitations of some low-cost components were amply compensated through local modifications and careful calibrations.

A modified one quarter scale R/C model of the Bellanca Citabria was utilised as the basic test vehicle. Appropriate transducers and ancillary instrumentation were developed specifically to meet system requirements. The data acquisition system is able to display flight data in real time whilst recording, thus providing valuable feedback to the pilot, and allowing for post-flight data-processing.

Comparisons between flight data and video image records demonstrate the accuracy of the data acquisition system. Each component of the RPV system is recognised to have the potential for enhancement to improve accuracy and reliability. However, the achievement of a set of reasonable goals has demonstrated the feasibility of the original concept. The realisation of a workable RPV system is not an end to itself, but leads to the commencement of further research, using the current work as a baseline. Proposed applications for the RPV system include research into applied aerodynamics and flight mechanics.