Skip to main content

Aircraft Design for Crash Lab Mission in the Hub

            This week, the ERAU Virtual Hub was utilized to determine the best UAS design to fly and investigate a plane crash off of a runway.  To complete this mission, the UAS needed to be able to hover close enough to the crash that a detailed study could be done.  This UAS was then evaluated on its’ ability to perform the mission. 

The first step was to determine the UAS.  The UAS has four main components, including the Ground Control Station (GCS), airframe, power plant, power, and payload.   Both a fixed wing aircraft and Octorotor were evaluated.  While working from the virtual GCS, I was able to determine the following information.

Airframe

Power Plant

Power

Payload

GCS

Ranking:

Condor Octorotor

X8 Black Electric

ERA Powerhouse 10000

LIDAR, Synthetic Aperture RADAR, IMU GPS, Compass, Camera

Large Dipole,

GCS Trailer

3

Feedback:  The Condor Octorotor Test 1 used autopilot file Flight Path 1 to allow the operator to focus on camera angles instead of flying.  The pattern was flown between 10 m/s and 5 m/s with altitude varying from 100 m to 10 m.  This allowed for a thorough investigation and filming of the sight.  The LIDAR was found to not be useful during this portion and only the camera and Synthetic Aperture RADAR could be used to investigate the crash.

Condor Octorotor

X8 Black Electric

ERA Powerhouse 10000

Infrared Sensor with Gimbal, Synthetic Aperture RADAR, IMU GPS, Compass, Camera

Large Dipole,

GCS Trailer

2

Feedback: The Condor Octorotor Test 2 used autopilot file Flight Path 1 to allow the operator to focus on camera angles and FLIR footage.  The pattern was flown between 10 m/s and 5 m/s with the last 2 waypoints slowing to 1 m/s with altitude varying from 100 m to 10 m.  The FLIR and camera footage was superior to the imager received through LIDAR.  The ability to hover for a longer duration or return to a previous angle would increase the likelihood of mission success.

Condor Octorotor

X8 Black Electric

ERA Powerhouse 10000

Infrared Sensor with Gimbal, Synthetic Aperture RADAR, IMU GPS, Compass, Camera

Large Dipole, GCS Trailer

1

Feedback:  The Condor Octorotor Test 3 did not use autopilot.  The operator had to focus on both the camera and the FLIR footage at the same time.  The ERA Powerhouse 10000 provided a long duration of flight and the pilot was able to switch between FLIR, camera, and controlling the direction of the aircraft smoothly.  This was appropriate for this mission due to the small area that the UAS needed to cover.

Tern Fixed Wing

2 Stroke Gas Engine

ERA Powerhouse 10000

Auto control, EO with Gimbal, Synthetic Aperture, Camera

Large Dipole, GCS Trailer

4

Feedback: The Tern Fixed Wing Test 1 did use autopilot.  It was difficult to fly a tight enough pattern to see all aspects of the crash site.  The ERA Powerhouse 10000 provided enough battery life to keep the fixed wing aircraft in the air.  The Tern allowed for more sensors, but lacked the ability to slow down enough to really examine the site.


            From a human factor’s standpoint, the most difficult decision was whether or not the aircraft needed to be maneuvered manually or in autopilot.  With the Tern aircraft, autopilot was necessary.  It was too difficult to change the camera angle and fly a close enough pattern to the crash site.  For the Octorotor, I was able to maneuver the camera in both manual and autopilot modes.  Working through multiple simulations, I determined the best way to maneuver the aircraft was manually.  This allowed for the UAS to be hovered in different locations around the plane crash.  Without the proficiency of the control station, it worked better to adjust the camera angle for pictures during hover portions of flight. 

Figure 1: Condor Octorotor Test 3 Successful UAS

            Octorotor Test 3 was the most successful UAS.  It had a long battery life and appropriate sensors.  The IR sensor, Synthetic Aperture RADAR, and camera provided valuable feedback of the crash scene.    This lightweight UAS was able to stay in the air for enough time to successfully take photos from multiple angles of the scene.  This was a mission success. 

Figure 2: FLIR Imagery of Plane Crash Scene

Being able to test many different variations of UAS in a virtual lab provided valuable insight into the best way to handle a crash scene investigation.  Modeling in the virtual world provides valuable information at a low-cost point to the operators training to fly the missions. 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

UAS and Manned Aircraft Autonomy

There are multiple levels of automation developed and defined for UAS operations.  NASA created the NASA level of autonomy that consists of 8 different levels.  They each have an observe, orient, decide, and act decision making task associated with the situation (Elliot, J.L. & Stewart, B., 2011, p. 113).  The chart listed below shows each level of automation.   Figure 1: NASA Level of Autonomy (Elliot, J.L.  & Stewart, B., 2011, p. 113) Level 1 is the most human oriented level.  The human is able to gather and filter through all of the data.  Level 8 is the most computer-based system.  The computer gathers all information and does not even display that information to the human.  Currently, most technology operates between a 3 to a 5.  The computer is able to gather information and make decisions, but most systems still require a human in the loop to impact large situations.   The...
Post a Comment
Read more

Physiological Issues in UAS

            Physiological issues will affect all manned and unmanned pilots at some point during their careers.  Sometimes a pilot wakes up more fatigued than expected or with some type of head cold.  What makes pilots safe and professional is their ability to mitigate risk and determine if they are able to actually complete the flight or not.  UAS operators have to evaluate how they are feeling before every flight based on the IMSAFE procedure.  The IMSAFE procedure looks at illness, medication, stress, alcohol, fatigue, and emotion to determine if a pilot will be safe to fly the mission they are supposed to fly  (FAA, 2016, p. 49).  If they are not capable of completing the mission then they must not fly that day. Figure 1: OTC Medication Requirements (FAA, n.d.)               OTC medications can pose a threat to the illness an...
1 comment
Read more

UAS Mishaps and Accidents

 There are many different factors when evaluating someone for their ability to be a UAS operator. UAS operators are required to operate in dynamic environments almost every time they fly.  I personally have had the opportunity to fly small personal UAS in the past, and have noticed, even as a pilot, it can be quite challenging when you initially start learning.  This can often lead to crashes with objects or the ground.  In my experience, because I was working with a small UAS, I did not need to register it and could practice with no real training.  I eventually got the hang of the flight path, but it did take a couple of practices.   To actually be certified I believe it is important for a pilot to go through a multi-week course that covers a variety of topics.  These topics include aerodynamics, weather, and airspace.  Once the operator completes that course, they can then move on to actually learning to fly UAS.  Those fundamentals ar...
Post a Comment
Read more