科研成果详情

We report a flight test method for measuring aerodynamic performance of low-speed UAVs. A carbo-fiber tail-sitter with a PID controller, named Egretta, was used to perform the flight tests. Instead of equipping a sophisticated Pitot tube for airspeed measurement, an autonomous steady level turning flight test procedure was developed to obtain the equivalent airspeed based on GPS ground speed. It was found that flight data consistency is within 0.5%. Meanwhile, steady level flight achieved a ± 0.3° pitch angle accuracy. The relation between cruise throttle, the corresponding airspeed and power consumption has been identified during the flight tests. Furthermore, Egretta has demonstrated more than 90 mins endurance and 100 km range in one complete flight mission including takeoff and landing.