Planning, Implementation, and Execution of an Automatic First Flight of a UAV

Executing the first flight of a novel aircraft configuration presents one of the riskiest activities in flight testing. This challenge is even greater when performing the first flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that operates fully automatically. This paper presents the design and planning of the first flight mission of the SAGITTA Demonstrator UAV and discusses its implementation in the automatic flight guidance and control system of the aircraft. Besides the nominal mission profile itself, this includes provisions for various contingencies in order to provide options of action to the test crew in case of unforeseen events. Results and experiences gained during preparation and execution of the first flight test campaign of the SAGITTA Demonstrator conclude the paper.     «

Executing the first flight of a novel aircraft configuration presents one of the riskiest activities in flight testing. This challenge is even greater when performing the first flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that operates fully automatically. This paper presents the design and planning of the first flight mission of the SAGITTA Demonstrator UAV and discusses its implementation in the automatic flight guidance and control system of the aircraft. Besides t...     »