06.2 - Flight Dynamics and Control (UAV related)
PLANNING, IMPLEMENTATION, AND EXECUTION OF AN AUTOMATIC FIRST FLIGHT OF A UAV
M.E. Kügler¹, F. Holzapfel¹; ¹Technical University of Munich, Inst. of Flight System Dynamics, Germany
Conducting 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. The proposed paper will present the design and planning of the first flight mission of the SAGITTA Demonstrator UAV and discuss its implementation in the automatic flight guidance and control system of the aircraft. Besides the nominal mission profile itself, this particularly includes precautions for various eventualities 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 of the SAGITTA Demonstrator conclude the paper.