Unmanned small autonomous helicopters can perform aggressive maneuvers that will be useful for operations in challenging conditions. This paper presents an analysis of the pilot's execution of aggressive maneuvers from flight test data, collected on an instrumented small-scale acrobatic helicopter. A full-envelope nonlinear dynamic model of the helicopter was developed and validated for aggressive maneuvering. This model was used as part of the hardwarein-the-loop simulation environment to demonstrate intuitive control strategies that were determined from the analysis of flight data. This insight will be helpful in determining closed-loop strategies for autonomous aggressive maneuvering on MIT's platform.
In this paper we describe the control logic that enabled a small-scale unmanned helicopter to execute a completely automatic aerobatic maneuver. The logic consists of steady-state trim trajectory controllers, used prior to, and upon the exit from the maneuver; and a maneuver logic inspired by human pilot strategies. Extensive flight tests with this control logic demonstrated smooth entry into the maneuver, automatic recovery to a steady-state trim trajectory, and the robustness of the trim-trajectory control system toward measurement and modeling errors. This approach can be extended to a variety of maneuvers.
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