2024-11-23 Pegasus Flight Test

Owned by Evan Janakievski
Last updated: 2024-11-23
4 min read

Planning

Scope

  • Houston

    • Tracking Antenna Pushed to 2024-11-30 for now, issue with sending data

      • Will test pitch and yaw. Validated prior to 2024-11-16 test, but pushed back to this test

    • Autonomy Testing

      • Cluster Estimation

      • Image collection with manually set camera settings

  • Pegasus 2

    • New landing gear test

      • @Alison Thompson to monitor and update status

      • Pegasus 2 new landing gear testing moved to next week due to decision from @Alison Thompson

    • Pilot training

      • @Evan Janakievski

Flight Cards

Flight Card 1 → pushed to another week

Tracking Antenna Test

Pilot: @Evan Janakievski

GSO: @Nathan Green

What is being tested? To be filled out by flight card requesters @Omer Sajid @Jeremy Zheng

  • Connection between TA and Mission Planner (MavProxy MavLink Forwarding)

  • Setup OTA link on Houston with RFD

  • Fly in 180° arc around TA (only testing Yaw tracking capability)

  • Fly from TA Height to about 20 feet in the air (Pitch tracking capability)

  • Fly in 180° arc around TA while varying drone elevation level (Testing Pitch and Yaw tracking capability)

  • If needed, possible Procedure is listed below (same as a past flight test)

Hardware to be installed, items to bring, batteries, etc (change status to success when installed or plan for installing at flight test is done)

  • Tracking Antenna

  • Tp-link Router

  • RFD

  • Houston Drone

  • WARG Laptop

  • Batteries: 3 3s batteries

    • One for Houston, one for tracking antenna, one just in case

TRACKING ANTENNA TEST PROCEDURE (HOUSTON)

Procedure

Goals / Objectives

Knockoff criteria

  1. Setup

LINK TO DOCUMENTATION FOR SETUP

 

  1. Hover altitude 5m in loiter.

  • Verify antenna is able to point towards the drone

< list of reasons why you would want to stop the test >

  1. Translation motion:

Move in periodic squares moving away from the tracking antenna.

  • Ensure that the tracking antenna remains pointed at the drone

  • tracking antenna loses track on the drone

    • Hover in place and wait.

Flight Card 2

IR CAMERA TEST PROCEDURE (HOUSTON)

Procedure

Goals / Objectives

Knockoff criteria

  1. Setup IR camera image collection script

Get the script to run (either manually or auto start on bootup)

Script is not running

  1. Fly at 20m altitude and test with the following camera settings (ISO 16, 12, ExposureTime 36, 72) 4 flights total.

ollect images of different camera exposure settings and heights

 

Flight Card 3

CLUSTER ESTIMATION TEST PROCEDURE (HOUSTON)

Procedure

Goals / Objectives

Knockoff criteria

  1. Setup

Get the script to run (either manually or auto start on bootup)

Script is not running

  1. Place and measure landing pad distance from drone power-on location

Know true value of landing pad location and home location

 

  1. Hover above the landing pad and fly a few passes at 5, 10, 20m altitude

 

 

 

Flight Card 4

PILOT TRAINING (PEGGY 2)

Procedure

Goals / Objectives

Knockoff criteria

  1. Setup

Gain flight hours on Peggy 2 airframe

Unstable tune

  1. Take off and fly at different altitudes

Get comfortable flying Pegasus

Damaged mechanically

  1. Land

Understand setup procedures

 

Timeline

  • Nov 22

    • Charge 3s batteries

    • Charge controller batteries

  • Nov 23

    • 8:30 charge 6s batteries

    • 9:00 people show up and ensure systems are working to leave on time

    • 9:30 leave for WRESTRC

    • 9:50 arrive

    • 10:00 Flight Card 2 Flight 1 → ISO 1600

    • 10:20 Flight Card 2 Flight 2 → ISO 800

      • Following this flight, CV camera installed for IR camera

    • 10:40 Flight Card 4 Flight 1 → Pilot training

    • 11:10 Flight Card 3 Flight 1 → Cluster Estimation 5 m

    • 11:30 Flight Card 3 Flight 2 → Cluster Estimation 10m

    • 11:50 Flight Card 3 Flight 3 → Cluster Estimation 20 m

    • 12:10 Pack up and leave

    • 12:30 arrive at bay, unpack, and debrief

Attendees

  • @Evan Janakievski

  • @Maxwell Lou

  • @Nathan Green

  • @Daniel Puratich

 

Key People Not Attending

If you’re directly involved in this stuff and cannot make this test please note it here. All onsite FTCs and subteam leads should fill this out please.

Debrief

Pre Flight

  • Left late for WRESTRC

  • Have more Autonomy members involved in flight tests

Flight Card 1

Recap

Good

Bad

 

Flight Card 2

Recap

Flight 1

  • Camera settings: ISO 16, ExposureTime 36

  • Images were black, too dark

  • Camera cable ribbon cable

Flight 2

  • Camera settings: ISO 16, ExposureTime 250

  • IR beacon was visible, slightly dark, and slightly out of focus

  • Room for improvement

  • Camera ribbon cable came unplugged as well as RFD

Flight 3

  • Camera settings: ISO 32, ExposureTime 200

  • Errors with Houston caused aborting flight

    • Motor shaft issues → need to order new motors

    • Vibe issues → shock mounts for Pixhawk

  • Need to test these settings as no images were taken → double check

Good

  • Got some data for camera

Bad

  • Ideal settings were not found

  • Issues with Houston arose and will not be flown until fixed

 

Flight Card 3 → did not complete see Flight Card 2

Recap

Good

Bad

 

Flight Card 4 → did not complete, started to rain

Recap

Good

Bad

 

Post:

  • Do Houston flights in SDC to discover issues and flush out problems prior to doing outdoor tests

  • Do more ground tests for cluster estimation

    • Battery connector needs to be added to IR beacon and remove light sensor → delegate to EE @Maxwell Lou

  • Autonomy needs to make minimum viable product

    • Make assumptions (ie one beacon visible at a time)

    • Tight timeline