Jan 22, 2023 Flight Test
- Anonymous
- Hamza Ali
- Taim Al-Dabbagh
Overview | Required Persons During Test | Success criteria | Pre-Flight Test Checklist | Flight Test Debrief | Motor discussion post-flight
Overview
Requested by: | @Anthony Luo | @Conall Kingshott | @Megan Spee | @Daniel Puratich |
|---|---|
Required Subteams | Firmware, Mech, Electrical |
Requested Date | Jan 22, 2023 |
Summary & Goals | 12s Thrusts testing - Cornflakes |
Approved? | Yes |
Required Persons During Test
Name | Role | Reason |
|---|---|---|
@Sahil Kale | pilot | This test flight require manual control from the pilot |
@Nathan Green | pilot, flight test coordinator | Manual control needed, experienced flying cornflakes |
@Daniel Puratich rep from electrical | data analyzer | Collect the data on voltages, current draw. etc. (if available) |
@Conall Kingshott | rep from mech | observing Flight performance | Fly the fixed wing to get an understanding of Cornflakes flight performance (if available) |
@Hardy Yu | Flight test coordinator | Help to setup and maintain the test flight (if available) |
@Hamza Ali | Safety, Taking pics | Safety first, pics for soc media |
Other attendees
Name | Role |
|---|---|
@navya | Supporting |
@Alison Thompson | Taking pictures; supporting |
@Andrew Wright | Supporting |
@Darwin Clark | Supporting |
Success criteria
Tests | Success Criteria | Requirements | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
Trust testing | prove that the new 12s motor are powerful enough for Cornflakes. |
| Produce feedback on the current design Prove cornflakes is working. |
Pre-Flight Test Checklist
Item | Owner |
|---|---|
vehicle books | @Leads |
test flight location booked | @Leads |
Batteries Charged | @Daniel Puratich @Ethan Abraham |
RC_Link Charged | @Daniel Puratich @Ethan Abraham |
Cornflakes | @Conall Kingshott @Nathan Green |
Props ready | @Conall Kingshott @Nathan Green |
@Daniel Puratich @Ethan Abraham | |
@Sahil Kale | |
@Flight test coordinator | |
@Hamza Ali | |
@Daniel Puratich @Ethan Abraham | |
@Daniel Puratich @Ethan Abraham @Nathan Green | |
|
|
@Daniel Puratich @Ethan Abraham | |
@Leads |
pre-Flight Test Brief
Flight Plans
SitRep
Observed motor #2 not spinning during ground testing
Stopped arming process, checked on the motor
Pulling the ESC wires caused it to start working again
Re-armed and things seemed resolved, original issue seemed to be isolated
Situation was fine on the ground, observed no issues, so assumed would be fine on the air
Aircraft takes off and flies in a stable manner for a handful seconds
Motor #2 pauses slightly, and then continued to spin in the sky
Shuddering happened, causing more stress on the airframe
Motor stopped spinning for good, caused banking towards the dead motor
Pilot banked aircraft to to the right to save and level the aircraft before impact
Reduced power to try to maximally preserve the frame
Right before the crash, aircraft almost levelled off
Hindsight:
Move to fixed wing flight on ESC Failure?
Flight Test Debrief
Validated motor thrust, and were able to verify the 12S architecture
Motor current was 40A
Hovering around 50% throttle
Successful in flying in VTOL mode
Good control authority with pitch/roll
Weather waning feature issued yaw
Good safety protocol
No one got hurt (apart from cornflakes)
Unable to properly test pitch, roll, yaw
Unable to test transition
Have cutting tools for cleanup
Signal wire shorted losing ability to control motor
Rushed flight caused an error
Is it worth delaying over time fixing?
Wiring issue should not try to be fixed on the spot
Bring spare parts for ESCs that are wired
Always try to keep the option to swap motor and ESCs
Better casing for ESCs to prevent cable issues from ever happening
Plan out harnessing beforehand
Don’t let harness bare stress, and should be on the airframe
Ensure things don’t have unnecessary shorts if not required
Took off too close to the car
Action Items
Pix hawk setup documentation
Wiring diagram
Solder 2 remaining ESCs, and plan to bring extra motor and ESC
Repairing and rebuilding cornflakes
Determine timeline and labor
Schedule time for lunch/food
More walkie talkies for communication
Purchase more cutting tools to speed up disassembly?
Need better ESC covers and harnessing
Superior connectors for wiring
Place ESCs farther away from motors
Heat shrinking wires from the ESC
Make explicit calls for criteria to cancel and UN-cancel a flight test
Evaluate timelines for competition sim
Require fewer dependencies on people who are off-site
Cautionary Items
Getting there: leave directly and arrive at WRESTRC - no detours
Add a contact method for everyone attending a flight test
Inventory Recap
Lost 1 VTOL motor
Frame bent