2024-09-21 Pegasus 2 Maiden Flight

Owned by Nathan Green
Last updated: 2024-09-21 by Daniel Puratich
4 min read

 

Requesting team: Directors

Items TBD:

  • Test Procedures/Test Cards

Sections for flightline team to fill out:

  • Incident Procedures, communication preferences.

  • Test Cards

Admin Preparation

Requested By

@Nathan Green

Sub-Team Review

(To be checked once reviewed by sub-team representative)

Mechanical
Electrical
EFS
Autonomy
Operations

Date of Request

Sep 7, 2024

Goal Summary

Successfully fly Pegasus 2 without major incidents

Validate that all sensors and peripherals are working correctly

Evaluate tune and potentially retune

Status?

In PROGRESS

Desired Airframe

Pegasus 2

Desired Date(s)

September 21st 2024

Testplan - to be filled out by requesting team

  • Notes

    • motor direction and order check → good to do because maiden voyage

    • stab hover

    • tuning? → maybe not neccessary, will need to retune in the future anyways so …

    • loiter, check all sensors worky, full throttle n pitch

    • proof of flight cannot be done yet because needs to be comp configuration

    • mavlink elrs range test?

    • up the loiter max speed (so we dont have to do that first time at comp agqin)

    • we should fly till we run outta batts, be nice to get flight time, we only have two sets, good to build flight hours on the frame

 

 

Test 1 - Systems check on ground

Procedure

Goals / Objectives

Knockoff criteria

  1. Visually inspect connections, measure main power input with multimeter to ensure no shorts

  • Verify drone is safe to plug in

  • Shorts found anywhere

  • Airframe defects that will affect flight performance

  1. Power up Pegasus 2 and TX16S. Power up video receiver station and monitor(s).

 

 

  1. Verify connections (RC and Telem, same RX/TX)

  • RC and telemetry are working

 

  1. Check compasses, motor directions, optical flow, lidar values, voltage and current readout, signal strength

  • Ensure all sensors and peripherals are working

 

  1. Check cameras

  • Verify FPV working

 

  1. Calibrate compass, accelerometer

 

 

Test 1 - Pilot control check/in-air systems check

Procedure

Goals / Objectives

knock-off criteria

  1. Set mode to Stabilize

 

 

  1. Arm drone

 

 

  1. Gradually increase throttle and watch for any oscillations

  • Ensure tune is good enough to fly

  • Severe oscillations

  • Very poor flight performance

  1. Hover in stabilize

 

 

  1. Try all axes (pitch, roll, yaw) and ensure Pegasus 2 is relatively stable during these motions

  • Smooth movement in all axes

  • No clipping, EKF stays below yellow threshold

  • No compass errors

  • Severe oscillations

  • Yellow/red EKF

  • Compass errors (not including on takeoff)

  • Any failsafes

  • Gyro/accel drift

  • Gyro/accel clipping

  1. Full stick deflection test in each axis

  • Smooth movement

  • Responsive control

  • Oscillations

  • EKF issues

  • Compass issues

  • Any failsafes

  • Gyro/accel drift

  • Gyro/accel clipping

  1. Fly for at least 3 minutes to generate sufficient data to run MAGFit

  • Fly around for 3+ minutes

  • Oscillations

  • EKF issues

  • Compass issues

  • Any failsafes

  • Gyro/accel drift

  • Gyro/accel clipping

  1. Land, run MAGFit, apply parameters

 

 

Test 2 - Loiter test

Procedure

Goals / Objectives

knock-off criteria

  1. Set mode to Loiter

 

 

  1. Arm drone

 

 

  1. Gradually increase throttle and watch for any oscillations

 

  • Severe oscillations

  • Very poor flight performance

  1. Let the drone hover at ~5m altitude with no stick inputs

  • Position is stable

  • No oscillations

  • Severe oscillations

  • Yellow/red EKF

  • Compass errors (not including on takeoff)

  • Any failsafes

  • Gyro/accel drift

  • Gyro/accel clipping

  1. Verify that all sensors are working

  • All installed sensors give reasonable outputs

  • A sensor isn’t working

  1. Test each axis

  • Smooth movement

  • Responsive control

  • Oscillations

  • EKF issues

  • Compass issues

  • Any failsafes

  • Gyro/accel drift

  • Gyro/accel clipping

  1. Full stick deflection

  • No oscillations

  • No tune issues when braking

  • Oscillations

  • EKF issues

  • Compass issues

  • Any failsafes

  • Gyro/accel drift

  • Gyro/accel clipping

  1. Land

 

 

Test 3 - Autotune

Procedure

Goals / Objectives

knock-off criteria

  1. Ensure autotune is configured on controller

 

 

  1. Set mode to Loiter

 

 

  1. Arm and take off

 

 

  1. Hover

 

 

Necessary items:

  • Pegasus 2

  • Controller

  • Video receiver monitor

  • Video ground station

  • Batteries

 

Flight characteristics needed:

Comms / Support needed:

Attendees

Name

Phone #

Sub-team

Role

Name

Phone #

Sub-team

Role

@Nathan Green

 

 

  • Pilot

@Daniel Puratich

 

 

  • vibes

@Sam Zhang

 

 

  • FTC

@Alison Thompson

 

Mechanical

Mech lead

@Georgia Vachon Westerlund

 

 

Exec Director

@Evan Janakievski

 

Mechanical

Attendee

@Andrew Chai

 

Electrical

Attendee

@Meghan Dang

 

EE

  • vibes

 

 

 

 

@Megan Spee

 

 

  • CAR

  • media and vibes

Flightline Team

Name

Phone #

Role

Reason

Name

Phone #

Role

Reason

Nathan Green

 

Pilot

Fly the drone

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pre-Flight Preparation

Checklists

  • Software configuration correct

  • Compare against latest baselines and verify no params changed, or changes approved by comp-ft-team

  • LTE tested

  • Autopilot Orientation checked

  • Motors tested

  • Prop direction check

  • Sensors outputs healthy & within range

  • Controller input mappings correct

  • Controller input choices correct for pilot preferences

  • Wireless trainer tested & working per pilot preferences.

 

Hardware (wiring)

  • Wires are not too tight or too loose (comfortable, not strained, not flapping around)

    • No cut/exposed wires

    • Shrouding is neat + presentable

    • Solder joints look good

      • no cracks

      • no corrossion

      • no exposed contacts (unless expected)

    • Specific requirement from @Daniel Puratich

      • no exposed pad without solder on ESC caps

        • i did this on peggy 2

        • someone will need to do with peggy 1

      • ESCs all have a touch of hot glue to secure cap to board

    • Connectors fully plugged in

    • Connectors in good health

 

Hardware (airframe)

  • Bolts secure (nothing loose)

    • Carbon fiber not cracked

    • 3D prints not failing / crushed / cracked

    • No loose items

 

Hardware (groundstation)

  • ELRS Gemini tested & Working

    • Logging correct

    • Data looks correct

    • Control tower tested & working

  • Tracking antenna x2 (control + video) (mechanical)

    • Servos secure

    • Hardware (antennas) secure

    • No cracks/bends/chips in polycarb/aluminum

    • Gears / shafts look healthy

    • Grease if necessary

  • Tracking antenna x2 (control + video) (electrical)

    • Electrical components secure

    • Power delivery / signal wires secure, no cracks/corrosion/damage

  • Video System

    • goggles(?)

    • Monitors(?)

    • Video tower tested & working

  • Laptop w/mission planner configured correctly.

    • LTE Link tested working

 

Flightline Kit

  • Spare motors

  • Spare props

  • Spare tools

    • Metric allen keys

    • Socket set

      Pliers (flatnose + needle nose)

  • USB-C cable (short & long)

  • Soldering iron + heat shrink + spare cables

  • Power supplies for ground station computer

  • Ground station computer

  • Spare bolts

  • Radio Controllers

  • Mission plan clear

  • flightline roles assigned

  • Communication hierarchy established

  • Incident procedures & roles in-place & briefed to all flightline team members

  • Timeline for day-of clear

  • Battery charging plan, equipment management plan clear.

  • Transportation clear

  • Batteries in safety bag

  • Equipment

    • Zip tie

    • duck tape

    • label maker

    • Type c cable

    • ELRS Gemini

    • Saleae Logic Analyzer

    • charged WARG laptop

    • spare bag for small electronics

    • controller box

      • two controller

      • battery tester

    • VTX box

  • execute

 

Total 5 main system checked:

  • Power system(battery and connection)

  • Propulsion system(motor and propeller)

  • Controller system(Control links and ground station system)

  • Sensory system(sensors)

  • Video system (VTX)

 

  • Debrief

  • clean / store equipment if necessary

Incident Procedures

Flight Test Timeline

Date/Time

Action

Notes

 

Date/Time

Action

Notes

 

8:30

Batt Charging Started

 

 

10:00

Meet in bay

 

 

10:45

Left for wrestrc

 

 

11:00

Started setup and calibration

 

 

12:16

Flights start

 

 

1:30

Flight test complete

 

 

 

 

 

 

2pm

debrief starts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flight test debrief report

 

Card 1 Test 1: Ground Setup

 

Card 2 Test 1: Takeoff in stabilize

 

Card 2 Test 2: Loiter for magfit

 

Card 2 Test 3: Autotune