Controls

1. Basics

Open

Ailerons:

• control roll by raising one aileron or the other

• raise and lower wings

• raising right + lower left → roll to right

• raising left + lower right → roll to left

Open

Rudder:

• control yaw (turning)

• rudder moves left and right

• left → yaw to left, right → yaw to right

Elevators:

• tail section, control pitch (lift, angle of attack)

• raise and lower

• lowering → nose goes down, raising → nose goes up

2. Controlling the controls (motor options)

• two ailerons, one rudder, two elevators is common

• rudder controls yaw (essential for steering) → plane will start to roll on its own

  • ailerons control roll → without ailerons the pilot will lose control when turning

• elevators are essential for controlling lift and angle of attack

• propellers → essential for moving

• landing?

Common types of motors:

1. stepper

• designed for precise positional control & tracking

• relative positioning → discrete “steps”, tiny margin of error

• typical: 200 steps per rev, 1.8 deg per step

• high torque, low speed

• applications: 3DP, CNC, large robot arms

longruner geared stepper

2. servo

• designed for precise positioning → angular position of motor shaft (horn)

• absolute positioning

• a little more expensive

• high torque

• used as joints (robotic arms & legs) and steering for RC cars

• ailerons, rudder, elevators

KeeYees PCA9685 Raspberry Helicopter Airplane

3. brushless

• controllable speed

• greater reliability, faster max speed, better efficiency than brushed DC (but more expensive)

• not THAT expensive

• high power output for small motor

• propellers, camera gimbals

Brushless Motor DX2205-2300KV Racing

KV1000 Brushless Aircraft Multicopter Quadcopter

Motors Plan:

• control both elevators with one servo

• control both ailerons with one servo → blue mechanism:

• minimum: 3 servos for controls

3. Control Mechanisms

• planes have controls in fuselage, move ailerons with control rods

• Linkages!!

Single servo aileron control:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2z-r5WeHHI&ab_channel=ValterVidaLealValterVidaLeal

More sophisticated version (for commercial planes):

Single servo elevator control:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8l_fzUYXMY&ab_channel=JeffersonMartinsAraujo

Flap control linkage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3AHgk0SUoI&ab_channel=JeffersonMartinsAraujoJeffersonMartinsAraujo

• good to keep servo → flap angular movement 1:1

• keep control horn right above flap hinge → symmetrical response

• keep control horn and servo vertical at neutral position → symmetrical response

Flap attachment:

• commercial: mostly hinges + brackets

• some hobbyists stick the wires straight into the ailerons from the wings (probably very flimsy)

• sometimes just connected with a few hinges (also hobbyists)

• lots of options

Ref:

https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/UEET/StudentSite/dynamicsofflight.html

What Type of Motor is Best for My Project? | Custom

Beginners Guide to Connecting Your RC Plane Electronic Parts

How it works: Ailerons