May 31, 2023 Houston Flight Test

Owned by Hardy Yu, created
Last updated: 2023-05-31 by Anthony Luo
5 min read

Make sure to update the Title following the format “Jan 01, 2020 Flight Test”

 Flight Preparation

Requested by:

Required Sub-teams

Mech
Electrical
EFS
CV
Operation
Sys-Int

Requested Date

Mar 30, 2023

Location and Time

One station away by taking ION, morning of May 31st

Summary & Goals

Validate the SBUS passing functionality of Simple System Manager

Approved?

Yes / Pending / No

 Required Persons During Test

Name

Phone #

Role

Reason

Name

Phone #

Role

Reason

 @Anthony Luo

 

Flight Test Lead

  • Creating documentation

  • Booking the test flight

  • Creating a thread in #flight-staging

 @Anthony Luo

 

 Pilot in Command

  • Aircraft preparation

  • Filling out documentation

@Hardy Yu

 

Safety

  • Making sure everyone is safe

  • Bringing Med kit

@Hardy Yu

 

Flight Test Coordinator

  • Prepare the document

  • Set up the wiring and firmwire of Nulceo

 Other Attendees

Name

Role

Name

Role

 

 

 

 

Drivers & Seat Arrangement

Driver

Vehicle Type

Passenger

Driver

Vehicle Type

Passenger

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Success criteria

Tests

Success Criteria

Requirements

Outcome

Tests

Success Criteria

Requirements

Outcome

  • Take Off

  • houston is able to take off from ground

  • Checking the prop/firmware setup

  • Having correct prop orientation, wiring, etc.

Flight Control Test

Houston perform the action ordered by controller (throttle up/down, yaw)

Correct rc control channel mapping

 

Testing Timeline

Date/Time

Action

Date/Time

Action

 

Aircraft Assembly

If aircraft assembly is complicated, outline dates of various milestones that should be met to ensure we don't rush to complete work at the last minute.

 

Pre-flight Preparation

Feel free to not come at 9 if you don’t have a lot workload. During this time get snack if needed

 

Required persons for preflight preparation show up at bay

Flight test lead breifly assign task for preparation work

 

Flight brief from flight test lead

 

Loading onto the Car

Take your water bottle with you. Go washroom before we leave!

 

Drive to the test ground

 

Flight Testing

 

Debrief

Aircraft Incident Procedures

Incident

Procedure

Incident

Procedure

Crash

Outline the procedure for who will go to handle the aircraft in the event of a crash, what should be done, were emergency equipment is, etc.

Flyaway

Outline the procedure for flyaways. List relevant contact information for local authorities and plans of action to recover control of the aircraft

Configuration Error

Outline steps to take in the event of a configuration issue with the aircraft

Injury

 

Property Damage

 

Week-Before To-Do List

Drone Registration

Drone Registration Number:

Flight test location booked
Pilot scheduled
Test Plan (What we are testing)
This should also include the flight path where applicable
Subteam action items (for flight readiness)
Transportation logistics finalized
Booking SDC vehicles
Assigning drivers
Renting any needed equipment (trailer? generator? etc.)

Day-Before To-Do List

SDC Vehicle key collected (if required)
Batteries Planned for (DON'T LEAVE CHARGING OVERNIGHT)
Drone batteries & spares
Transmitter batteries
Battery tester/indicator
On-site kit together
First Aid Kit
Ground station / Laptop
Antenna / Receivers
Transmitter
Extra Water
Power cords / Extension cables
Wrenches
Allen keys
Knives
Tape
Rope/string
Zip/Velcro ties
Radios
Safety goggles
Fire extinguisher
Spare foam
hot glue gun w/ hot glue stick
harnesses
Airfame assembled
ESCs/flight controller wired
Radio equipment tested
Channel mappings
Flight modes
Motors tested
Wiring secured (Harnessing)
End-to-end test (neglecting props)
Check the center of gravity
All components not on the airframe that are required should be in the flight box (e.g. props & prop nuts)
Airframe payload
Spare parts
Props
Airframe components (landing struts, arms, etc)
wings nuts
prop nuts
any detached components such as angle mount
props for other aircrafts such as Houston
Hardware to assemble these components
Electronics
ESCs
Motors
Flight controllers
Receiver
Flight Code Flashed
Ground station Software updated

Pre-Departure Checklist

Take the WREST RC entrance card
Grab Pre-departure Items
Battery charger and associated cables(30tx to 60tx)
Check battery status
Charge if required, otherwise place into flight box
Systems test
Check flight controller orientation
Check motor spin & rotation direction
Check transmitter mappings
Verify communication links (VTX/RX, Controller, Groundstation)
Verify the mission planner is logging data
Only attach props directly before flight (keep off at all other times)
Get snacks
Mission Briefing
Read the flight plan to the team (that was made a week ago)
Purpose of flight
Plan of action
Success criteria
Delegate and brief on flight line roles
Safety Briefing
Key flight characteristics to observe
Key system characteristics to observe
Measurements to be made

Pre-flight Safety Checklist

Air Frame
Check all antennas, ensuring they are secure and in good condition
Check the battery emplacement and secure attachment and ensure there are no cracks
Check that all lights are operating normally
Check that all sensors are secured and clear of any obstructions
Check that the GPS is receiving satellites and providing a navigation solution
For fixed wing aircraft, Check:
Wings, ensuring they are securely attached to fuselage
Wing leading edge surfaces
Top and bottom of wing surfaces
Wing tip surfaces
Read of wing and all flight control surfaces for freedom of movement, security and any skin damage
For rotary aircraft:
Inspect top and bottom of air frame arms for cracks, loose parts, or signs of damage
Check fluid levels and ensure no leaks if applicable
Control Surfaces
Ensure Elevator moves correctly
Ensure Ailerons move correctly
Ensure Rudder moves correctly
Landing Gear
Check landing gear is secure
Inspect skids or wheels, especially attachment points
Power plant
Cowling or motor casing
Security of engine mounts
Presence of any cracks
All wiring and connectors, ensure no cracks, loose connectors, or chaffing
Propellers / Rotors
Ensure propeller is secured
Check for nicks, chips or cracks
Ensure prop direction is correct
Batteries
Inspect to ensure there is no signs of swelling, external leaking or other defects
Battery wiring and connectors from the battery are connected securely
Batteries (and spares) are adequately charged
Wires are not pinched
Control Station / Receivers / Transmitter
The battery and spare batteries if required are adequately charged
Control Station device and cables are properly connected and functioning
All flight interfaces are functioning normally
Safety
Good visibility and safe wind speed
Surrounding is free of obstacles
Crew far from drone
General Site Survey
Are there other people on the property
Ground Recording / drone footage on
Autopilot
Control surfaces respond to autopilot in the correct manner
Transitions between flight modes have expected effect
Return-to-home systems, if present, have been configured

Post-Flight Checklist

Item

Owner

Item

Owner

Use Flight-Post Mortem to Debrief

ALL MEMBERS PRESENT

Discard of damaged batteries

 

Discharge used batteries for better longevity

 

Flight Test Post Mortem

Flew 3 flights.

Took off without compass calibration but with “learn offsets” checked. → we were unable to gain a successful compass calibration.

Battery 1

~ 2 minutes. Battery @ 80% after

Battery 1 Flight #1 & #2 (Stabilize, Loiter)
Battery 1 Flight #3 (Stabilize)

 

  • Took off in stabilize mode

    • checked stabilization, controls correction direction

    • added full stick deflection in all axis.

    • Landed after about 40 seconds.

  • Took off in loiter.

    • throttled up to ~ 60-70%, then throttled down to 50%

    • Drone lost altitude and eventually hovered at around 60-70% throttle.

    • Experienced wide GPS drifting hands off sticks → added pilot correction.

    • Experienced lost of thrust near end of flight → crash landed into some bushes. (even at full throttle)

  • Moved drone back to launch, stabilize, attempted to takeoff and hover.

    • experienced lost of thrust again.

Decided to swap batteries after this point.

Battery 2

~ 4 minutes. Battery @ 70% after

Battery 2 Flight #1 (Stab)

 

  • Took off in stabilize mode.

  • Decided to see how long we could maintain hover.

  • Added full throttle / 0 throttle impulses to gauge drone reaction. (starts around 1:42, again at around 3:50)

    • note drone roll to left when adding throttle impulse

Flight 3

~ 4 minutes. Battery @ 70% after

Battery 3 Flight #1 (AltHold → Stab)

 

  • Took off in altitude hold mode.

    • Does…sorta hold altitude.

    • Very choppy altitude hold

  • Landed in stabilize.

  • SBUS works!

  • didn’t crash!

  • Altitude Hold & Loiter are able to fly.

  • Stabilize flight quite … stable (PID’s looking good).

  • Althold / Loiter very choppy.

  • No telemetry from minipix

  • no datalogs from minipix

  • Forgot battery tester

  • Did not have 10x4.5 props.

RCA for Red Items

Create a RCA and keep it as a child page.

Action Items

Other Resources

Booking WRESTRC Field

WRESTRC