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📋 Flight Preparation

Requested by:

Aidan Bowers (Deactivated)

Required Sub-teams

  • Mech
  • Electrical
  • EFS
  • CV
  • Operation
  • Sys-Int

Requested Date

Location and Time

WRESTRC, 12:00-6:00pm

Summary & Goals

  • Validate fixed wing flight control and stability

  • Validate basic RTL functionality.

  • Verify transition

  • Collect Preliminary data on battery life.

  • Houston setup validation and control validation

Approved?

Yes ✅

👥 Required Persons During Test

Name

Phone #

Role

Reason

Dhruv Upadhyay

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

Megan Spee

Secondary Pilot

  • Aircraft preparation

  • documentation

Hardy Yu

Safety

  • Making sure everyone is safe

  • Bringing Med kit

  • Site survey during aircraft setup

  • Emergency Procedure Executor

Megan Spee Anthony Luo

Pilot Monitoring

  • Assist pilot with communication, telemetry, readbacks, etc.

  • Provide pilot advice, act as visual observer as required

  • The other pilot will assist on the current pilot on monitoring

Hamza Ali

Media

  • Take photos / videos for marketing or analysis

Megan Spee Daniel Puratich

Aircraft Technician

  • Aircraft Setup

  • Systems Monitoring

👥 Other Attendees

Name

Role

Alison Thompson

Mech Rep & Cornflakes Project Manager

Nolan Haines

EE Technician & DMM Overload

Daniel Puratich

EE Rep & Emergency Procedure Executor

Hardy Yu

Flight Test Coordinator

Andrew Wright

Doing Capacity Assignments

@Justin Joseph

@Joseph Bagheri

🚗 Drivers & Seat Distribution

Driver

Car Type

Passengers

Anthony Luo

Personal Car

With Cornflakes

@Cornflakes

Daniel Puratich

Megan Spee

Personal Car

Alison Thompson Nolan Haines Andrew Wright

@Joseph Bagheri

Personal Car

Dhruv Rawat Hamza Ali Hardy Yu

@Justin

📊 Success criteria

Tests

Success Criteria

Requirements

Outcome

Fixed Wing Flight

Aircraft is able to fly in a fixed-wing configuration without issue

Cornflakes should be ready to fly, as outlined by all pre-flight checks

Did not execute

Quad-to-Fixed transition

Aircraft is able to successfully perform the transition from quad to fixed wing flight, and back.

Cornflakes should be ready to fly, as outlined by all pre-flight checks

Did not execute

Battery Life

Information on battery voltage/capacity is collected throughout the flight

Proper battery capacity recording and monitoring

New batteries remained balanced, but we didn’t fly too much to measure this

Quad Yaw Authority

Aircraft is responsive to yaw input in quad mode

Minimum yaw rate of 90deg per second

Was Tested.

Houston Setup Validation

Validate Houston has the correct setup after crashing from last flight test

Components on Houston are working and Houston is responsive to the control

Did not execute

⏲️ Testing Timeline

Date/Time

Action

(due)

Aircraft Assembly: Alison Thompson

  • Subframe assembly

  • Wing assembly

(due)

Aircraft Assembly: Alison Thompson

  • Control surface design and construction

  • Motor protection design and construction

  • Aircraft frame assembly

(due)

Electrical Repairs: Daniel Puratich

  • Replace/fix damaged PDB

  • Fix/Replace damaged ESC

(due)

Harnessing: Daniel Puratich

  • Finish wiring new aircraft

Pre-flight Preparation: Aidan Bowers (Deactivated) / Hardy Yu

  • Ensure Incident Procedures, driver lists, etc. are completed

  • Ensure all items in Week-Before and Day-Before checklist are complete

Pre-Flight Systems Review:

  • Review all systems, and complete checklists to ensure systems are functioning as expected

9:00am

Pre-Departure Preparation:

  • Complete all pre-departure checklist items

10:45am

Flight brief from flight test lead

  • Outline what is being tested, responsibilities of all participants, incident procedures, and general coordination.

11:30am

Loading onto the Car

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

11:45pm

Drive to the test ground

12:00-3:00pm

Flight Testing

Test #1

Quad mode takeoff/landing w/ flat mounts

  • assert that system is stable & both pilots are comfortable with the controls.

Test #2

Quad mode YAW control w/flat mounts

  • Test to see how much yaw control we have, which is basically the drone correctly responds to our left/right instruction

  • Success if drone give correct respond and appropiate yaw throttle

  • The test is first done without wings then with wings

Test #3

Quad mode takeoff/landing w/angled mounts

  • similar test with angled mounts, this should give more throttle on yaw

Test #4

Quad mode yaw control w/angled mounts

  • first done without wings then with wings

Test #5

Buddy box

  • control handover in all altitude

  • both pilot have the control to the rc link

  • After one pilot delivers the control, the other pilot should has the control of the drone

Test #6

Battery VS Flight time measurement. Recharge batteries if needed

  • Measure the amount of the time the batteries were used in the previous tests and come out with an estimation of batteries life

  • we probably need to go back to bay in this process to recharge batteires for an hour since we don’t have spare ones🫠

Houston Test

While batteries are under charging, the group of ppl on wrest rc can conduct the test for Houston

Test #7

Transition & Fixed Wing Flight (brief, 1 circle)

  • Trasition will take place in a straight line

  • After the trasition is done, the drone should fly in fixed wing for one circle, the return to quad mode

  • during this process, making sure the drone maintain altitude and flight forward while avoid other people

  • TODO: the flight path needs to be determined

Test #8

Transition & Fixed Wing Flight second pilot

  • repeat everything with second pilot

Test #9

Fixed wing “waypoint” navigation

  • Setup a destination on mission planner and run the drone in autopilot

  • Wait is the fixed wing or quad? I suppose this should be quad.

  • drone maintain altitude all the time

  • TODO: the waypoint needs to be determined

Test #10

Quad Mode RTL

  • Quad mode to RTL. Start close and then move further away.

  • to see if it autoland

Test #11

Fix wing in a whole circle

  • Once again, we are looking for checking the drone responds correctly to our control in fix wing. Fly in a whole circle under fix wings will be tested

Test #12

Transition to fix wing then RTL

  • Fly the drone away-> transition to fix wings-> RTL

  • we expect the drone transition to quad and autoland

  • but this is risky and we don’t know what’s gonna happen. Also the batteries may not support us to do this test, so this might move to 18th flight test

3:30pm

Debrief

🔧 Week-Before To-Do List

 Week Before Checklist
  • Drone Registration
  • 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

 Day Before Checklist
  • SDC Vehicle key collected (if required)
  • Batteries Planned for (DON”T LEAVE CHARGING OVERNIGHT)
    • Drone batteries & spares
    • Transmitter batteries
  • 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
  • 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)
  • Airfame payload
  • Spare parts
    • Props
    • Airframe components (landing struts, arms, etc)
    • Hardware to assemble these components
    • Electronics
      • ESCs
      • Motors
      • Flight controllers
      • Receiver
  • Flight Code Flashed
  • Ground station Software updated

↪️ Pre-Departure Checklist

 Pre-Departure Checklist
  • Take WREST RC entrance card
  • 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
    • Airframe shake testing
  • 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

 Pre-Flight Inspection
  • 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

🧯 Aircraft Incident Procedures

 ICARUS Emergency Procedures

Emergency Procedures:

  • Imminent Emergency: 911

  • Privacy offence: Local police

  • Fly away or loss of control - Local Aviation Authority (Refer to CFS)

    • This applies to both vertical and horizontal fly aways

Control Station Failure

In the event of a control station failure, the following steps should be taken:

  • Attempt to restart the transmitter

  • Use spare transmitter to communicate to drone

  • If unable to establish communication with the drone, follow lost link procedures

Equipment Failure

  • Battery

    • Do not fly if the battery appears dead or a problem is suspected. Puffy batteries should be ignored

  • Transmitter should be verified before flight

  • Props

    • Ensure in flight worthy condition (ex: no dings, etc)

  • Control Surfaces

    • Smooth, verify servo control, pushrod integrity

RPA Failure

In the event of an RPA failure, the drone should be disarmed - this will stop all motors. The following steps should be followed:

  • Secure the area where the RPA will land

    • Do NOT fly the drone over an area where the RPA can unexpectedly land for this reason. Thus, flying over people is NOT permitted in this drone

  • Secure the drone and disconnect the battery

  • Do NOT fly the drone until inspected

Lost Link

In the event of loss of transmitter link, the pixhawk will activate return to home mode. If the RTH mode does not engage, initiate fly away procedures

Fly Away

In the event a fly-away occurs (both vertical and horizontal), the following procedures should be taken:

  • Attempt to regain communication by following lost link procedures

  • If unsuccessful, record last heading, speed, and altitude

    • Additionally, know the last battery level to estimate flight time

  • Alert local aviation authorities about new flight path and potential conflicts

Flight Termination

The flight may be terminated by disarming the drone - this will stop all motors. This should be used with caution as the aircraft will be rendered inoperable and unable to glide under control.

😎 Post-Flight Checklist

Item

Owner

  • Use Flight-Post Mortem to Debrief

Alison Thompson Dhruv Upadhyay Nolan Haines Hardy Yu Daniel Puratich Anthony Luo Megan Spee

  • Discard of damaged batteries

No damaged batteries

  • Discharge used batteries for better longevity

Flight Test Post Mortem

  • Flew and didn't crash

  • Angled Motor mounts

  • We addressed issues on the stop

  • Radio earpiece was swag as fuck

    • Rare Daniel W

  • Aircraft wasn’t damaged

    • We did not total the aircraft

    • Avoiding perpetual state of burnout

    • “We did good” -Alison

  • We did a single trick

  • Didn’t forget the plane (W ? )

  • Nolan felt like he learnt a lot about the system

  • No major unsafe incidents (Daniel was looking swag carrying the first aid kit)

  • We got footage for competition proof of flight (we may refilm this to get better next week so we can show competition people we can fly fixed wing)

  • buddy boxing (thumbs up)

  • New batteries have very tight cell voltage balances

    • We should continue to use these batteries in parallel forever to ensure they remain balanced

  • Angled motor mounts did help with yaw

    • Exact data to be filled in from video footage including Anni’s voice

  • New motor mounts were very strong

    • Large improvement from the last iteration

  • A lot of the checklist was not completed.

  • We need people going to comp (which we currently don’t have a list of) to get a feel for the competition stuff so we dont screw it up at comp

  • Anni laptop battery was dead

  • Throttle was touchy (fix in software later)

  • Pitch was touchy (fixed in software, but possibly not a complete fix)

  • The servo connection was intermittent

    • Seemed fine in the bay, didn’t work when we got to setup

    • (Daniel is suspecting this is due to poor connection on the servo wiring wise, possibly we use better connectors )

    • Anni’s opinion is we need more slack on the wires

  • Control surfaces are pretty stiff

    • Control rods bent while control surface doesn't move too much

      • check “bullet proof control rods” youtube video

      • tape outside of control surface, fold over, and then tape inside of control surface at max deflection. leave a bit of a gap.

    • Anni / Megan giving taping tips to improve this in the future

    • We will improve for next flight test

  • Talk loudly into the radio

  • Communication

    • default action should be to not do anything

    • acknowledgement of receiving instructions

    • Some sort of radio standard or be clear on it in flight brief

  • It’s rough when someone is working on drone and other people are offering opinions and repeatedly offering help

    • Give people that are doing things space in most circumstances

    • If the people that are doing something need help they’ll ask for help. This needs to be clearly communicated to people so we don’t bombard people

  • Early before flight test in the bay

    • A lot of people were off topic and distracting others from setting up the airframe

    • People who are just showing up to watch should get out of the way of people trying to do things for the flight test

  • We kind of forgot about Houston ?

    • Should’ve assigned people to work on it

  • The project manager should be in charge of a lot of these bits

    • Filter things through the correct channel to get it done

    • Pre-brief people on things before the flight test

    • Don’t want to spend a lot of time explaining what needs to be checked on day of flight test

  • Initially we saw some oscillations in the first flight, but not that bad

    • Was only happening when we were facing the wind

  • No RCA since no crashes and major damage.

  • Servo was not Servoing for elevator prevented us doing a lot of our tasks

    • Daniel suspects bad connections on the wires to the servo and will debug

    • We managed this failure very well in the sense that we still did some things, but didn’t rush into the major things

  • Trouble with angled motor mounts

    • Some of them were mounted with three of four bolts because they were a pain in the ass

    • The switch from angled to straight mounts took a ton of time

      • We didn’t verify the bolts went in straight before hand

        • Root cause is we didn’t get the bolts till yesterday

          • Root cause of this is the ESMS like black listed us cuz we need to figure out WEEF account stuff for them

      • The holes are really messed up now.

        • There’s too many holes now in the box tube frame so like it’s kinda trolling

RCA for Red Items

Create a RCA and keep it as a child page.

Action Items

  • Mech Alison Thompson to delegate- stiffen the 3D-print insert tail extender, re-design and print out of CF PETG
  • Get Battery performance data documented Anthony Luo
  • Get the yaw control data written into this document ( Nolan Haines to assign this task out, it’s pretty much looking through the video)
  • Review the videos Anthony Luo to get data on yaw and oscillations
  • Mech - Alison Thompson Remove gorilla tape on underside of control surfaces, different tape instead to allow better control surface flex
  • Alison Thompson Control rods should have no interference with the foam when fully deflected/retracted
  • Alison Thompson Improving angled motor mounts?
  • Fix servo Nolan Haines Ethan Abraham Daniel Puratich (One of them, right rudder was producing audio and feeling the vibes)
  • Consider overvolting servos or using higher torque servos
  • Anthony Luo determine Ardupilot reaction to pitch/roll/yaw
  • Anthony Luo continue to setup buddy boxing?

Other Resources

Booking WRESTRC Field

How to Book the Flight Grounds

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