I replaced the flight controller, and swapped in the published/non-development airframe. The UAV, while not fully tuned, does fly autonomous circuits. It’s setup for long cycle missions circling three local areas, DFW, down town Dallas and near the 'space.
More improvements on the way.
It’s conducting long cycle stability and navigation testing. All telemetry is logged and can be replayed for diagnostics. If successful, it will perform some 254 laps of its designated course, before performing some kind of end of flight maneuver back at DFW, unless it encounters a solid object prior to that time.
The previous airframe successfully flew an unmanned, autonomous route from Dallas to a mountain top near Chihuahua (at about 15 knots!) and surprisingly was “undamaged” and awaiting instructions south of the border. It did so over a day and a half, some 600 miles, under actual weather conditions along the full length of the route.
The current simulation has weather turned off, more as a function of control testing and because I had begun to tune the PID loops before I was called away. It does not fly like its on rails. It pulls some crazy Ivan and is not yet fully stable in any axis, but the new L1 and throttle controllers are the most unfit (and last to get tuned)
The first draft on the physical airframe was workable, a 3d printed mock aircraft (for animated education on basic aircraft flight, besides being fun to
Watch) and after identifying some improvements, I’ve set aside the design, intending to produce a model that is substantially smaller than the 12" beast I printed (in three beds, fuse, tail, and control surfaces, which snap into place, and are different colors)
The design was fine, and light at .25 wall thickness and 10%, and the balance was (accidentally) perfect, right where the spare would be, but I have in mind to animate the attitude also, and the distances for the arms for the intermediate axis would require too much force for long term operation. So I’ll shrink it and see how that goes for the first round.
Still no docs yet, or signs, or quick reset instructions.