Flight Dynamics of a Flapping-Wing Air Vehicle

The research and development efforts presented in this paper address the flight dynamics of a flapping-wing air vehicle (ornithopter). The 74-cm-wing-span ornithopter was equipped with an automatic flight control system that provides stability augmentation and navigation of the vehicle and flight data acquisition. Wind tunnel tests were conducted with the control surfaces fixed in the trimmed position and flapping motion of the wings activated by a motor at a constant throttle setting. Coefficients of vertical and horizontal force, and pitching moment were determined at a free stream velocity of 7.25 m/sec, and the angle of the stroke plane varied from 0 to 40 degrees. A series of flight tests were conducted with fixed controls, demonstrating ornithopter stability in all axes. Proportional control laws were programmed into the autopilot for the closed-loop controls. A number of flights of the autonomous ornithopter were conducted with the telemetry acquisition. During the autonomous flights, the ornithopter performed waypoint and altitude navigation, demonstrating stable performance.

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