Airframes 4

RPAS Controls and Sensors Typically consist of: The flight controller IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) Receiver (signals from pilot) Transmitter (telemetry or video to pilot) Servos (on aircraft with control surfaces) GPS and Compass All these components are sensitive electronics and must be kept dry to ensure proper working order How RPAS Fly? Fixed pitch propellers mounted on motors turn in opposite directions The only mode of controlling the aircraft is through the speed (RPM) of the motors The flight controller receives the inputs from the Pilot and transforms it into signals to the ESCs to vary the speed (RPM) of the motors Increasing RPM of all motors equally causes a climb Increasing RPM of motors on one side generates sideways motion Increasing RPM of the back motors generates forward motion Increasing RPM of the forward motors generates backward motion Increasing the speed of motors turning in one direction while decreasing the speed of motors turning in the opposite direction causes the RPA to turn Maintenance and Record Keeping Maintenance should be done according to the manufacturer's instructions and while elementary maintenance can be done by yourself; critical maintenance needs to be performed by the manufacturer. To ensure proper maintenance always have one person perform the maintenance and a second person check the work. Make sure to keep a record of all maintenance performed on the aircraft. Launch and Recovery Systems Most multi-rotor RPAS simply takeoff and land vertically, but fixed wing RPAS need to gain some speed to get air flowing over the wings to create lift so they may have different launch systems such as: Throwing by hand Catapults {elastic, hydraulic, pneumatic) Runway Be aware of how the launchers work and ensure that the launch area is kept safe. Recovery systems can include landing gear, parachutes, nets or hooks