Simplified Vehicle Operations Flight Control Law Development for a Tiltwing UAS

Tiltwing VTOL aircraft are highly coupled in both longitudinal and lateral/directional control during transition between vertical and forward flight modes. In collaboration with Dufour Aerospace, the S2FAR Lab has developed and built a ⅔-scale vehicle to study novel control mechanisms and aero-propulsive interactions using our state-of-the-art 10 x 8 WindShaper located at the OSU-Tulsa campus. Flight testing will be conducted at the Skyway 36 Drone Port following WindShape tests.

The work integrates the S2FAR Lab’s internal VISTA simulation framework, static and dynamic WindShaper testing, flow visualization, and flight test experiments to better understand the complex aero-propulsive interactions present during transition. Results will aim to improve existing transition control strategies, and minimal-state control architectures are being developed for seamless transitions.