Multirotor Operation – Operating Multirotors

Multirotor endorsements allow flying RPA that are >2kg commercially.

Some aircraft are part of the “Excluded Category”:

• Multirotors >2kg and <25kg if flying over land you own
• Multirotors <2kg (“micro RPA” and “very small RPA”)

Automatic functions make machines less dependent on the human operator, but they will still need human intervention!

Flight Modes:

• Stabilised: Lowest level of control, good for dynamic flight and recovery if a system fails
• Height-Hold: Good for less experienced pilots, but when dynamic flight is still needed (also good in GPS failure)
• Position-Hold: Good for manually flying missions and performing general tasks
• Navigation: Good for performing automatic missions but will do exactly what it is programmed to do in the flight plan
• RTL: Same as navigation in operation, but good for coming back to landing automatically if everything is working

To be considered as ‘autonomous’ a system must have the ability to:

• Gain information about the environment
• Work (for an extended period) without human intervention
• Move throughout its operating environment without human assistance
• Avoid situations that are harmful to itself, people or property

An autonomous system may also learn or gain new capabilities like adjusting strategies for accomplishing its tasks or adapting to changing surroundings. Autonomous systems will still require regular maintenance, as do other machines. (Sound like something from Star Trek?)

What would you do in the following situations:

• Loss of GPS?
• Loss of communication:
  • No GCS Telemetry?
  • No Radio Control (RC)?
• Low battery:
  • Battery is out of energy?
  • Battery has failed or not been plugged in?
• Hardware failure:
  • Landing gear does not retract?
  • Motor stops spinning?
  • Camera stops working?
• Flight control failure?

Common human factors affecting multirotor RPA:

• Visibility:
  • They can be hard to see at a distance
  • This means for other aircraft in the airspace too!
• Directional Uncertainty:
  • They (often) don’t have a clear directional profile
  • Once disorientated, it can be hard to regain!

What can we do to mitigate these factors?

• Stay within Visual Line of Sight (VLOS)
• Be aware of what automatic functions you have (e.g. RTL to come closer to reorient yourself)
• (If using radio) Maintain effective communication to ensure other operators are aware of your aircraft

Risks:

• What risks are present when flying a multirotor?
  • Loss of orientation?
  • Visual loss of aircraft?
  • Hardware failure?
  • Other aircraft?
• How can we mitigate these risks?

Decision making:

• What decisions can we make?
  • What flight mode to use?
  • When should the pilot take-over control?
  • What can be done in power a failure?
  • When can the pilot perform a “Safe Forced Landing”?
• What outcomes could occur from these decisions?