Flight code convergence: fixedwing, rotorcraft, hybrid

Rotorcraft, fixed wing and hybrid Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV) each have applications in which they excel. Traditionally, dedicated autopilot control code is written to accommodate flight of each UAV type. This causes fragmentation of control code and may lead to performance differences or errors. In this paper, we propose to use the same INDI controller for rotorcraft, fixed wing and hybrid UAVs, with only parametric differences in control effective matrix definitions and roll, pitch and airspeed limits. The controller is based on earlier work, but relevant derivations are included in this paper. Successful test flights, performed with a Bebop2 quadrotor, a Disco fixed wing, and a Nederdrone tailsitter hybrid demonstrate the feasibility of this approach.