The demand for versatile aircraft that can operate in constrained environments has driven the development of Vertical Take off and Landing (VTOL) systems. My capstone project addresses that need by designing the propulsion and controls subsystems for a small-scale hybrid plane for the SAE Aero Design Advanced class competition. The aim of the larger competition project is to design an aircraft capable of transitioning smoothly between VTOL and conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) modes during flight. My goal is to ensure the stability of a three-motor plane during VTOL mode, despite the airflow affecting the yaw axis due to the odd number of motors. The system uses a flight controller and a gyroscope to automatically control the drifts.
Acknowledgements: Prof. Buma, Dean of Engineering (Ashok Ram), Rob Langone and Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, Lucien Miller and Innov8tive Designs, Thomas Stone and CubePilot, and all the Aero Team members.