Design and development of an air-data system for medium-sized unmanned aerial vehicles

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An air-data system (ADS) measures airspeed, angle-of-attack, and the angle-of-sideslip of aircraft. Large passenger aircraft typically use a custom-built ADS consisting of several pitot tubes and static ports installed at various locations on the aircraft body. Developing these integrated systems is expensive as they require careful design and calibration through wind-tunnel and flight tests. The simpler and commercially available air-data booms are also heavy, large, and expensive for installation on small- and medium-size unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). As a result, many smaller UAVs do have an ADS, which limits the performance of their flight control system.The proposed research partnership between Unmanned Vehicle Applied Dynamics Inc. (UVAD) and the University of Alberta intends to design and develop a compact, low-cost ADS for a medium-sized UAV. UVAD has designed and manufactured this UAV for various applications with multiple payload capabilities. We will carry out wind tunnel testing using two models for designing and calibrating nosecone- and wing-mounted air-data probes. We will investigate traditional polynomial equations and unconventional machine learning to calibrate the developed ADS configurations. The experimental investigations will utilize particle image velocimetry to characterize the flow patterns and improve the aerodynamic design of the air-data probes.The outcome of this project is a low-cost, compact air-data system for small- and medium-sized UAVs, and guidelines for robust calibrations. The outcome can help various UAV applications, including mining, wildfire monitoring, and law enforcement. The knowledge gained and the technology developed in this project will contribute to the growth of the Canadian aerospace industry.