(Week Eleven) Send it!

First flight and recovery of the Bramor was a success!

The first time you do anything it is almost guaranteed that you are going to run into some issues. If "Murpheys Law" as taught us anything, it's that preparedness negates entropy. The more prepared and knowledgeable you are, the higher degree of situational awareness you will have. Through practice, research, and risk management, "unknowns" and the probability for issues can be acknowledge and planned for. This practice is used in almost all forms of decision making. For the maiden flight of C-Astral's, Bramor UAV and the capstone class, preparedness is key.

Evan Building Mission Plan

Dylan Wokring on GCP's

Dry Run on Bramor (Payload Checks)

Folded chute

The lead pilot (Evan H.) ran mission simulations using the C3P Mission Software (First Image Above). Kyle ensured the planned flight agreed with data collection parameters to optimize data collection efficiency. Dylan worked through the software and hardware needed to establish Ground Control Points (GCP's) (Second Image Above). Multiple dry runs were conducted using the airframe and associated checklist (Third image above). Thomas worked on the plan for how and when inventories would be conducted. Ryan ,(working selfishly by himself) changed the payload package from the multi-spectral ALTUM to the Sony RX II. Todd and myself got the parachute folded for safe recovery of the Bramor (Fourth image above).

Prior to leaving for what would be the maiden flight of the Bramor, the inevitable issues began to materialize. First issue was the battery charger that came with the system would not power on (First image below from left to right). Arrangements had to be made to charge the two 11000mAh 14.8v LiPo batteries which are similiar to the one depicted in the middle in the image gallery bellow. I was able to use my personal Lipo charger to charge one of the sets to get it ready for the flight. However, my charger, iMax B6 min by SkyRC , is not as powerful as the duo and charging time was more than double (third image below). This is due to the low amperage of the iMax compared to the high capacity of the Bramors batteries. After more than 4 hours of charging, my set of batteries was ready to go and one issue was resolved.

The second issue relating to charging was confusion about how to charge the Antenna and GCS. This issue stemmed from confusion about common terms for equipment used in the UAS field. For example, the GCS acronym commonly stands for "ground control station". This is normally a tablet or computer that receives telemetry from the aircraft while its on or in flight. In the case of the Bramor, the GCS still stands for the same thing but is in reference for the antenna that receives that data and sends it to the tablet. The antenna, as referred to in the manual is for the C-Astral Track antenna and not the GCS antenna. I researched the issue in the TM and found the correct charging operations and was able to define the difference between the two systems to the class resulting in the prevention of incorrect charging, handling techniques, and operations. The three images below show the GCS antenna, the GTAC (the ground control station-tablet), and the tracking antenna.

The third issue prior to flight that needed to be addressed is the fact that in order for the parachute to function properly, it must be deployed and left out (preferably hanging) for approximately 24 hours. Then it will be refolded prior to use. As a safe rule of thumb, I decided that the chute must be refolded no longer than 24 hours prior to deployment. This makes it easy to remember the time requirements and gives Todd H. and I a reasonable amount of time to pack the chute before morning flights. The second half of this issue is finding time for the only two chute packers, Todd H. and myself, time to fold the chute within the 24 hour period. Both of us are taking more than 12 credit hour requirement for full time at Purdue and so have heavy course-loads and time restrictions. Were were able to resolve this issue as a class by conducting parachute folding equipment inventories simultaneously. After the parachute is folded, I will then, hand carry it out to launch site. This allows for the mission to continue and not be held up by the 45 mins or more it takes to pack a parachute.

Bramor parachute instructions from TM

The last major issue was using Drone Logbook as the source for the checklist. Most of the flight crew could not bring up the checklist using the drone log book app on their cell phones. As the flights were planned to be conducted in the field it where internet connection could only be achieved through the use of smart phones, this proved to be an issue. The fix is to either print out the checklist, (also difficult to impossible using the Drone Logbook application, or use smart phone "hotspot" to get internet to someones laptop. This issues will need to be resolved before use of the M600 as its checklist is primarily used on the application. Luckily, the Bramor came with its own checklist. However, during the dry runs a few sections were not clear or did not seem to flow correctly. There was confusion about when to install the parachute and when and how to test it. Some good ideas came from the group to use tape to hold the cover closed as to not damage the servo that opened the parachute compartment during pre-flight checks.

A strip of tape is visable on the left side of the parachute compartment

Another small issue with checklist flow is that the class was using the digital checklist on the GTAC GCS tablet, but there is a step in the checklist to turn power on to the tablet and check power. This step was obviously already completed but that is because the checklist was intended to be used as a paper copy and not with the tablet. Also the paper tablet provided addition information that supplemented the step that was being performed. I informed the class during the dry run, but to no success the group wanted to keep using the digital version. This speaks volume to the maturity level of the group, as the dry runs stood as a valuable learning experience the idea to disregard the opportunity to learn should not have been ignored. Additionally, I was the only one that had read the operating manuals, but the class chose pilots based on who volunteered first.. Another example that showed the lacking of maturity during the decision making process.

It took multiple times for me to explain to the class that they were performing steps incorrectly that was due their lack of knowledge of the system. I blame myself for not being more authoritative to express the correct methods for performing checklist steps. Hopefully safety is not sacrificed due to maturity, hazardous attitudes, or adjusting to the previously mentioned issues that were present during the dry runs and throughout the pre-mission planning process.

After all the pre-mission issues were resolved, it was off to the Tippecanoe county Amphitheater to conduct the Bramor flight. Success! it was a successful flight, collection and recovery. Next week blog post will cover flight details and critiques.

Bramor in flight at Tippecanoe County Amphitheater