Autonomous Hover Control System for a Radio-Controlled Aerobatic Airplane

Abstract: Being able to fly has always been one of humanities greatestdreams, and today anyone can purchase a Radio-Controlled(RC) airplane or helicopter and learn how to fly. ExperiencedRC pilots perform stunts such as “prop hanging”.This is when an airplane flies vertically while maintainingits position with the propeller being the only motive force.In this thesis, the first steps towards converting a manuallycontrolled hovering airplane to an autonomous one aretaken by using one single accelerometer to measure differencesin acceleration as input data for a height regulator.A built prototype with the height regulator implementedis tested in a test rig. The finished regulator is able toadjust and keep the airplane stable when exposed to smallto medium disturbances. The regulator’s biggest weaknessis the lack of input data regarding the velocity. Big disturbancesresult in a constant velocity, which gives zeroacceleration input data, and an airplane flying away fromits equilibrium position.