Hi everyone- I'm new to the forum.
Does anyone have experience in calibrating/arming and launching fixed-wings (2m wingspan, talons and talon types) from small boats? Small is sub 10m (32ft). Out at sea a pref, but also interested in fresh water. I use Mission Planner.
Many thanks in advance
M
Replies
I don't want to tell you anythIing stupid, I had a few flights from a boat last year with a foamie Icon A5 but cannot remember if I had an autopilot in it or not (I was trying it out with an Erle Brain but I am not sure if the boat flights had it installed, they might have been purely manual). On the other hand, I am currently getting it back into the air these days (with a Pixracer) and will definitely try it out from a boat before August is over so will let you know how that goes.
Having said that, I found the old post I was referring to, Plane 3.5 release notes. Scroll down to "Startup on a moving platform". Also, check the INS_GYR_CAL parameter. You could always get a plane you are not particularly fond off, turn INS_GYR_CAL off, kick it around during boot and try a bunch of flights over forgiving terrain to see what happens.
Hi Andreas,
Thanks for the reply! I've been flying out in the ocean BVLOS for the past year and a half (from large vessels and small islands), but we've noticed the arming issue last March in Belize when trying to launch from a small boat. Yeah, we have booted on the jetty - except that this isn't always possible in the places we work and certainly not a solution for our applications, long term. We are trying out a gimbal idea before our next expedition and are also considering signal processing. You can also override the ardu "fit" that prevents the arming, but this is of course not recommended :p
Yes, you throw it. Back in the day (first time I tried was maybe 3-4 years ago, Bixler with Pixhawk), the Arduplane code had a fit if the vehicle was moving during boot so you would need to connect the battery on dry land then put it in the boat and go to the launch point. Newer versions don't care, it should work just like on land (haven't tried in more than a year so maybe things have changed again). Out on the water, there is usually a nice, steady and laminar wind so launching can be as easy as letting go.