Hi, I've been interested in hobby UAVs for some time and finally have my Powered Parachute project up with some initial flight tests. Info at (http://www/uavgeek.com) The base platform is a seabreeze 82" electric PPC. The guy that I bought it from videos the test flight of each PPC so this is him flying the one I bought (http://www.seabreezeparachutes.com/2008-parachutes/82-inch/82-6-20-08b.wmv)This looks to be a good match for even the ardupilot 1.0. because of the nature of a PPC. First, they are inherently stable. You simply do not need any device to keep it level. Second, you control altitude with throttle. This is exactly what the arudpilot software does so it seems almost perfect for the job. Lastly, they can carry a big payload (couple of pounds.) at the expense of flight time.So far, the only problem I've run into is that the PID loop coefficients need tweaking, PPCs are very slow compared planes and respond to control inputs slowly, in comparison, as well.OTOH, The plus side of being slow is that you have plenty of time to take back control if you don't like what you see and if it all goes pear shaped, you can kill power it it will glide to the ground, not crash.Best,Chuck
Chuck....it has been forever since you posted anything. How did this turn out. I am looking for something that requires less runways then a fixed wing. Any thoughts?
Nice project, I'm very curious to hear your progress. What's your experience with flying in the wind? The website implies 20 Mph might be an upper limit, but sometimes websites are a little optimistic about their products. It's an important issue for me living in an extremely windy area.
One idea I've been toying with for awhile is to attempt to integrate a Powered/Controllable Parachute into a rocket. The idea being it could self guide back to the launch site perhaps taking the "scenic route" along the way for some pretty pictures. Definitely some technical issues to overcome to make that happen though.
an interesting project ,i have long had in interest in PPC`s for the load carry ability , slow speed and stability and from time to time looked at them ,i look forward to seeing your progress
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Preston.
One idea I've been toying with for awhile is to attempt to integrate a Powered/Controllable Parachute into a rocket. The idea being it could self guide back to the launch site perhaps taking the "scenic route" along the way for some pretty pictures. Definitely some technical issues to overcome to make that happen though.
Good Luck
Brian
Bluebird