How Did That Happen?

I have heard lots of stories about how people have gotten interested in aviation.  I know I have recounted my story many tmes as well.  So most of us are probably familiar with such stories.  But one thing you hear very seldom is how people get interested in unmanned aviation.

So how did I get interested in unmanned aviation?  It wasn't from radio control planes.  I'm not sure if there has been a study on the correlation between unamnned aircraft operators and R/C airplane enthusiasts.  It would be interesting to look into that though.  My interest in unmanned aviation actually originates from another hobby of mine.

I am a big fan of Japanese animation, aka anime.  One of my favorite franchises of all time is Macross.  Some folks might know it better as Robotech.  I did watch that when I was a child and when I found out about Macross and the differences in Robotech, I ended up liking Macross more.  Eventually in the Macross franchise, Macross Plus came around.  There are two versions, an OAV (Original Animation Video) and movie version.  Both are excellent, with some minor differences between them.  The entire production is stunning.  Macross has always been about the music first but close behind is the aircraft and mecha.  Macross Plus came out around the time of the YF-22 and YF-23 competition and the anime also features a competition between two advanced, prototype fighters.

**SPOILER ALERT**

There is also a third aircraft.  An experimental unmanned fighter with an AI core.  The project is kept secret and there is behind the scenes maneuvering to discredit both manned prototypes since the inception of the projects in order to leave the unmanned project de facto supreme.  Unfortunately, the unmanned fighter is taken over by a virtual idol using a very unstable and megalomaniacal AI core.  The final battle is both breathtaking and heart-rending.

In later art and source books, it is mentioned that the unmanned program was never quite the same as the project teams were never able to get the AI core working right.  Eventually, the program was dropped. 

Then Macross Frontier came along.  This series was one huge, glorified tribute to the 25th anniversary of the Macross franchise.  Unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) make an appearance under the firm control of humans.  They don't fare any better than their manned counterparts but this is Macross we're talking about.  No one does very well except for the main characters and those with plot armor.  But they do look pretty cool!

So that, in a nutshell, is the origin of my interest in unmanned aviation.

ASCI 530, Assignment 2.4, Weeding Out a Solution

The precision crop-dusting UAS scenario presents difficult scenario in which one aspect must be sacrificed for another.  Ideally, all features would be incorporated and still meet the weight limitations.  However, the reality of the physical component precludes such an outcome.  In the scenario presented, the assurances already presented to the potential customers will drive the direction of the upcoming decisions.

            The scenario presented makes no mention of the overall budget for the program or price-per-unit goal.  There is no mention of how much it would cost for both team to produce custom components instead of using the cost-saving, off-the-shelf parts.  There is no mention of whether weight could be reduced from any other part of the aircraft.  Finally there is no definition of how uncomfortable the safety engineers are in reducing the fuel margin.  For purposes of this exercise, let us assume that:

      1)      There is a finite budget and the price-per-unit should be kept as low as possible.

      2)      The cost for both the flight control and payload teams to produce custom parts would be, at present, cost prohibitive.

      3)      Weight may not be reduced from any other component of the aircraft except those explicitly mentioned in the scenario.

      4)      Reducing the fuel margin could result in property damage, injury, or death.

With these constraints in place, we can move forward with the hypothetical scenario.

            The marketing personnel have already touted the payload capacity to the prospective customers.  As this will lead the customers to build their expectations, it would be quite difficult to reduce the payload capacity and still expect the customers not to have their interests change accordingly.  Other aviation programs that have faced similar problems and challenges to their ability to deliver on promises have seen customer confidence be diminished (Hemmerdinger, 2014).  Therefore, the payload team would take priority in keeping their design and plan as it stands.  The guidance, control, and navigation team will need to bear the burden of revising their design and plan to reduce weight.  This may mean the production and use of custom parts and an according increase in financial expenditure.

            Assuming the commercial success of this agricultural UAS, an improved successor model could be designed, building upon the successful aspects of its predecessor.  Lighter payload components could be incorporated with the savings in weight used to enlarge the fuel capacity and increase range and endurance.  Advances in powerplant technology could also provide an improved engine that is faster, more fuel-efficient, quieter, or any combination of these features.  History has shown that customer satisfaction with the preceding platforms can contribute to the probability of future sales of an improved follow-on model (Hillaker, 2004).  This aspect would support producing a successor UAS.

References:

Hemmerdinger, Jon (2014, June).  Farnborough: Lockheed Remains Confident in F-35 Ahead of International Debut.  Flight Global.  Retrieved from http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/farnborough-lockheed-remains-confident-in-f-35-ahead-of-international-400065/

Hillaker, Harry J. (2004, Spring).  Technology and the F-16 Fighting Falcon Jet Fighter.  The Bridge, Linking Engineering and Society, 34(1).  24-28

ASCI 530, Assignment 1.5, History of UAS

The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in operation today would not have been possible without the legacy of their predecessors.  Similar to many other achievements in other technical and engineering fields, success in the present owes much to efforts in the past.  The field of unmanned aviation is no exception.  A prime example of this can be seen in comparing the Northrop MQM-57 and the Insitu ScanEagle.

The Northrop MQM-57 was designed in the late 1950s as a tactical aerial reconnaissance platform.  The aircraft was small and lightweight compared to manned aircraft performing similar missions.  A 60 minute endurance was suitable for battlefield surveillance on a tactical scale. (“Northrop MQM-57 Falconer Factsheet,” 2013)  The aircraft was launched from a catapult mechanism and recovered via parachute, obviating the need for a paved, prepared runway or even a large, flat, open field.  The advantages of requiring a relatively small area to conduct operations would be of great utility to a mobile military formation in close proximity to an adversary.  A control system employing radar tracking allowed a pilot to operate the aircraft beyond line-of-sight.  (Blom, 2010)  This was a significant improvement over limitations of control systems requiring keeping the aircraft within visual range.

The Insitu ScanEagle owes much of its success to the lineage of the Northrop MQM-57.  Like the Northrop aircraft, the ScanEagle is a tactical aerial reconnaissance platform.  Technological advances have allowed the Insitu aircraft to be smaller and lighter than the MQM-57, yet remain airborne for much longer.  The ScanEagle is launched via a catapult mechanism and recovered via a trapeze arresting apparatus.  The similarities in the launch and recovery systems are readily apparent as both obviate the need for a large, open, prepared airfield.  The ScanEagle pilot operates the aircraft via a mobile workstation capable of beyond visual range control.  (“Insitu ScanEagle System,” 2013)  Like the MQM-57 system, a small, mobile footprint is valuable to working with tactical scale military units.

The similarities in design, mission, and operation of the Northrop and Insitu aircraft show a clear lineage between the two systems.  The ScanEagle owes much of its success to the past efforts and pioneering by the MQM-57.

References:

Blom, John David  (2010).  Development of Unmanned Flight in the United States.  CSI Press, Unmanned Aerial Systems: A Historical Perspective (pp. 55-65).  Retrieved from http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/download/csipubs/OP37.pdf

Radioplane/Northrop MQM-57 Falconer Facesheet.  National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.  Retrieved from http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=7684

Insitu ScanEagle System.  Insitu, Inc.  Retrieved from http://www.insitu.com/systems/scaneagle

My Introduction to Blogging

This is my first blog.  As it is probably very clear, I have never maintained a blog before.  The closest I came was writing on friend's blog while he was absent from it for a month.  I guess I never really started a blog because I never really thought I had that much to share that other would find interesting enough to take the time to read.  This should be an interesting experience.

Most of the topics on this blog will most likely be related to my academic program.  I am currently studying for a masters degree in Unmanned Aviation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.  Most of what I post here will probably relate to aviation in one way for another.  So don't go looking for movie reviews here, unless they're aviation related!  With toddlers running around, I haven't gone to the movies in a very long time.