The project this semester will look to modify an RC aircraft to test safety features that would eventually be used in a full scale model and identify effects not predicted. This involves the three sub teams accomplishing their own objectives throughout the course of the semester.
The electronics team will investigate lithium sulfur batteries as a primary power source for the aircraft. They will be developing a procedure to be used in development of a lithium air battery. They are also investigating potential weight saving measures in the aircraft once the electric propulsion system is scaled up to the size of a Boeing 737.
The aircraft design team is experimenting with three different types of wings to examine their effects on the flight of the aircraft. They will be using Newton’s method and other modeling methods to optimize the nonconventional wing designs.
The build/test team’s objectives involve exploring the schematics of control surfaces and electronics of RC aircraft and finalizing the flight test plan of the aircraft. The paper sections that the team is working on this semester include the safety concerns specifically with a lithium sulfur battery and the permits necessary to fly the aircraft, if there are any. The team purchased an RC aircraft in order to investigate the electronics integration, and place the lithium sulfur battery into a stable flight system.