Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) Trainer

This VTOL trainer introduces students to the fundamentals of aerospace engineering, such as basic flight dynamics and control. The system consists of one variable-speed fan with safety guards, mounted on the end of a cantilevered arm. The fan and arm assembly pivot about an axis attached to an encoder shaft.

Control techniques studied:

• Modeling of flight dynamics
• Parametric system identification
• Model validation
• PID control
• Cascade control
• Dealing with actuator dynamics