Enhancing UAV Autonomy: Flight Testing for Cruise Efficiency and Auto-Landing Stability

The aim of this bachelor thesis was to enhance the autonomy of a twin-motor, fixed wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle used for future long range missions. The three areas investigated included determining the cruise speed, stall speed, and performing a successful fully autonomous landing with the UAV. The project group conducted five test flights using open-source software from Ardupilot. The flight metrics captured were analyzed in MATLAB and visualized using Google Earth. In conclusion, the optimal cruise speed resulting in the longest range was estimated at 20 ± 1.5 m/s with a range of 25 km using a 4000 mAh battery. The stall speed was found at 16 ± 1 m/s which was confirmed by an unintentional stall and crash. The UAV was able to land fully autonomously after PID tuning efforts. The findings point towards the hopeful viability of using a UAV for long range missions.