PowerLine Unmanned Surfer (PLUS): Concept and Morphing Flight Dynamics

Significant energetic challenges remain for long range, small unmanned aerial systems (UAS), and the potential to recover powerline energy would significantly increase range. This study investigates a long range fixed wing UAS that uses morphing aerodynamics to enable near proximity powerline flight. A bilinear flight dynamics model is developed incorporating generalized aerodynamic morphing and a frequency-correspondence established to a characteristic powerline. The resulting feedforward control architecture is tested in simulation using a camber-actuated RQ-11 airframe, showing that the control approach results in several seconds of powerline contact and a required morphing range (6-7% camber) within typical aerostructural feasibility limitations.