Tailsitter VTOL flying wing aircraft attitude control

This paper introduces a flying-wing tail-sitter aircraft which can switch between vertical flight mode (rotary-wing mode) and level flight mode (fixed-wing mode). Equipped with two propellers and two elevons, the aircraft can fly by controlling these four actuators. The aircraft uses a microcomputer and various sensors to stabilize the attitude and to switch modes on command. Using the transition logic, it can receive and act on the signal sent by operator at any time, whether it is to switch modes or to retract the command. Using the target angle calculation algorithm, the aircraft can adjust its pitch angle during transition. PID feedback is used for attitude control both in vertical mode and during the transition. Test results show that the aircraft have the advantages of helicopters and fix-wing airplanes. It can hover midair and does not need runway to take off, and it can fly in high speed in fixed-wing mode.