The Design of an Automatic Flight Control System and Dynamic Simulation for Fixed-Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) using X-Plane and LabVIEW

Abstract

This research focuses on developing an automatic flight control system for a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) using a software-in-the-loop method in which the PID controller is implemented in National Instruments LabVIEW software and the flight dynamics of the fixed-wing UAV are simulated using the X-Plane flight simulator. The fixed-wing UAV model is created using the Plane Maker software and is based on existing geometry and propulsion data from the literature. Gain tuning for the PID controller is accomplished using the pole placement technique. In this approach, the controller gain can be calculated using the dynamic parameters in the transfer function model and the desired characteristic equation. The proposed controller designs' performance is validated using attitude, altitude, and velocity hold simulations. The results demonstrate that the technique can be an effective tool for researchers to validate their UAV control algorithms by utilising the realistic UAV or manned aircraft models available in the X-Plane flight simulator.