Frequently Asked Questions

Who is involved in this project?

Where did the initial concept come from?

How big is the T-Wing?

How is the T-Wing controlled?

Has the T-Wing flown?

What is the next phase in the project?

Who is involved in this project?

This project is a joint venture between the University of Sydney and Sonacom Pty Ltd.

Where did the initial concept come from?

The T-Wing vehicle concept grew out of vehicle optimization studies conducted at the University during 1995-1999 by Dr Hugh Stone, for his PhD dissertation.

How big is the T-Wing?

The T-Wing has a wing-span of ~2.1m and a MTOW of ~30 Kg. It is powered by twin 78cc 3W 2-stroke engines that turn 23 inch diameter propellers.

How is the T-Wing controlled?

The vehicle is controlled by an onboard PC-104 computer stack that drives all the servos and accepts inputs from the GPS and IMU sensors. Unlike a helicopter, the T-Wing uses control surfaces submerged in the propeller slipstreams to control itself during vertical flight. The vehicle communicates with the ground via Radio Modem Serial Data link.

Has the T-Wing flown?

Yes. On the 12^th September, 2002, the T-Wing flew fully autonomously. An onboard guidance loop using DGPS position information was used to generate the velocity commands required to guide the vehicle between distinct waypoints. The T-Wing has also been flown in hover mode both manually (very briefly!) and under automatic control using Command Augmentation System (CAS) controllers. For hover mode, these map pilot stick inputs to velocity commands.

What is the next phase in the project?

The next phase of testing will concentrate on the transition maneuvers between horizontal and vertical flight and on improvements to the autonomous hover flight mode as well.

Last revised: Thursday, September 19, 2002