For the textbook we will be using the textbook Beard, McLain, Guidance and Control of Small and Miniature Air Vehicles, To be published in March 2011 by Princeton University Press. uavbook.pdf
There are some excellent textbooks that cover some of the material discussed in this class. The best is
Stevens, Lewis, Aircraft Control and Simulation, Second edition, Wiley, 2003.
Others include:
Cook, Flight Dynamics Principles, Second edition, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007.
Roskam, Airplane Flight Dynamics and Automatic Flight Control, Part I and II, DARcorporation, 2001.
Nelson, Flight Stability and Automatic Control, McGraw-Hill, 1998.
Stengel, Flight Dynamics, Princeton University Press, 2004.
The primary prerequisites for this course is ECEn 483 or ME 431.
The objective of this course is to help you develop an understanding of flight control systems, including dynamic models for UAVs, low level autopilot design, trajectory following, and path planning.
Final grades in the course will be based on the following distribution:
The class is scheduled from 2-3PM on MWF. We will meet in FB 290 on MW in a traditional lecture format. On Friday we will meet in FB 280 where you can asked questions (at a computer terminal) about the weekly assignments. Since we have a small class, I would like the lecture and computer sessions to be highly interactive.
At the end of every chapter is a project assignment. The project assignments replace homework. The idea is to develop a complete flight simulator by the end of the semester. By Monday 8AM, send me an email with (1) the current status of your simulator, and (2) a movie of the screen showing the working simulator.
The format of the exam will be announced later in the semester. The midterm will be on October 29 during the regular class period.
Rather than having a final exam, I would like you to extend the simulator in some way that is not covered in the textbook. You need to submit a proposed project topic by Nov 1. You will have the opportunity to present your project during the last week of class.
Please respect my office hours. If they are not accommodating, make an appointment with me via email.
In keeping with the principles of the BYU Honor Code, students are expected to be honest in all of their academic work. Academic honesty means, most fundamentally, that any work you present as your own must in fact be your own work and not that of another. Violations of this principle may result in a failing grade in the course and additional disciplinary action by the university.
Students are also expected to adhere to the Dress and Grooming Standards. Adherence demonstrates respect for yourself and others and supports an effective learning and working environment. It is the university’s expectation, and my own expectation in class, that each student will abide by all Honor Code standards Please contact the Honor Code Office (4440 WSC, 422-2847, hco@byu.edu) if you have questions about those standards.
Sexual discrimination or harassment (including student-to-student harassment) is prohibited both by the law and by Brigham Young University policy. If you feel you are being subjected to sexual discrimination or harassment, please bring your concerns to the professor. Alternatively, you may lodge a complaint with the Equal Employment Office (D-240C ASB, 422-5895, eeo@byu.edu) or with the Honor Code Office (4440 WSC, 422-2847, hco@byu.edu)
If you have a disability that may affect your performance in this course, you should get in touch with the office of University Accessibility Center (1520 WSC, 422-2767, uac@byu.edu). This office can evaluate your disability and assist the professor in arranging for reasonable accommodations.