The Raptor 50 6-DOF simulation environment for flight control research

This paper reviews the development of the first principle force equations for the 6 degree-of-freedom model of the Thunder Tiger Raptor 50 V2 remote-controlled helicopter. The purpose of this project is to study the use of robust control techniques for autonomous rotorcraft applications using an accurate helicopter model. The longitudinal and lateral-directional dynamics of the Raptor 50 helicopter are simulated using a linear parameter varying force model. This model of the helicopter has been incorporated into the Raptor 50 simulation environment for flight control research. Additionally, a thorough testing of the simulation environment was performed to verify that the analytical model matched the performance of the actual Raptor 50 dynamics by comparing the simulated results against flight test data. The simulation environment developed in this initial phase of the study will be used for further control research. A controller is implemented in the Raptor simulation environment to stabilize the lateral-directional dynamics of the helicopter and, furthermore, illustrates the use of the simulation environment as a control analysis tool.