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End of Semester Review

Expectations vs. Reality

Before the semester began, I expected AT 209 Autonomous Aircraft Technology and Maintenance to be a course that introduced basic aircraft maintenance, learning how to troubleshoot and work through problems, and learn how to design a flight-ready 3D aircraft model. In addition, I expected to build off of my prior flight skills, assess airspace and flight feasibility by learning how to submit FAA waivers, reflect on Unmanned Aerial System history, analyze data, and continue to be able to mitigate hazards. I believed that this course would employ a hands-on approach, allowing me to apply prior knowledge to meet its objectives.

Now, finishing this semester, this course was incredibly hands-on and focused primarily on building flight-ready 3D aircraft models. While we were introduced to common maintenance tools used on an aircraft, we did not have labs focused on aircraft maintenance. Furthermore, our labs were largely centered around building our UAV, the Believer. While building the Believer, we worked with hardware and software systems, learned about telemetry and how it is integrated in UAS systems, aircraft avionics, and motors and controls.

While our labs were knowledgeable and hands-on, the material was completely new and, at times, felt like there was not much instruction, which led to confusion and frustration. While our lectures were informational, occasionally, they did not match up to what was being done in the lab. My expectations coming into this semester were very different than what knowledge I left this course with. However, this course introduced me to a wide range of topics and knowledge in how UAS systems are built and the engineering side of the industry. In addition to technical skills, I also learned the value of soft skills such as teamwork, communication, organization, and more. All of these skills learned will guide me far in my post-graduate career.

Overview of the Semester

This section is dedicated to an overview of what was learned in AT 209 labs and throughout the course.

Earlier labs

At the beginning of the semester, our earlier labs were dedicated to an introduction to soldering, maintenance tools, wiring harness inspection, and completing the NIST OTL flight. Coming into the semester, I had prior experience with soldering; this lab allowed me to practice my soldering techniques, reacquaint myself with lab equipment, and practice safety procedures. In later labs, my team and I used soldering to assemble our UAV, the Believer. In our maintenance tool lab, we were introduced to tools used in aviation maintenance, such as a digital caliper, digital multimeter, crimping tools, and torque wrenches. This lab was a hands-on experience where we measured dimensions with precision, tested electrical continuity, created and worked with reliable wire connections, and properly torqued fasteners. Next, we were to visually inspect a wiring harness, identify common defects, provide a photo, and a brief report. The last of our earlier labs were the NIST OTL flights, or the NIST Open Test Lane test for pilot acuity. The objectives of these flights were to become familiar with the testing procedure, get practice flying under a time constraint, get practice with flying BVLOS, and understand how the scoresheet works.

After the first 4 to 5 labs, we began working on the Believer.

Our first Believer lab was meant to introduce us to the Believer airframe, its key components, examine the kit and its structural parts, and understand the external build guide to prepare us for assembly. This lab was crucial as it allowed us to have an understanding of what we were working on and what our end goal was. Our next lab was the DATX setup and modification. In this lab, my team and I modified the DATX Controller to meet the Windracers’ operational standards and modified the software to fully standardize our controllers to ensure safe operation and integration. Lab 8 was focused on the Believer Comms, through telemetry, and Firmware. Since telemetry is the ‘brain’ of the system, my team and I modified the settings in our telemetry to enable a quicker response and communication time. In addition, we installed the Believer firmware into our flight controller. The next lab was centered around installing the Believer Avionic system, which controls the flight controls to operate, and for the system to be embedded with crucial functions.

As we came to the end of working on the Believer before assembly, my team and I needed to submit a waiver to the FAA for our future flight operations. My team and I learned what goes into making an FAA waiver, drafted, and submitted an Operational Waiver in preparation for a practice flight with the Believer. Finally, our last two labs before assembly were dedicated to the motor and controls. In the first part, my team and I paired our receivers and transmitters, bound them to our DATX controller, uploaded FCU parameters, tested connectivity, and drafted a wiring diagram of our system. This part of the motors and controls ensured our Receiver and Transmitter are communicating with one another, which is how the pilot and aircraft can communicate. The second part focused on calibrating and verifying our DATX controller, ensuring proper parameter settings in the hardware and LUA script, testing the avionic systems, testing the system’s health, and mapping control inputs to servo outputs. Finally, we set up our motors and controls, calibrated our ESC, tested motor functions, and updated our wiring diagram. By simulating the avionics, controls, and motors of the aircraft, we are ensuring our future flights are safe, stable, and minimize flight and navigation errors. At the end of the semester, my team and I began assembling our Believer. Due to time constraints, my team was unable to finish the assembly; however, we will continue working on the Believer at the beginning of next semester.

Value of Building from Scratch

In this course, most of the instruction and labs started from scratch or a blank slate. While at times this was frustrating, there were big lessons learned. As my team and I continued through the semester, we learned the importance of taking things slow, one step at a time, and not jumping ahead. Normally, when given detailed, almost plug-and-play instructions, many of us can multitask or even skip some “less” important steps. However, with building the Believer, this was not possible, and all members needed to be present and able to understand what was happening. Additionally, we learned the importance of reading, rereading, researching, and learning to know when to ask for help. We realized very early on that understanding the basics is essential to building the Believer. It also became clear that each lab builds off the week prior. The value of building from scratch revealed to me how each component in the system works, how it’s integrated into the system, and overall how the system operates. Each lab, we were made to think critically and not just go on autopilot and follow preconfigured instructions.

Furthermore, this enabled me to see how the industry of UAS engineering works. Before this course, I had no idea what the UAS engineering workflow consisted of, and now, leaving the semester, much of it has been revealed to me. The workflow is a multi-phase process that covers many things like design, integration, testing, and many of them are not linear, and each phase before is just a critical as the next.

Skill Growth and Technical Learning

As stated previously, I came into this semester with minimal knowledge and experience in UAS assembly. As the semester progressed, I developed a wide range of technical and teamwork skills through hands-on work. From the very first lab working with the Believer, I learned hardware assembly and wiring. This included creating a wiring diagram and ensuring proper integration between electrical and mechanical components to support safe and reliable operations.

I also gained an understanding of UAS system architecture and integration through assembling and configuring the aircraft. I learned how key avionic components, such as the airspeed sensor, flight controller, GPS, ESCs, and motors, work together as a system. Furthermore, I gained experience in troubleshooting by identifying and resolving hardware, firmware, and integration issues encountered during assembly, build, and testing phases. I also developed skills in firmware and configuration management, working with onboard systems to support initial setup, firmware updates, and system validation. For example, configuring the receiver and transmitter.

Lastly, I learned the importance of teamwork in an environment with evolving information. The learning process could be overwhelming and frustrating at times, especially when working alongside teammates with more experience. However, I learned to manage these challenges by taking things slowly, maintaining a positive attitude, communicating clearly, staying organized, and being patient. All things skills that I learned this semester reinforce safety, reliability, integrity, and accountability, which are core values in the aviation industry.

What Surprised Me?

This course has been very informative to me, but it has also been harder than expected. Coming into this course, I expected it to be more on the maintenance side, which I have prior experience in. However, this course was more structured around the engineering and building side, which was an entirely new experience for me. At times, it was a bit frustrating for me to be so new to something. Many people on my team have had experience with firmware, hardware, and UAS assembly, and I would get a little overwhelmed with not feeling like a viable team member.

Nevertheless, this taught me how to work through problems, ask questions, see where I fell short and where I needed to improve, learn how to communicate with my team, and see where I am most valuable in the team setting. This was by far the most educational and valuable part of the semester, as these are the skills that will be used throughout any professional industry. In addition, even though this course was intimidating and felt a bit overwhelming, when my team and I began to assemble the Believer, it felt like all the past labs began to click. Being able to physically see where all the parts would fit, I was able to envision how their function was integrated into the system.

What am I Most Proud of?

There were many skills that I learned throughout this semester. Some of the skills that I am proud of that I learned are my soldering, communication, and documentation skills. In the group setting, especially when we began working on the Believer, I learned that I contributed best with organization, communication, and documentation. Before most labs, I would read through what needed to be completed, and then, throughout the lab, give the step-by-step play. This allowed our group to be as organized and prepared as possible. In addition, I documented what steps we took in the lab and compiled photos of these steps. This allowed us to write detailed reports after the lab was completed. In addition to skills learned, we also faced many problems and obstacles. Personally, in Lab 7, the DATX Setup and Modification lab, I helped figure out what needed to be removed and what components could stay when comparing our DATX controller to the standardized DATX Windracer configuration.

Overall Takeaways

Coming into this course, I had no experience with UAS hardware, and throughout the semester, I was introduced to a variety of critical components that are vital to the success of Unmanned Aerial Systems. As I leave this semester, while I am not an expert yet, my confidence with components in these systems is improving. In addition, I learned the importance of teamwork, organization, documentation, communication, and more. The technical and soft skills are something that will only be built upon as I continue in AT 219, future projects, and my future career.

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