DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF AN R.P.V. TRAINING SYSTEM

THE HIGH COST AND VULNERABILITY OF MANNED AIRCRAFT IS GENERATED RENEWED INTEREST IN THE EMPLOYMENT OF REMOTELY PILOTED VEHICLES (RPVS) FOR A WIDE RANGE OF MISSIONS. AERO-VIRONMENT INC. PROPOSES THE DEVELOPMENT OF A BASIC DESIGN FOR STATE-OF-THE-ART RPV TRAINING SYSTEMS APPLICABLE TO A WIDE RANGE OF VEHICLES AND MISSIONS. THE LOW-COST SYSTEM CONCEIVED WOULD BE USED TO TRAIN NEW RPV OPERATORS AND PROVIDE A MEANS OF MAINTAINING OPERATIONAL READINESS AMONG EXISTING PILOTS WITHOUT RISK OF LOSS TO ACTUAL HARDWARE. THE TRAINER WILL FACILITATE PRACTICE OF PREVIOUS PROHIBITIVE MANEUVERS, THEREBY EXTENDING THE CAPABILITIES OF AN RPV. A MODULAR DESIGN IS PROPOSED WHOSE ELEMENTS MAY BE USED AS BUILDING BLOCKS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A VARIETY OF RPV TRAINING SYSTEMS. THE TRAINER WILL PROVIDE A REALISTIC SIMULATION OF THE VEHICLE DYNAMICS, INCLUDING AUTOPILOT, AND AN ADEQUATE SIMULATED TERRAIN IMAGE FOR VEHICLES WITH ON-BOARD CAMERAS. ADDITIONAL FEATURES SUCH AS FREEZE/PLAYBACK CAPABILITY, INSTRUCTOR COMMANDED SYSTEM FAILURES OR WEATHER MODIFICATIONS, AUTOMATIC DIAGNOSTIC FEEDBACK TO THE STUDENT AND DEPLOYABILITY WILL BE INCLUDED. THE STUDY COVERS IDENTIFICATION OF SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS, HARDWARE SELECTION, SOLUTION METHODS, SOFTWARE ORGANIZATION, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SHELL PROGRAM TO DEMONSTRATE AN EXAMPLE TRAINING SYSTEM.