Date of Award

3-2020

Degree Name

MS in Aerospace Engineering

Department/Program

Aerospace Engineering

College

College of Engineering

Advisor

Aaron Drake

Advisor Department

Aerospace Engineering

Advisor College

College of Engineering

Abstract

Current airspace regulations require the remote pilot-in-command of an unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to maintain visual line of sight with the vehicle for situational awareness. The future of UAS will not have these constraints as technology improves and regulations are changed. An operational model for the future of UAS is proposed where a remote operator will monitor remote vehicles with the capability to intervene if needed. One challenge facing this future operational concept is the ability for a flight data system to effectively communicate flight status to the remote operator. A system architecture has been developed to facilitate the implementation of such a flight data system. Utilizing the system architecture framework, a Phase I prototype was designed and built for two vehicles in the Autonomous Flight Laboratory (AFL) at Cal Poly. The project will continue to build on the success of Phase I, culminating in a fully functional command and control system for remote UAS operational testing.

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