Getting off the Ground: An Update from the Structures team
To our readers: This is our first blog post in our series of monthly recaps about the various subteams of MAAV! Make sure to check the blog every week, since we will be posting a monthly recap of a different subteam each week. This week, we’re covering the Structures subteam, due to their impressive advancements in flight readiness.
Over the last month, the Structures subteam has produced an early flight prototype, with most of the work being done during MAAV’s first all-day work day. New molds are being cut very soon for the new propeller guards, among other advancements. The vehicle has also been prepared for flight testing and has been tuned.
At our most recent flight testing session, other members of the structures team learned how to fly large drones for the first time. Even though the International Aerial Robotics Competition (in July) only requires us to demonstrate autonomous flight by June, flight testing early on is very important to iron out any issues that we may be having, and to make sure that we are in perfect shape by June, and ready to defeat all the other teams by July.
Flight testing entails making sure that the vehicle, which has been built these past few months, can get in the air. It also allows us to gather data from the flight, which we can analyze to further improve our flight.
In the coming month, Structures is looking to further tune the vehicle, add the new propeller guards, and iron out any structural issues that may arise.
