Influence of Wing Design on Fixed Wing UAV Deep Stall Landings

The implementation of deep stall landing maneuvers for fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) has shown significant improvements in reducing the landing distance compared to standard pilot-controlled and automated landings. Although deep stall maneuvers have been studied, most research has mainly focused on computer simulated flights and the development of flight logic and autopilot systems for field flights. Finding the optimal wing design under deep stall conditions would be beneficial as the maneuver depends on the decrease in lift and increase in drag to both lower the air speed and shorten the landing distance. However, the wing design must also have the capability of maintaining stability throughout the entire landing maneuver. A vertical drop test is currently being conducted to simulate the motion of a deep stall landing. During the test, certain parameters such as g-load, pitch, and pitch rate are measured to evaluate the deep stall behavior and dynamic stability of various wing designs. By analyzing the results from the various wing planform designs based on their aerodynamic characteristics; the wing designs which facilitate efficient, but stable deep stall landings can be determined and employed into existing UAVs.