AVIA2025

Tutorial 1

Introduction to Airborne Drone Management

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 Administrative
• Fully online course
• Tutorials will be conducted every Monday
• 4pm to 5pm
• Recorded for those that are unable to attend

Contact:
• Couse convenor: Dr. Tay Koo (t.koo@unsw.edu.au)
• Teaching assistant:
• Mr Yan Teo (y.teo@student.unsw.edu.au),
• Matthew Dunn (matthew.dunn@student.unsw.edu.au)
 Tutorials
To assist students with enquires or doubts on the week’s lecture,
review tutorial questions and to allow for students to interact
with one another through discussion.

• A quick recap on the week’s lecture

• Addressing your questions or doubts
• Reviewing tutorial questions
• Facilitating discussions

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Week 1 content
1. Aeronautical units of measurement

2. Principles of flight – fixed wing

3. Multirotor flight
Aeronautical units of measurement
• What is RPA and RPAS?
• Remotely pilot aircraft (RPA)
• Remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAs)
• Drones, Unmanned aerial Vehicle (UAV), Unmanned aircraft, unmanned aerial
System (UAS)
• What is a nautical mile?
• Unit of distance
• 1852 metres
• What is knots?
• 1 nm = 1852 metres, 1.852 km.
• Used to measure speed
• 180 knots in km/hr = ? 180 x 1.852 = 333 km/hr
Aeronautical units of measurement

• How do we calculated vertical distance?

• Feet
• 100 ft? in metres, 30 metres
• 400ft 120 metres.
• Why is visibility so important to RPA operator
• VLOS = visual line of sight. Because majority of RPA operations must
conform with a regulation that the RPA must remain within ‘VLOS’ at all
times.
Aeronautical units of measurement
• Time
• What is the measurement of time in aviation?
• UTC – universa time coordinated / coordinated universal time
• Why do we not use local times instead?
• International activity, standardised.
• How far ahead is Sydney?
• 10 hours
• What is the difference between the 4 6 8 figure group?
• 1600 UTC in Sydney time – 2am.
• What does 111700 UTC means?
• Day and time. 11th of every month, 3 am Sydney time
• What does 06111700 UTC means?
• 11th June 1700 utc / 3 am Sydney time
Aeronautical units of measurement
• Direction of wind and flight
• Magnetic variation. Variation ..? Magnetic ..? Variation .. ? Magnetic .. ?
• Variation east magnetic least, variation west, magnetic best

QN:
An a/c on a heading of 190 degrees true near the island of diego Garcia in Indian ocean.
Supposedly the magnetic variation is 8 degrees west. The compass in the aircraft would be – ??
Degress?
- 198 degrees

090
QN:
An aircraft is flying on a Heading of 090M. If the wind is blowing from a northerly direction, will
the same aircraft also be flying a Track of 090M? Explain your answer.
- >090 degrees
Aeronautical units of measurement
• Direction of wind and flight
• In an aviation forecast the wind is expressed as 24020G30. What does this
mean?
• 240 degrees ,20 knots and gust of 30
• What is variable wind?
• <5 knots
• Calm wind = 0 knots

• Airport runway layout. 16R/34L what does this mean?

• 16R – 160 degrees right
• 34L – 340 degrees Left
• Viewed from __ perspective?
• pilot
• Are 16R and 34L different runways?
RQ 8.

Brisbane airport runways are “01L/19R” and “01R/19L”. Explain

what this means? 01R 01L
- The airport has 2 parallel runways.
- 010 and 190 heading.
- Plot them down for better visualisation
090
270

19L 19R
180
Week 1 content
1. Aeronautical units of measurement

2. Principles of flight – fixed wing

3. Multirotor flight
Principles of flight
• In simple terms, explain how aerofoil produces lift
• High pressure > low pressure
a. Movement of an aerofoil through a fluid such as air will generate a lift force as a region of high static pressure is produced under the aerofoil, and a region of low static
pressure is produced above the aerofoil.
i. Air will travel from high pressure to low pressure, therefore causing a lift in the aerofoil
ii. An aerofoil acts like a venturi, producing an area of lower static pressure on top of the aerofoil (also slightly higher static pressure below the aerofoil)

• What are the 4 forces of flight?

• Lift - upwards acting force caused by the increasing pressure on the underside of the wings
• Weight - downwards force due to gravity
• Drag – result of thurst force, opposing force,
• backwards acting force caused by wind resistance and other factors
• Thrust - forward acting force caused by the propulsion from the engine
RQ4.
What are the 2 main principles explaining lift?
- Newton’s 3rd law
- Every action has an equal and opposite reaction
- Bernoillis principles
i. An increase in the speed of a fluid, occurs simultaneously with a decrease in pressure, or a decrease in
the potential energy of the fluid. i.e. when the air flow over the top of the wing is faster than the airflow
on the bottom of the wing, the bottom of the wing experiences an increased pressure, resulting in
upwards lifting force
ii. Airflow accelerates through region of constriction which creates higher dynamic pressure of air in that
region. Since dynamic pressure is increasing and total pressure is remaining constant, static pressure
must decrease in this region.
iii. The cross surface of the wing resembles a venturi shape
iv. As the aerofoil moves through the air, low static pressure is generated above the aerofoil. This provides
the “lift” force of a wing
Week 1 content
1. Aeronautical units of measurement

2. Principles of flight – fixed wing

3. Multirotor flight
Multirotor flight

• How is lift generated?

• - upwards acting force caused by the increasing pressure on the underside of
the wings

• How is the same altitude maintained?

___ = ___ ?
Lift = weight of gravity.
Multirotor flight
• What is roll?
• How does roll works?
o Lift from rotor 1 and 3. One side generate more lift than the other

• Pitch?
• How does pitching work?
▪ Speed of propelllers change from front to back or back to front depending.
▪ Downwards tilt will result in forward motion
• What happens when the front 2 propellers are rotating slower and lower than the back 2?
• Pitch forward
• Yaw?
• How does yaw work? Yaw?
• How does yaw work?
▪ Why is it rotor 3 and 3 increased and not 1 and 4 since they are in the same direction as clockwise?
• Because of Torque is generated in the direction of 2,3. Reactive torque will react in the opposite direction due to
newtons 3rd law and it is stronger in the faster rotors. Therefore changing the direction
▪ How yaw works? Drone yaw control - yeah, science! - YouTube
▪ Simplified understanding, to yaw clockwise, rotors rotating anticlockwise have to increase in speed.
Multirotor flight
RQ7.
How does a RPA measure its compass direction and altitude?
a. - IMU (inertia measurement unit)
b. Consists of the following sensors:
c. 3 axis accelerometer - measures acceleration
d. 3 axis gyroscope – measure rotational velocity

e. 3 axis magnetometer – measures local magnetic field components

f. IMUs are fundamental to Robotics and Drones activities as well as everyday's smart phones: they help
us out not to loose... the heading.
RQ 2.
Why do you think it is that we do not see large passenger quadcopters?
- Not the most comfortable, the pitch?
- Stability is an issue
a. Why? The bigger and heavier the propellers, harder to generate lift and thrust.
b. Less agile and unresponsive
c. Less stable than a helicopter. To keep it stable in the air we need to individually
control and adjust the propellers in each of its props. If one side is producing more
lift than the other than it would tilt, if one side is rotating faster it would yaw.

The bigger the propeller the more energy it takes to change its speed
RQ 3.
Why is induced drag not relevant for a simple quadcopter?
- Induced drag is basically drag from the aircraft’s aerofoil / wing. refer to 12min in video.
- Induced drag higher at slower airspeed and decreases at higher airspeed due to the angles of the aircraft at
lower speed. For quadcopters, there are no aerofoil.
Principles of flight
Short essay QN 1:

What do you think are the key challenges of wide-scale airborne drone proliferation for
commercial services such as delivery of goods and passengers?
Do you think the solutions are technological, operational, regulatory, or educational? (Note:
you may find it useful to return to this question at a later date when more Units have been
delivered).
Challenge 1: Safety
• Airspace management, Incorporating drone into existing airspace
• Keeping track of the drones so that it does not collide with manned aircraft
• Stop it from flying to PRD areas.
• Prevent Mid air collision or ground impact risk
• Solutions:
• Regulating areas as no fly zones, , enforce licensing (RePL, ReOC), educating,
regulating technology that can pose danger to safety

Challenge 2: Acceptance by the public

• Building a level of trust, that is new in society. Hesitant, because there is no pilot. Scary for
many.
• Privacy and noise issues
• Public perception is that it is dangerous
• Can hinder acceptance and cause additional funds or trouble in incorporating a drone
operation
• Solution:
• increase awareness by courses (educational), publicity (news social media), increase
awareness of drones in people. Generate interest in drones such as videography and
photography.
Challenge 3: Regulation
• Harmonised across the world, standardised regulation
• Enforcement and managing risk
• Solutions:
• Communication between countries, more international authorities to govern
technology or manufacturing,

Challenge 4: Technology
• Double edge sword. Can be beneficial or can be dangerous.
• Growing technology and pushing boundaries to drone specifications (speed, weight,
agility). Carry heavier, fly faster, see better etc.
• Can affect safety or impose on acceptance if not managed well
• People abuse technology (drone warfare? Terrorism?)
• People concerned about risks such as privacy.
• Solutions:
• Governing authorities and manufacturers to standardise technology or accept new
technology. Wait for law to catch up to properly regulate.
Questions?