This paper presents a flight-test data reduction and visualization framework applied to telemetry records obtained during the experimental campaign of a 60% scale Super Cub demonstrator. The study addresses the transformation of raw flight-test measurements into physically interpretable representations suitable for the evaluation of aircraft dynamic behaviour, propulsion response and control activity. Experimental recordings are complemented by calibrated synthetic datasets generated from identified flight parameters, allowing controlled validation of the proposed processing sequence. The methodology integrates zero-phase Butterworth low-pass filtering, Savitzky-Golay smoothing, Min-Max normalization, automated event detection and Largest-Triangle-Three-Buckets (LTTB) geometric downsampling. Particular emphasis is placed on the first flight record, F1, which is used as a reference case for assessing the influence of signal conditioning on visualization-level data reduction. The results indicate that applying LTTB after signal conditioning preserves the main trends, local extrema and relevant transient events while reducing visual density and improving interpretability. The proposed workflow is suitable for post-flight analysis of multi-parameter telemetry datasets and can support future developments in automated flight-test reporting and real-time monitoring.
The NACA 65-series blade family remains a reference geometry for subsonic axial compressor design, and the systematic low-speed cascade measurements of NACA Report 1368 provide an open benchmark for computational validation. This study establishes and validates an incompressible Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes methodology for the NACA 65-(12)10 cascade using the open-source solver SU2. The blade section is generated analytically from the tabulated thickness form and the a=1.0 mean line, and a periodic single-passage mesh is built with a quadrilateral boundary layer. Turning angle and total-pressure-loss coefficient are extracted at an inlet-flow angle of 45 degrees and a solidity of 1.0 across an incidence sweep from minus 0.9 to 25.1 degrees, and the results are compared with the data of Report 1368. The Spalart-Allmaras model reproduces the measured turning angle to within one to two degrees across the design incidence range of 5 to 16 degrees. A systematic over-prediction develops at high incidence, where the measured turning angle flattens toward stall while the steady computation continues to rise; the limitation is identified with the inability of the fully turbulent model to represent the onset of boundary-layer separation. The validated methodology and its documented incidence-dependent accuracy provide a foundation for subsequent parametric cascade studies.
This study evaluates the VTOL behaviour of a 4.18 m-span, 15.5 kg flying-wing UAV and proposes a simplified propulsion-layout redesign. Three flights of the original tri-rotor configuration were analysed using attitude, motor and servo PWM, altitude, and vibration data. Roll and pitch tracking errors averaged 0.54° and 0.80°, whereas yaw error averaged 1.36° and showed persistent bounded oscillations. Static equilibrium showed that the rear rotor had to provide 40.7% of hover thrust, compared with 29.7% for each lateral rotor. A four-rotor fixed vertical layout was therefore designed around the established center of gravity, while the original rear motor was retained horizontally for cruise. The new thrust centroid is only 0.81 mm from the center of gravity and the nominal hover load is approximately 38.01 N per rotor. The redesign is expected to provide more symmetric loading and simpler VTOL control.
This paper presents a comparative study of three implementations of a Powered Descent Guidance (PDG) problem using the autogenerated C code capabilities of the following solvers: CVXGEN, OSQP and ACADOS. The objective of the fixed final time optimization problem is the minimization of the fuel consumption, within a convex framework for the first two solvers and using a nonlinear formulation for the last. The numerical constraints of the problem are tailored to model the capabilities of the Demonstrator for Technologies Validation (DTV)reusable platform developed and operated by INCAS.
This study investigates the influence of inclined surface cavities on vortex evolution and aerodynamic performance in a three-bladed H-Darrieus vertical-axis wind turbine. A baseline NACA0012 rotor and four cavity-modified configurations were evaluated using two-dimensional transient computational fluid dynamics with a Moving Mesh formulation and the shear stress transport turbulence model. Thirty-five simulations were performed over tip speed ratios from 0.5 to 3.5. The analysis combined mean and instantaneous aerodynamic coefficients with phase-resolved vorticity fields to assess vortex formation, convection, persistence, dissipation, and blade-wake interaction. The results show that cavity effectiveness depends strongly on operating condition and chordwise placement. Configurations with cavities distributed over the downstream two-thirds of the blade extrados improved performance in the positive-torque regime, whereas cavities restricted to the final third generally underperformed the baseline. The best configuration, using smaller and more densely spaced cavities, increased the power coefficient by approximately 20.1% at a tip speed ratio of 2.5. The corresponding flow fields showed smaller, less persistent vortical structures and weaker interaction with the following blade.
