(upbeat techno music)
- Hi, I'm Brian Kish.
I'm the chair of the Flight
Test Engineering Program.
We do flight research, we
have flight test courses,
and today we're out
here doing some research
that's funded by the FAA.
The students, they put the flight plan in.
They collect all the data,
and then they're going
to analyze the results
and eventually write the report for us.
- What we're doing right now is
we're doing different flights,
with different ranges,
different ratio between
regular forward flight
and vertical flight.
And we're collecting data on
what was the battery charge,
how hot do the control electronics get?
And then we try to get a good
understanding of how different
flight phases correspond
to different power demands,
energy demands, and then hopefully
we're going to be able to
validate models.
(techno music)
- My name is (indistinct),
and I'm a PhD student in Florida Tech.
This project means a lot to
me because it's the first,
the first project project, I suppose,
for me to get inside in Florida Tech
to be a part of a research group
as before I've worked typically by myself,
this is the first time I've
actually been in a part of a
huge multi school project,
which involves a lot
of coordination between
different colleges and different people.
And so far it's been amazing.
- My name is (indistinct), I'm from India.
Today for the team,
whatever the event we are flying the data
from the pre flight to the post flight,
we are recording all the
data's from the batteries,
from the motors and from all
the electronics and onboard.
Yeah, it is because
when you see the numbers
in the class about the experiments,
and when you see and do it
and note it down by yourself,
it's a completely make a
whole different perspective
into the pictures.
When we know like, okay,
this is actual numbers and what we study,
those are just okay
numbers we are getting,
we are doing the calculation,
we are getting the numbers,
but when we go in the field
and we record them, by myself,
it's, it's completely different.
- I'm Nolan Hopkins,
and I'm a master's student in the
aerospace engineering
department here at Florida Tech.
I am the pilot in case things go wrong.
So if the autopilot fails
and it needs to come home,
then I have to be the
one that brings it home.
I've got experience with drones,
actually my senior design project,
I was heavily involved with
working with fitting like a
racing quad copter inside of a,
about five and a half inch rocket.
- My name is (indistinct),
and I go to school for
aerospace engineering.
I'm currently doing my masters.
I feel like it's great,
great experience because most
students don't get outdoors
experience or like, in the
field experience kind of thing.
And I think that's one
of the biggest benefits
from Florida Tech also,
since we get so much
exposure to actual flights,
actual flight tests,
actual aircraft, that
other students don't.
So I think that in itself,
adds a really valuable skill to my resume
and just to my character, you know,
it's not only the technical
side of things, but also,
also personally, you know,
it helps helps you work with
so many different people,
helps you grow as a
person, and as a character.
I think this team is fantastic, honestly.
Everyone knows what to do,
everyone's on point and
everything, you know,
is mostly going to plan so far.
I don't think we've had any
big hindrances in anything,
and I think that's the
biggest benefit of this team.
- We're wrapping up our
first day of flight test.
It's been a great day.
We've accomplished all our objectives
here at the Space Coast Drone Test Center,
and a really great partnership with
Larson Motor Sports as well,
they supported us really well with this,
this tent trailer and
power to do the experiment.
So a really fantastic day.
(techno music)
(rocket launching)
