We address the development of a dynamic-soaring capable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) optimized for long-duration flight with no on-board power consumption. The UAV’s aerodynamic properties are captured with the integration of variable fidelity aerodynamic analyses. In addition to this, a 6 degree-of-freedom flight simulation environment is designed to include the effects of atmospheric wind conditions. A simple flight control system aids in the development of the dynamic soaring maneuver. A modular design paradigm is adopted for the aircraft dynamics model, which makes it conducive to use the same environment to simulate other aircraft models. Multiple wind-shear models are synthesized to study the overall energy gain for low and high-altitude dynamic soaring. In addition to this, the efficiency of the autopilot control laws is compared with human-piloted DS cycles. The current research thus focuses on studying the UAV’s energy neutrality in performing repeatable dynamic soaring cycles, which presents a paradigm shift in UAV propulsion, where the energy extracted from the wind shear could be used as a propulsive force.
","abstract_html":"<p>We address the development of a dynamic-soaring capable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) optimized for long-duration flight with no on-board power consumption. The UAV’s aerodynamic properties are captured with the integration of variable fidelity aerodynamic analyses. In addition to this, a 6 degree-of-freedom flight simulation environment is designed to include the effects of atmospheric wind conditions. A simple flight control system aids in the development of the dynamic soaring maneuver. A modular design paradigm is adopted for the aircraft dynamics model, which makes it conducive to use the same environment to simulate other aircraft models. Multiple wind-shear models are synthesized to study the overall energy gain for low and high-altitude dynamic soaring. In addition to this, the efficiency of the autopilot control laws is compared with human-piloted DS cycles. The current research thus focuses on studying the UAV’s energy neutrality in performing repeatable dynamic soaring cycles, which presents a paradigm shift in UAV propulsion, where the energy extracted from the wind shear could be used as a propulsive force.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Joseph, Gladston"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering","degree_level":"Thesis - Open Access","degree_discipline":"Aerospace Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-07-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-07-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:25:23Z","subjects":["Biomimicry","Albatross","Simulation","Simulink","Aerodynamics","Dynamic Soaring","Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics","Aeronautical Vehicles","Navigation, Guidance, Control and Dynamics","Other Aerospace Engineering","Propulsion and Power"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.erau.edu/edt/599","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Joseph, Gladston"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Aerospace Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - Open Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Biomimicry","Albatross","Simulation","Simulink","Aerodynamics","Dynamic Soaring","Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics","Aeronautical Vehicles","Navigation, Guidance, Control and Dynamics","Other Aerospace Engineering","Propulsion and Power"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.erau.edu/edt/599"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["We address the development of a dynamic-soaring capable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) optimized for long-duration flight with no on-board power consumption. The UAV’s aerodynamic properties are captured with the integration of variable fidelity aerodynamic analyses. In addition to this, a 6 degree-of-freedom flight simulation environment is designed to include the effects of atmospheric wind conditions. A simple flight control system aids in the development of the dynamic soaring maneuver. A modular design paradigm is adopted for the aircraft dynamics model, which makes it conducive to use the same environment to simulate other aircraft models. Multiple wind-shear models are synthesized to study the overall energy gain for low and high-altitude dynamic soaring. In addition to this, the efficiency of the autopilot control laws is compared with human-piloted DS cycles. The current research thus focuses on studying the UAV’s energy neutrality in performing repeatable dynamic soaring cycles, which presents a paradigm shift in UAV propulsion, where the energy extracted from the wind shear could be used as a propulsive force.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Design and Flight-Path Simulation of a Dynamic-Soaring UAV"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Joseph, Gladston"],"dc:description.abstract":["We address the development of a dynamic-soaring capable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) optimized for long-duration flight with no on-board power consumption. The UAV’s aerodynamic properties are captured with the integration of variable fidelity aerodynamic analyses. In addition to this, a 6 degree-of-freedom flight simulation environment is designed to include the effects of atmospheric wind conditions. A simple flight control system aids in the development of the dynamic soaring maneuver. A modular design paradigm is adopted for the aircraft dynamics model, which makes it conducive to use the same environment to simulate other aircraft models. Multiple wind-shear models are synthesized to study the overall energy gain for low and high-altitude dynamic soaring. In addition to this, the efficiency of the autopilot control laws is compared with human-piloted DS cycles. The current research thus focuses on studying the UAV’s energy neutrality in performing repeatable dynamic soaring cycles, which presents a paradigm shift in UAV propulsion, where the energy extracted from the wind shear could be used as a propulsive force.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.erau.edu/edt/599"],"dc:subject":["Biomimicry","Albatross","Simulation","Simulink","Aerodynamics","Dynamic Soaring","Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics","Aeronautical Vehicles","Navigation, Guidance, Control and Dynamics","Other Aerospace Engineering","Propulsion and Power"],"dc:title":["Design and Flight-Path Simulation of a Dynamic-Soaring UAV"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Aerospace Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - Open Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:25:23Z"}