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Meeting	ACGS Committee Meeting 115 - Portland, OR - March 2015
Agenda Location	7 SUBCOMMITTEE A – AERONAUTIC AND SURFACE VEHICLES 7.1 Helicopter and Multi-Rotor Autopilot Development
Title	Helicopter and Multi-Rotor Autopilot Development
Presenter	Michael Allen
Affiliation	Cloud Cap Technology
Available Downloads*	presentation
	Downloads are available to members who are logged in and either Active* or attended this meeting.
Abstract	Cloud Cap changed the UAV market when it introduced the Piccolo autopilot in 1999. Since then the Piccolo autopilot has been used on over one hundred different vehicles and has logged hundreds of thousands of flight hours on aircraft such as the Aerosonde, Bat, Silver Fox, and TigerShark. With the addition of high-quality stabilized gimbals in late 2000's, Cloud Cap was able to offer unprecedented turn-key solutions to UAV manufacturers. Development of helicopter and multi-rotor versions of the Piccolo has presented particular challenges - both in guidance and controls and in creating an overall system suitable for this market. Specific innovations are presented that enable the Piccolo to be the autopilot of choice for high-end VTOL vehicles. Lessons learned from working as a guidance and controls engineer in the SUAS industry are also presented.