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Meeting	ACGS Committee Meeting 95 - Salt Lake City - March 2005
Agenda Location	4 GENERAL COMMITTEE TECHNICAL SESSION 4.2 Research Institutions, Industry and University Reports 4.2.2 Universities 4.2.2.2 University of Kansas
Title	University of Kansas
Presenter	Richard Colgren
Available Downloads*	presentation
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Abstract	The topics discussed in this presentation addresses the facilities and the current research being conducted at the University of Kansas in the areas of piloted and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) dynamic model development, instrumentation, and flight test. This presentation specifically identifies the Department of Aerospace Engineering’s Flight Test Center’s extensive facilities that support The University of Kansas’ undergraduate and graduate education and research missions. Specific facilities and equipment available for this effort are discussed below. Hangar Facilities The Aerospace Engineering Garrison Flight Research Hangar (22,000 square feet) at the Lawrence Municipal Airport contains a classroom, machine shop, electronics shop, offices, conference room, and hangar bays including a UAV Lab. These provide resources for developing intelligent vehicle systems and for the flight research of both piloted and intelligent air vehicles. These facilities have recently has an over half million dollar upgrade, with an additional $350,000 provided for further improvements. An AST 4000 digital flight simulator has also been purchased at a cost of approximately $140,000 for this research. Additional shop and assembly space, along with a propulsion test cell, are available in an adjacent building. Flight Test Laboratory The Flight Test Laboratory can support aerodynamic, performance, and stability and control flight testing. This laboratory, located at the Lawrence Municipal Airport, includes the mentioned 22,000 square foot hangar, which houses the department’s Cessna 172 Skyhawk and Cessna 182 RG. The Cessna 172 is used both for transportation and research, while the Cessna 182 is dedicated to flight research activities, including multi-spectrum Earth Resources Mapping and flight research into flush air data systems. The Cessna 182 is specifically configured to accommodate in-flight test instrumentation. There is also a one-third scale Piper Cub used for fixed wing UAV research. Two Raptor 50 helicopters have been obtained specifically for intelligent vehicle research. One has been extensively modified into the V2 configuration for this work. It is equipped with a three axis accelerometer, a three axis gyro, four string-pots to measure the pitch and roll collectives, the throttle, and the tail rotor, and a data logger to record both analog and digital sensor channels. A three axis magnetometer is being added. The second is being used for performance evaluations, and will eventually be used for cooperative flight experiments. Over $92,000 has been invested in a Yamaha RMAX for rotary wing UAV research. It is able to carry even heavier payloads than the Raptor 50s. In addition to a programmable INS with three axis gyros and accelerometers, it will have a differential GPS and a three axis magnetometer, along with fully instrumented controls and flight test recorder and data link. A Lanier Edge 540T fixed wing aerobatic airplane is being used for validation of CFD codes of aircraft in unusual attitudes. The KU developed the Hawkeye 14’ wingspan, 200 kmi range (4+ hour endurance) modular fixed wing UAV is also in flight test, as is the KU heavy lift fixed wing airplane. An all electric (including propulsion system) helicopter UAV using lithium-poly batteries is in final construction. Aerospace Manufacturing Facilities The Department of Aerospace Engineering maintains a research machine shop with several milling machines, lathes, sheet metal break and shear equipment, band saws and drill presses. In addition, the School of Engineering maintains a fully equipped machine shop with multiple milling machines, surface grinders, vertical and horizontal band saws, drill presses, welding equipment, and a paint booth. New acquisitions include a KMZ mauser precision coordinate measuring machine, a powder-based ink-jet binder 3D printer and a computer numerically controlled (CNC) mill with five axes of motion and 48" x 20" x 20" travel in translational axes. The University of Kansas’ Hawkeye UAV was developed and built in this facility and the molds were built using this milling machine. Design Laboratory The Aerospace Vehicle Design Laboratory consists of a general work area and a multimedia classroom equipped with PC and workstation computer terminals and printers. Specialized software design packages (interactive computer-aided design programs such as AeroCADD and the Advanced Airplane Analysis programs) are resident on the laboratory's computers. Other computer hardware and software packages available to faculty and students are listed below.