Mechanical Modeling and Simulation for the Take-Off and Landing Performance Calculation of Low-Cost UAVs

Take-off and landing performance, which is supposed to satisfy high standard and always plays an important role during the whole lifespan of an aircraft, is necessary to be fully considered and systematically evaluated during the designing process. In this paper, aiming at determining the take-off and landing demands for low-cost UAVs, aero-dynamic analysis and mechanical modeling are launched to calculate the key parameters of related take-off and landing performance. According to different conditions of application, two theoretical models for take-off as well as two for landing process are established in detail, and an original method for correcting aerodynamic drag and fric-tion is proposed. The calculating methods for the time and distance during take-off and landing period are provided while simulation based on MATLAB is carried out to visually present the results. Based on the output of calculation and numerical analysis, the effectiveness and feasibility of the models are verified. The results indicate that the models proposed in this paper are efficient to estimate the take-off and landing performance of low-cost UAVs and also provide rapid and convenient support to carry out demands analysis and the design of low-cost UAVs especially in the preliminary phase.