{"id":5478,"date":"2012-04-05T10:45:24","date_gmt":"2012-04-05T17:45:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/?p=5478"},"modified":"2012-04-05T10:47:16","modified_gmt":"2012-04-05T17:47:16","slug":"stemme-motorglider-make-automated-landing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/stemme-motorglider-make-automated-landing\/","title":{"rendered":"Stemme Motorglider Makes Automated Landing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stemme AG<\/a>, manufacturer of highly sophisticated motorgliders, has made their aerial platforms mounts for a huge array of surveillance and sensor systems.\u00a0<\/a> Their latest announcement, though, shows the company is thinking next generation thoughts about flying in automated skies.<\/p>\n

According to the Technical University of Berlin<\/a>, a co-partner with the University of Stuttgart on the project, \u201cthe STEMME s15 landed precisely and safely at 5: 44 P.m. local time.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0The flight took place March 22, 2012.<\/p>\n

Using a flight controller and laser altimeter, the system allows \u201coptional piloting\u201d in its operation.\u00a0 It also provides a high degree of flexibility, letting the airplane land at any airport, even those without instrument landing systems.<\/p>\n

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Prof. Dr.-Ing Robert Luckner of the Technical University of Berlin congratuates pilot and head of the LAPAZ project Lothar Dalldorff<\/p><\/div>\n

LAPAZ, their automated flight control system, uses electric actuators and on-board computers to make automated flight a reality.\u00a0 It even opens up a new category of aircraft, the Optional Piloted Vehicle, for missions into hostile environments or situations.<\/p>\n

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Stemme S15 in Fire Patroller mode, showing sensor pods and mysterious bumps<\/p><\/div>\n

The team\u2019s announcement gave some details of the project.\u00a0 \u201cAt Neuhardenberg, east of Berlin, for the first time a STEMME S15 has made a landing under full control of LAPAZ. After commanding the S15 to a low flypast over the runway, LAPAZ than turned it into the landing direction. Pilot and head of the LAPAZ project Lothar Dalldorff attested via radio that the aircraft was correct on the predicted glidepath. The system flared the S15 to 0,5m\/s descent rate and gently touched down with the main gear first. Prof. Dr.-Ing Robert Luckner of the Technical University of Berlin was the first to congratulate (see picture). \u00a0A success for the cooperation of STEMME, TU-Berlin and the University of Stuttgart. LAPAZ is developed as a highly precise Pilot-Assistance-System that can fly automatic missions including take-off and landing.\u201d<\/p>\n

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S15's highly modular construction<\/p><\/div>\n

Stemme says their Flight Control System can be used for \u201cpilot assistance\u201d in low-level flight or for 3D navigation, with the pilot able to add new targets or flight data at any time in a pre-planned flight.\u00a0 Without the pilot, the S15 becomes an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).<\/p>\n

We\u2019re used to seeing such technology on Dreamliners and Airbuses, but this level of technology on small aircraft is a step in reaching the much-looked-for commuter plane of the future.\u00a0 Couple this with short-take-off and landing (STOL) capabilities and you have at least part of Dr. Seeley\u2019s and NASA\u2019s Mark Moore\u2019s pocket airport concept realized.<\/p>\n