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Drone Authority

Open-source flight · Airframes

The autopilot cannot fix the wrong aircraft model

A conventional plane, flying wing, and QuadPlane do not share one output map or emergency plan. Start with the physical controls, energy states, and recovery site.

Open field prepared for a bounded aircraft testCONTROL · ENERGY · RECOVERY

Airframe desk

Three aircraft, three different release problems

Select the physical architecture before assigning outputs or importing a parameter file.

Conventional airplane

A wing, fuselage, tail, and forward-thrust system. It must keep moving through the air to generate lift and normally lands on a runway, belly, net, or other planned recovery surface.

Control architecture

Aileron, elevator, rudder as fitted, and throttle. Servo direction, neutral, travel, linkage integrity, and airframe balance are physical flight controls, not software details.

Sensor plan

Gyros and accelerometers are basic. GPS supports navigation. Airspeed, compass, barometer, and range sensing depend on the mission and stack.

Launch and recovery

Runway, hand, catapult, or assisted launch, with a recovery plan that fits the airframe and site.

Release gates

Every item needs physical evidence, not a green status indicator.

  1. Gate 1: Center of gravity is measured against the airframe plan
  2. Gate 2: Every control surface moves in the commanded direction
  3. Gate 3: Manual mode can recover from assisted modes
  4. Gate 4: Launch and landing paths are clear and rehearsed
  5. Gate 5: Failsafe behavior is simulated before flight

VTOL transition

Treat transition as its own flight regime

A transition is not a visual effect between two modes. Control authority, lift source, airspeed, altitude, power draw, and abort options change through it.

  1. 01

    Hover state

    Lift propulsion, multirotor attitude control, low ground speed, and a protected hover box.

  2. 02

    Acceleration

    Forward thrust builds airspeed while lift motors and control surfaces share authority.

  3. 03

    Fixed-wing state

    The wing carries the aircraft, control surfaces own attitude, and lift propulsion follows the selected architecture.

  4. 04

    Back transition

    Energy, altitude, wind, and reserve must support deceleration and a return to stable hover.

Test order

Prove two aircraft before joining them

  1. 01

    Simulation

    Use the exact frame class to rehearse manual flight, assisted modes, transition, abort, return, and loss-of-link behavior.

  2. 02

    Props-off bench

    Confirm sensors, actuator directions, output limits, mode switches, logs, failsafes, and both propulsion power paths.

  3. 03

    Hover envelope

    Prove takeoff, hover, translation, return, and landing without initiating transition.

  4. 04

    Fixed-wing envelope

    Prove the airplane controls and recovery plan under the stack's documented test method.

  5. 05

    Bounded transitions

    Add one transition direction and one abort point at a time, with altitude, wind, energy, and observer gates.

Reviewed 2026-08-23. This is an architecture and test-order reference, not an airworthiness determination. A qualified builder must validate the exact airframe, hardware, software, operating site, and legal authority.

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