Formation Flight Theory: Continuous Banked Flight of a Solar Powered UAV

This report explores the application of formation flight theory to reduce the power required for the CREATeV solar-powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) during continuous banked fight. Biot-Savart law was used to compute the induced velocities at points in the frame of the aircraft fight path, and to use the values to calculate the average induced velocities encountered by aircraft at specified points over that frame. Models, and visual simulations were used to predict the amount of power that could hypothetically be saved.

Results indicate that optimal positioning within the wake can lead to considerable reductions in power requirements, extending the fight time with an increased efficiency. This study not only confirms the viability of using formation fight theory for a single aircraft’s continuous banked fight, but also reveals potential promising areas of further study.