Executive Summary

       The autogyro is a class of aircraft that relies on the lift generated by the autorotation of its singular vertical axis unpowered rotor as its front mounted propeller generates horizontal thrust. 

Traditional quadcopter and octocopter drones are loud and energy inefficient. The objective of the project was to determine the feasibility of the autogyro aircraft in surveillance projects due to its low energy consumption, autorotation-based propulsion, and safer descent during power failure.

This project aimed to develop an autonomous autogyro based on the Durafly Autofly G2 V2 for surveillance on Scripps Pier such that it is able to stream live video to a Ground Control Station. To achieve this, multiple iterations of Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) and Expanded Polypropylene Foam (EPP) based fuselages were developed to accommodate the autonomous flight control and camera hardware. Finally, a widened carbon fiber rod-reinforced EPP foam fuselage was manufactured due to its desirable mechanical characteristics over other previously mentioned alternatives. 

             Based on the project sponsor’s requirements, the developed autogyro must be capable of streaming live video feed for surveillance of the wave conditions at Scripps Pier and shark watch.  Furthermore, the sponsor suggested that the autogyro should have the capability to allow for future autonomy integration capability. Hence, in addition to the battery, the payload consisted of a flight controller, a receiver, camera PCB, telemetry transmitter, and a GPS module.