I-014 KERMIT
Multi-role Unmanned Aircraft
© Michał Imiołek
CONTACT
MICHAŁ IMIOŁEK
(designer and builder of the I-014 KERMIT Multi-role Unmanned Aircraft)
MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SYSTEM
I-014 KERMIT is an UNMANNED AIRCRAFT of relatively considerable dimensions, similar to the smallest single-pilot manned aircraft currently flying in the sky.
The aircraft is powered by a HYBRID twin-engine. The internal combustion engine is located in the nose of the fuselage, the electric motor is in the tail, and both motors are arranged in one axis, which means that in case of failure of one of them (or in case of depletion of the power source or intentional deactivation) there is no deflection moment of the aircraft that would change its original flight trajectory*.
The LIFTING CAPACITY of the design, determined by the desire to achieve the assumed performance, is 30 [kg] (66 lb), while the TOTAL MASS of the airplane is 120 kilograms (265 lb), including an optoelectronic system and the mass of the battery for the electric rear engine.
The STRUCTURE OF THE AIRPLANE is in practice made almost exclusively of COMPOSITE MATERIALS, with only a few admixtures of metals and plywood. The airplane has been created for SERIAL PRODUCTION, not for one-off production, which means that each prototype part requires the preparation of an appropriate mold to make. So making production tooling consumes 60 ÷ 65 % of the work, time and money!
MULTI-ROLE, DURABLE, FUNCTIONAL - that's what this plane will be like, because that's the idea behind it.
It’s MULTI-ROLE, because:
● due to its spacious NACELLE it can carry fixed equipment as well as CONTAINERS (ALSO DESIGNED FOR AIRDROPS) not only of considerable weight but also considerable dimensions;
● the nacelle shown on the pictures is the one of the highest dimensions: MODULAR CONSTRUCTION allows you to install smaller and lighter nacelles, or fly without one;
● the aircraft has its own PARACHUTE system and resilient, robust, wide main landing gear: these solutions aid hard landings (and emergency landings) on rough terrain.
It’s DURABLE, because:
● the limit load factors of the design are +6 and -2.7 g, so the aircraft is able to withstand considerable maneuver loads, gust loads, as well as loads occurring during touch-down;
● many components are intentionally reinforced to withstand not only rough handling but also less severe emergencies such as potential collisions with small birds, or landing in unprepared areas;
● properly secured composite structure makes the plane weather-resistant.
It’s FUNCTIONAL, because:
● the plane is small and light; after removing the wings it can be easily loaded on a relatively small semi-trailer of dimensions that do not exceed the standards of road traffic regulations;
● as a last resort, the aircraft can be prepared for flight even by just one person;
● the design features described earlier make it possible for I-014 KERMIT to be used in harsh conditions, i.e. in situations difficult or often impossible for other designs to withstand.
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* It is also possible to build a pure-electric version of the airplane.
BASIC DATA (for the version of the aircraft with the largest nacelle):
● wingspan: 5 [m] (16 ft 4.85 in);
● wing area: 2.5 [m²] (26.91 ft²);
● total mass (MTOW): 120 [kg] (265 lb);
● payload (lifting capacity): 30 [kg] (66 lb).
CALCULATION PERFORMANCE (for the above airplane. MTOW = 120 [kg] /265 lb/):
● maximum airspeed of horizontal flight: 150 [km/h] (93 mph);
● minimum airspeed (without mechanization): 76 [km/h] (47 mph);
● climb rate: 6.7 [m/s] (1319 ft/min);
● range: 700 [km] (435 mi);
● flight time (endurance): 8.5 [h]*.
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* The flight time of the airplane can be easily increased by raising the capacity of the fuel tanks, by adding batteries, or both.
Multi-role Unmanned Aircraft I-014 KERMIT
(under construction)
EXAMPLES OF POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS
● GEODESY ●
airborne scanner installation
● RESCUING ●
airdrop of supplies and medicine
● AGRICULTURAL AVIATION ●
installation of agricultural spraying equipment
● UNIFORMED SERVICES ●
border patrolling
● ? ? ? ●
NOTES
The sketch of the VERTICAL TAKE-OFF MODULE included in the document is only a preliminary study of this solution. It is possible that the final module will have a different design (e.g. so that thrust vectoring is possible, which will allow the use of the module in horizontal flight). It would be desirable for the additional (partly stabilizing) engine(s) (the standard motors located in the fuselage) to have the ability to tilt to the right angle. This will increase vertical thrust, which is especially useful during take-off.
The DOUBLE WHEELS were installed in the landing gear legs largely due to research motives (desire to practically assess the validity of the chosen solutions in other aircraft designs). However, it may be more reasonable to use single wheels of a larger diameter to increase the ability of the landing gear to overcome unevenness of the ground.
TAIL FINS protect the airplane in turbulent airflow conditions around the empennage in flight at high angles of attack, especially in deep stall.
The flight time of the airplane can be easily increased by raising the capacity OF THE FUEL TANKS
(or INTEGRAL TANKS), by adding BATTERIES, or both.
A vertical stabilizer, turning into the central part of the horizontal tail. Visible bearing and part of the mechanism used to change the angle of incidence of the horizontal tail.
Shock absorbing front landing gear strut with its bearing and a bogie.
The bogie can be rotated by means of double servos and can automatically adjust to uneven ground due to its swiveling structure. The structure of the strut also enables simple, on-the-ground adjustment of its length to change the airplane parking angle of attack.
Main landing gear.
A spring strut and structural channels of the bogies made of fibreglass reinforced plastic.
Main landing gear bogies and their protective covers.
The swinging suspended structural channel of the bogie not only adapts to uneven terrain, but also deforms (twists) so as to eliminate the phenomenon of ripping the tire off the wheel rim (this phenomenon occurs in airplane with classic spring struts, with particular intensity during touch-down).
Main (right) and auxiliary (left) fuel tanks, made mainly of carbon composites and protected not only against petrol but also against electrostatic discharges.
The nacelle (largest size) seen from underneath, at one of the subsequent stages of construction (nacelle structure not completed).
Symmetrical nacelle mold for lamination of both shell halves.
The mold of the nacelle and the assembled halves of its shell (1 and 2).
MORE INFORMATION
HOW TO MAKE ADDITIONAL USE OF THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE?
Supplement ❶
ELECTRIC OR HYBRID POWERED UNMANNED DRONE
I-015C DR. PCHEŁKA
(BUILDABLE BASED ON THE DESIGN AND PRODUCTION TOOLING OF THE UNMANNED AIRCRAFT I-014 KERMIT)
HOW TO MAKE ADDITIONAL USE OF THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE?
Supplement ❷
SINGLE-SEAT ULTRALIGHT ELECTRIC OR HYBRID POWERED AIRCRAFT
I-018 KAMA
(BUILDABLE BASED ON THE DESIGN AND PRODUCTION TOOLING OF THE UNMANNED AIRCRAFT I-014 KERMIT)
CONTACT
MICHAŁ IMIOŁEK
(designer and builder of the I-014 KERMIT Multi-role Unmanned Aircraft)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michał Imiołek
Aeronautical designer, book and article author, computer programmer of software devoted to aircraft design. He deals mainly with composite structures, starting with calculations and ending on technology and manufacturing. Among others, he is the author of several projects of unmanned aircraft of considerable size (payload from 66 to 330 lbs) and the originator of innovative, single-seat manned aircraft. His flagship design is the Multi-role Unmanned Aircraft I-014 Kermit, hybrid combustion and electric powered, of high versatility, based on self-developed production tooling. He is the author of an extensive monograph entitled Designing composite aircraft (500 pages), as well as computer programs for aerodynamic and strength calculations of aircraft structures (AtlaS and OZyryS). He’s also been involved in aviation modeling for many years. He has built several dozens of flying models, including many advanced remote-controlled planes.
He maintains a website called DRACO Aeronautical and Composite Technical Workshop (Kuźnica Techniki Aeronautycznej i Kompozytowej DRACO):
Michał Imiołek
TOWARDS THE DRONES
or a few words about designing unmanned aircraft
ABOUT THE BOOK
If you are interested in unmanned aircraft, have been thinking about designing your own aircraft, or even made preliminary sketches of it, but you don't know what to do next, this book – a practical guide to the first stage of a much longer journey – may help you in your further endeavors...
What will you learn?
This book addresses selected issues in the field of unmanned aircraft design in a user-friendly, colloquial format. It focuses on the leading factors affecting the specific features of UAVs, important from the perspective of the designer and the audience, such as maneuverability, payload, maximum speed, glide ratio, and rate of climb. Simple mathematical equations allowing to calculate the aerodynamics and performance of the airplane are woven into the main body of the book, together with examples. The example calculations are based on the design of a specific drone, and have been carried out step-by-step, without ambiguity, in order, thus they are intended to serve as a model for other aircraft calculations. After reading this book, you will also know how to determine the drag polar of the aircraft or performance curves, how to choose the shape of the wings, including the shape of their wing tips, or types of flaps, how to strive to make your aircraft as aerodynamically or functionally efficient as possible and... much more, including a number of interesting facts, usually little known!
What won’t you find here?
This book focuses on airplanes, and therefore winged aircraft; you won't find a word about helicopters or the more common multi-rotor aircraft; it doesn't address topics such as autopilots or ground stations; it doesn't review existing drones and their application.
For this is a somewhat ‘in between’ book, hence its title, which is: TOWARDS THE DRONES… Why is it ‘in between’? Because many of the issues discussed in the book may concern not only drones, but also manned aircraft or flying models (especially remote-controlled models), because all of them ”were born from the same womb”, and thus belong to one family... The starting point for considerations carried out in the book may therefore be manned aircraft, or flying models, and the end goal is wing drones...
Whether you are an experienced engineer or a beginner, mature or quite young, this book will guide you through the issues in an accessible way, giving you a bunch of practical calculations in return!
What do you need to acquire the knowledge, to choose the geometry, to calculate the performance and aerodynamics of your aircraft?
All you need is willingness, a writing instrument (e.g., a pen), a notebook for calculations (or loose sheets of paper), and a calculator... Since the calculation methods presented in this paper are derived from classical aerodynamics and classical flight mechanics, you can do without the very expensive computer programs currently used in aeronautics.
What is the purpose of this book?
To take you through the basic steps of working on an airplane and give you the tools for the rest of the journey so that it is a conscious journey – so don't stall any longer, and get in on the action!
Paperback: 196 PAGES! A4 FORMAT! COVER WITH FLAPS!
eBook: 160 PAGES!
DOZENS OF DRAWINGS, DIAGRAMS AND PHOTOS!
Michał Imiołek
AVIATION PHOTOGRAPHY
MORE PICTURES
COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHY
FORMAT 42x22 cm (16.54x8.66 in), FIFTEEN WORKS + DESCRIPTION (IN POLISH), CHALK PAPER 300 gsm